A Perception of Reality
by knightchaser
Summary: There is a belief that states for every action taken, the alternative action is played out in another dimension. In one reality Itachi succeeded in killing his clan, in another, he failed. This is the story of what happened when he failed.
1. Chapter 1 An Alternate Reality

**There is a belief that states for every action taken, every other action that could have happened occurs simultaneously in an alternate dimension. In one reality, Itachi killed his clan. In another, he failed. This is the story of the events that played out when the clan survived.**

**This is "sort of" a sequel to "Itachi: The Early Years". However, I say "sort of" because this sequel takes place on a shifted timeline from that story. Chapter 64 of "Itachi: The Early Years" is rewritten to be chapter 1 of "A Perception of Reality". Someone does something differently and the result is that Itachi fails to kill the clan, and the Uchiha coup takes place. I got the title name from the speech Itachi gave Sasuke when they met for their final battle.**

**You probably don't have to have read the first story to read this one. It might help, of course. **

**For romance lovers, this will have Itachi x OC (Sheeta Uchiha, same age as Itachi). They are betrothed, and have gotten along pretty good so far. But, it wouldn't be a good story if I didn't through some conflict in there.**

**Mostly, this will be an adventure story about Itachi. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura will also play important roles, albeit different from what they were in the Manga. But… I don't want to give too much away…**

**And remember, the first half is a rewrite of chpt 64 so if you get a "deju vu" thing, you're not imagining it! xD**

**Happy Reading! And don't forget to review!**

**Edite: All the section dividers got deleted somehow, so I'm in the process of putting them back in, but it may take a while since there are quite a lot of chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 1 – An Alternate Reality**

Shock and disappointment were the two dominant emotions Sarutobi felt as he stared at the document in front of him. He had announced his intention to make Itachi Uchiha the Fifth Hokage at that morning's meeting. They had not received it well and now… three hours later he was looking at a paper outlining the actions that would be taken by the elders should he go through with his plan.

It was supposed to have been his fail-safe plan. The one that was going to appease the disgruntled Uchiha clan. Fugaku had even promised to stand down should Itachi be given the tile of Fifth Hokage and he, the Third, had in turn promised to stand by Itachi's side as long as possible to train him in his new duties. It was something he wanted to do anyway, but because of the threat of a coup Sarutobi had decided to take the thirteen-year-old Itachi in right away instead of waiting a few years.

Sarutobi had known Homura and Koharu his entire life. The three were from the first generation to grow up in Konoha. They had the First and Second Hokages as their Senseis and had listened attentively to their lectures and believed in their ideals. When Sarutobi was named as the Third he was about the age Itachi was now. He worked closely with the First and Second to learn the ins and outs of running Konoha.

His personal life had suffered the most over the years. Two marriages had ended in divorce with both of his ex-wives dying on missions, leaving him to raise his two sons alone. His eldest son and daughter-in-law had died three years previously, also on a mission, this time leaving behind a young infant that Sarutobi was currently raising. His youngest son, who was now in his early twenties, had run off to work as a ninja in service to the Daimyou and hadn't so much as sent a postcard in over a year. He tried not to dwell on everything too much… it was still difficult. Besides, he had his grandson, who was currently napping on the couch in his office. His light breathing was usually soothing, but right now, there was just too much going on to take comfort in even a toddler's innocence.

The message he was staring at was very clear, "It has come to our attention that Itachi is an unstable individual who has, in the past, been hospitalized and removed from active duty due to said instability. Should he be named Hokage, it would be in the best interest of the village to be informed of his mental condition, and we would have to begin steps to have the present Hokage declared incompetent to fulfill his duties."

Looking out over the sunny village, Sarutobi considered the message. He could definitely gloss over Itachi's mental problems, after all no ninja was completely sane. It was impossible in a line of work that required murder and stealth to be a way of life and remain "normal". However, the part that concerned him was the last sentence. To have him declared "incompetent", as they put it, would require the signatures of the two elders, the head of ANBU, and the chief medical officer: Homura, Koharu, Danzou and Yakushi.

Yakushi wouldn't sign it. Sarutobi knew that for a fact. However, he found he could no longer trust Danzou. If Yakushi didn't bend to that man's will, Danzou would kill him without a second thought. He couldn't loose such a skilled medic, and the chances that he could protect him from the ROOT assassins that Danzou had trained were probably zero. He slammed his fist down on the table.

"Gampa," a sleepy voice came from the couch, "I tired. You woke me up." Sounds of sniffling and a couple whimpers made Sarutobi rise from his chair and walk over to the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry, Konohamaru." Picking up the three-year-old he walked back and forth for a while until he fell asleep again. Laying the toddler back down on the couch he covered him back up with a small blanket and sat down on the opposite couch. 'What now?' he thought to himself.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Itachi was in the woods next to the lake resting. He had been training since daybreak and as noon approached the unseasonably warm October weather had him sweating. He had pulled out a book of water jutsus and was reading when Sheeta found him. Smiling, he invited her to sit down next to him.

"If you wanted to be alone, you shouldn't sit next to a lake on a beautiful fall day." She teased as she sat down. She was wearing a pair of black pants with a black short-sleeve t-shirt that had an Uchiha symbol embroidered on each sleeve. Her long black hair was loose except for a decorative gold barrette above her right ear.

"Maybe I didn't really want to be alone, then." Out of habit he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. The two had been betrothed when they were ten and had become good friends.

"Lately, when we are together, you still look like you're alone. Are you sure you're okay?" Sheeta was concerned.

"I'm fine. Have you seen Sasuke's fireball yet?"

"Who hasn't? He's shown it to everyone who looks sideways at him." Sheeta laughed. "I even got a picture of it."

"That'll make him happy, I bet. So why did you come to the lake?" Itachi finally asked.

"It was bored at home. I have today off and I was missing Aya again. We would come here and go swimming. She loved the water. I mean… _loves_ the water. I keep thinking of her in the past tense, she's been gone so long." Sheeta sighed. Her older sister had been her constant companion for as long as she could remember and having her away for so many months on a mission was difficult.

"Did you bring your suit?" Itachi noticed she wasn't carrying anything.

"No. I don't feel like swimming actually. And it's too cold out to swim, it's only sixty-eight degrees."

"Hn." Itachi went back to reading, but noticed after a few minutes that Sheeta was now resting her head in his lap and was sound asleep. He smiled, in spite of his mood. Sheeta was innocent and caring. She had a maternal streak that belied her age. She also had a sense of humor and loved to tease people. He could have easily spent the next sixty years with her by his side.

Frowning he looked out over the lake. Such fantasies could never come true, and he needed to quit thinking about them.

"Itachi?" Sheeta apparently wasn't completely asleep yet.

"Yeah?"

"Right now is real. This moment, this point in time. We should live this moment and not worry about what tomorrow brings." Sheeta said quietly.

Itachi was puzzled. "What soap opera did that come from?"

"I don't know they all look the same to me. It was on this morning's episode. But… even though it's massively corny… I think it's true."

"It is, Sheeta." Itachi had to agree. There was probably nothing wrong with enjoying this particular afternoon. At least for a little while. For her sake.

Messengers delivered two different scrolls the next morning; one to Fugaku and one to Itachi. The message to Fugaku stated that the plan to make Itachi the Fifth Hokage fell through, but reconciliation would still be possible if he was patient. The message to Itachi explained that the Third wanted him as the Fifth, but he would have to wait a few years, and he was overriding Danzou's mission and ordering him to "stand down". Both father and son had exactly the same reaction: Sarutobi could go to hell.

Fugaku was ready, at last, to enter the final stages of his plan now that talks had completely broken down. He immediately left the house to begin preparations.

Itachi was disappointed at Sarutobi's inability to control his council and stand up to Danzou. He was also angry that the Third didn't seem to understand the threat his clan could pose to the village. But above all, he was scared. Frightened of the task that now spread itself out ahead of him. The deaths he would cause, the disappointment he would see in their eyes as he struck them down, the loneliness he would feel as he walked the Earth alone, without a family, until finally he died in battle or sickness. But Konoha and Fire country would be safe. That made it all worth it, right? Itachi wasn't sure about that anymore, but he would do his duty, just the same.

It was at 2:47am when Itachi finally realized that he could not kill his brother. Everyone else, even his parents and Sheeta, he could kill them, although it would be hard. But not Sasuke. However, he didn't want to send the boy to Mist as Madara, who was also the Mizukage, had suggested. It would be a cruel life, the shinobi there were warlike and known for their love of battle. Not to mention the fact that Madara would likely sink his talons into the boy. There was really only one solution: Sasuke would have to stay in Konoha.

Itachi had exacted a promise from Madara to keep his hands off of Konoha, in return he would assist in the mission. That meant that if Sasuke remained in Konoha, Madara would have to leave him alone. That part of the plan was easy enough to figure out, but the part about exactly how any Uchiha could remain alive, especially a vulnerable child, when his mission had called for the extermination of the entire clan took a few more hours to figure out.

In the end Itachi decided he would approach Sarutobi afterward and beg him to take Sasuke under his personal protection. After all, at that point, he would owe him a huge favor. And Danzou… he would deal with him as well.

Itachi realized the sun was coming up and decided to go for a walk. Another sunny day revealed to him a very disturbing revelation. He stealthily moved throughout the Uchiha compound, looking into the temple, restaurants, stores and common areas as well as a few houses. Having made a quick count he returned to his room and laid down on his bed.

It was a shock, even though he expected it to happen, it was still a shock. Itachi's heart was pounding and his breathing sped up. Every single Uchiha was in the compound. No one was left at the Hideout. That meant the attack was literally hours away. At least forty-eight, at most seventy-two.

Sitting up, Itachi made his way to the secret compartment in his floor and started pulling things out. He filled his backpack first. His Akatsuki uniform and supplies were put into the pack. He fingered his necklace as he looked at the photo of himself and Sheeta holding Rumiko's twins. Something wet dropped onto his hand and he looked at it incomprehensively for a minute before realizing it was a tear. He quickly wiped his eyes.

Dr. Motoi's book about Johnny the normal boy was extracted next from the hole. He read a couple chapters before putting it back and sealing the hole. There was no point in looking at anything else. It was too painful.

He clutched his bracelet and called Madara.

"_Itachi?"_ Madara's deep voice revealed no emotion.

"Tomorrow." Itachi said simply.

"_Time?" _

"6pm. I'll contact you again to let you know when to enter. As soon as we begin the attack all the Uchihas will fall back to the compound to defend it. You will start at the front gate and work your way in. I'll hit the houses and get the people inside. If I don't contact you, do nothing."

"_Understood. Itachi? You realize that unlike you I am looking forward to this. I will feel no loss or sorrow over their passing."_ Madara's voice was still neutral.

"Yes. I know." Itachi replied as he cut contact.

Grabbing the backpack Itachi made his way outside of the village to hide it.

Fugaku and about twenty other Uchihas gathered in the temple that evening. The mood was determined and slightly grim. The clan lord had no misconceptions about the havoc he was about to cause.

"The first attack will place us in a position to overthrow the government and place ourselves in its place. After that we will have rebels to deal with. Remember, these will be our fellow shinobi. We should try to reason with them first, get them to see things our way and cooperate to strengthen the village. Barring that, go ahead and kill them.

"The shinobi clans from the Hideout will arrive in time for the secondary rebel battles hours after the first battle ends. They will take over the fighting as our clansmen clean up and help get people to the hospital. Yakushi will be on duty, although he has not been told of the coup, as a doctor he will still help all injured. Uchiha will move people to safe havens and set up distribution of food and other supplies. Above all, be helpful and friendly, even if you have to put on an act."

"What about Itachi?" One of the elders asked.

"If for some reason I am unable to take out Sarutobi he will take my place and finish the battle." Fugaku lied easily and the people gathered accepted his word.

"That is all. You have the orders for your teams. Rest tomorrow, for the next day we fight to regain our lost dignity." Fugaku replied calmly.

A few moments later Fugaku and Mikoto were the only ones left in the secret chamber. "I'll disable Itachi tomorrow evening." Fugaku said quietly. He had discovered his son was passing information to Danzou several weeks earlier. Not wanting to alert the clan to his son's treason he had cut down on the boy's duties and kept him at arms length. Itachi had no idea he had been found out, and Fugaku figured it was probably because the boy had distanced himself from his family.

"How?" Mikoto's voice was worried.

"I should be able to knock him unconscious with a Genjutsu. Even though he doesn't completely trust me, he does allow me to get close enough to touch him. I'll then stick him in one of the isolation cells. Honoo was moved to the regular civilian prison this morning so Itachi will be the only one in there. I will also attach chakra limiting bracelets so he won't be able to use jutsu or his Sharingan." Fugaku ground his teeth in frustration. Honoo was an ex-ninja who had paid three shinobi from the village hidden in the Clouds to kill an Uchiha family. The only survivors were the couple's infant sons and Sheeta, who had been staying with them to help out after the babies were born. He had plans for the traitorous murderer, but he wanted to be the Hokage when he put them in place.

Mikoto nodded once, although she was frowning. "When can he come out again?"

"That depends on him." Fugaku answered. "Right before I deal with Itachi, you will remove Sasuke from the house and bring him here."

"Yes." Mikoto nodded again. "It'll be hard for him, but the others who won't be fighting will be here as well. Auntie said she would look after him."

It was quiet for a few short minutes, and Fugaku gave a small smile, "Finally, Mikoto, it begins."

"Mother…" Sasuke was eating his breakfast. It was just himself and Mikoto in the kitchen.

"Yes Sasuke, dear?" Mikoto turned around from the sink to look at her son.

"What does… what does father really think of Itachi and me?" He asked shyly.

"What do you mean?" The question didn't really make sense.

"Well… the other day… father said 'that's my boy' to me. But that's what he always says to Itachi. So… I was really happy."

"Well that's good!" Mikoto said cheerfully.

"But… Itachi and father aren't getting along so… maybe… I'm just a replacement for Itachi."

Mikoto was shocked at her son's intuition but hid her feelings. The boy was very perceptive, every bit as perceptive as his brother had been at that age. 'How did I miss something this big?' She asked herself.

Sighing she walked over to the table, "Itachi is his own person and you are your own person. Father cares about both of you."

"Then how come all I hear is 'Itachi this' and 'Itachi that'? Sasuke yelled.

Sighing again, Mikoto paused for a second, thinking about how she was going to explain things to her son. He was telling the truth, but she didn't want him to see it as proof that Fugaku didn't care for him.

"That isn't true, Sasuke. As clan leader, father's responsibility is to protect the clan."

Sasuke interrupted, "So what?"

"Itachi is older, so he's entrusted with performing clan duties. Father is in charge of those duties so that's why it seems as if he spends more time with Itachi." She paused and then pointed at her face, "But just between you and me, when we're alone, he talks about you all the time. You know father… he's quiet and sullen looking all the time. He just has trouble showing his feelings." Mikoto smiled as she saw Sasuke's mood lighten. He smiled and breathed out in relief. Then jumped when he heard Fugaku set his cup on the table and sat down. Mikoto refilled it then went back to the sink.

Sasuke looked at his father and was suddenly reminded of Itachi's Sharingan two years ago. "Father?"

"Hmm?"

"Are there different kinds of Sharingan?"

"Already interested in Sharingan? It's too early, Sasuke. It's nothing like Fire Style jutsus."

"But… I'll master it someday… because I'm your son!" Sasuke was so earnest in his statement that Fugaku had to smile.

"There is a higher level ocular jutsu than the Sharingan. Called the Mangekyou Sharingan. It's legendary and only occurs in a few Uchihas. I've heard it requires a very special set of circumstances in order to manifest." Fugaku spoke lightly, trying to dissuade his son from any further questions. With Itachi, he had tried to hide the information, but he decided that he should take a different route with Sasuke and perhaps be more up-front.

'So that's what he showed back then. Itachi has this Mangekyou Sharingan. But does father know? Why did he tell me not to chase after him anymore?' Sasuke thought deeply about this information, but it just made him more confused.

"Father?"

"Hmm?" Fugaku gave his son another small smile. The boy was full of questions this morning.

"Why doesn't big brother pay attention to me, even though I'm his little brother?"

Fugaku looked down at the table and closed his eyes. "Itachi… is different. He has always had trouble getting close to people." It was a simplified explanation, but going into the psychological theories of psychosis, alienation and trauma would probably be a little too advanced for an eight-year-old boy.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, very concerned.

"Who knows? I can't read him, and I'm the boy's father." Fugaku's words were full of the helplessness he was feeling in his heart, and spoke to depths much deeper than Sasuke's question. Mikoto turned around and gave her husband a sad look.

Sasuke didn't ask anymore questions and when he finished his tea he ran out of the kitchen. He had only fifteen minutes to get to school before the first bell rang.

"He's getting suspicious, isn't he?" Fugaku asked quietly.

"He's a very perceptive boy. Lately, he's been spending a lot of time thinking, but right now it just seems to be about relationships – how you feel about him and Itachi and how Itachi feels about him. I wouldn't worry about it too much." Mikoto smiled and sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Hmm." Fugaku kept reviewing the conversation, and realized that Sasuke must have seen Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan as some point. Probably accidentally. He was sure Itachi wouldn't have shown it to his little brother on purpose.

Fugaku looked at the kitchen door when he heard Itachi and Sasuke talking in the entryway. They were probably putting on their shoes, getting ready to leave. 'Perhaps I should incapacitate him now instead of tonight.' Fugaku thought to himself. He stood up and exited the kitchen.

Sasuke ran out of the hall carrying his lunch and book bag, but stopped in the foyer when he saw Itachi sitting down on a step putting on his shoes. He was wearing black pants and a wide necked black short-sleeve shirt. Frowning and taking his time, his distracted posture made Sasuke pause and look at him.

"Big brother," Sasuke said hesitantly, "could you… help me with my Shuriken jutsu tonight?"

"I'm busy, why don't you ask father?" Itachi said hastily.

"You're better at it. Even I can see that." Sasuke sulked.

Itachi waved his brother over and Sasuke walked closer. Reaching out his hand he tapped the boy on the forehead with his fingers. "Maybe next time, Sasuke." He turned around and looked at the floor. Sasuke saw the dark circles under his eyes, but didn't think twice about it.

Standing up Itachi started walking out the door, "I don't have time for this now."

Sasuke rubbed his forehead, "You always say the same thing and then jab me in the forehead. You never have time anymore." His morose words were ignored as Itachi disappeared from view. He sat down to put his own shoes on. "I guess he's still the same as always… what a relief."

"Itachi!" Fugaku appeared behind Sasuke a moment later and called out to his eldest son.

Itachi walked back into the foyer. "Yes father?"

Sasuke smiled at his brother and father as he finished putting on his shoes. Slinging his book bag over his shoulder he took off at full speed as soon as he stepped outside the door.

Fugaku waited a few seconds, listening as the sound of Sasuke's running feet disappeared in the distance. He looked down at Itachi. The teenager only came up to his shoulders, but looked shorter because of his slight build and stooped posture. He was also looking at the floor with tired eyes. Gripping Itachi's arm he squeezed it slightly. "I'm concerned, Itachi. You haven't been eating much and you look ill."

Itachi was a little surprised by his father's words. He looked up, meeting his eyes, but instantly regretted it as he felt a Genjutsu quickly overtake him. He tried to dispel it, but he realized it wasn't a normal Genjutsu as he watched his father's eyes change from Sharingan to a black circle with a cross inside. Mangekyou Sharingan. Itachi couldn't dispel it fast enough and he fell forward as his eyesight dimmed and everything went black.

Fugaku caught Itachi in his arms and sighed. "I'm sorry Itachi, I have to do this."

Mikoto had heard the commotion and walked out of the kitchen to see what was going on. She saw Fugaku holding Itachi and walked over. The boy's neck fell back over his arm and Fugaku readjusted him so his head rested on his shoulder. Stroking her son's cheek, she sighed. "You decided not to wait until tonight?"

"I don't know why… I just figured I should incapacitate him now. I'll take him to the prison and get him settled in. I am very worried about his health, Mikoto. He is very light and he has a fever." Fugaku bend his cheek down and brushed it across the top of his son's forehead above his forehead protector, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. "With a fever this high his face should be flushed, but he's as white as a ghost."

Mikoto sighed, blinking back the tears that suddenly formed. "My poor little boy. I'll come by in a while and check on him. Perhaps it's just lack of sleep and stress instead of a virus."

Fugaku frowned when his wife called Itachi a "little boy", but quickly realized that was exactly what his son looked like right now. After all the responsibility they had placed on his shoulders, he was still a child, only thirteen-years-old. He disappeared, reappearing a second later in the police station.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The isolation cells were located on a secret level of the police station; only a few people in the clan knew about them and only a handful of non-Uchiha. Fugaku placed Itachi on a cot inside a cell that he had already prepared. He quickly attached chakra limiting bracelets to Itachi's arms and locked them with a chakra key. The key would only work if either Fugaku or Mikoto used it. Itachi's chakra would be drained, leaving him too weak to perform jutsus or use his Sharingan. He then emptied all of Itachi's pockets, but decided to let him keep his watch.

Fugaku looked inside the box that Mikoto had dropped off earlier. It had books, various food items, bottled water, and candy. He smiled when he saw the last item. Itachi was notorious for his sweet-tooth. Fugaku shook out a blanket and draped it over his son then exited the cell. Once the door was locked he put a chakra-limiting jutsu on the bars as well.

Looking through the bars, Fugaku watched as the teen began to wake up. The Genjutsu was one that a boy as skilled as Itachi could break out of in ten to fifteen minutes. Although, he suspected that if he had to use it again he would cut that time in half or even more. Itachi slowly sat up and then stood quickly when he realized where he was. Turning around he glared at his father.

"Itachi…" Fugaku started to speak.

"What have you done? How long have I been here?" Itachi yelled angrily.

"I can't trust you to remain 'uninvolved'. I know you have been passing information to Danzou for a while now." Fugaku spoke sternly, revealing nothing in his stone-face expression.

Itachi frowned, "You… know?"

Fugaku sighed in frustration, "You have been beating yourself up about something for the last year. Of course I suspected. As a double-agent you were very bad. Betrayal doesn't suit you, kid. You have too much of a conscience."

Itachi looked at the floor, realizing that his father was probably right. However… "But… the village…"

"What about the village? Shouldn't you be asking about your clan?" Fugaku asked matter-of-factly.

"I didn't… I… don't want to see…" Itachi mumbled, then gulped and fell to his knees, "They were all dead. The entire valley was dead. Sixty- or seventy- thousand people."

Fugaku creased his brow in confusion, "Where? Was this one of your nightmares?"

Itachi continued to mumble, "Water country… they were all dead."

"You're overwrought, exhausted and ill. You need to get back into bed and sleep."

"No!" Itachi yelled, "You can't ki…"

"Itachi!" Fugaku yelled back, "I won't hear anymore about this from you. You are _not_ in your right mind at the moment."

Itachi reached into his pocket for the bracelet he used to communicate with Madara but it wasn't there. He quickly searched all his other pockets and discovered they were empty. Fugaku watched him silently, then shook his head.

"Rest here for now. There is some food and water in that box." Fugaku used a jutsu to disappear.

Itachi slowly stood up and returned to the cot. The room was very bright with its white painted walls and open, barred cells. It was also very quiet. There weren't even any mechanical noises. He spent the next few hours awake, staring at the ceiling and constantly checking his watch. As 6pm approached and passed he grew anxious and his heart started pounding.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"So this is where you are." Madara's voice jolted Itachi up from his cot and he stood up quickly, but dropped to his knees as a wave of dizziness passed over him. "Be careful there, don't want to pass out."

"Ma…dara" Itachi said with difficulty. Madara was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the cell. He was wearing his usual black pants and long-sleeve shirt with gloves and black shoes. Two katanas were sticking out from a holder attached to his back. He wasn't wearing his usual black and orange mask.

"You look like shit." Madara ignored the dirty look Itachi gave him and continued talking, "I take it this means the fun is off. Too bad, I was looking forward to it. But… then again, watching Fugaku should prove to be just as entertaining. I may even disguise myself and jump in to help." He gave a short laugh.

"You could get me out of here and…" Itachi started speaking but was cut off by Madara's laughter.

Madara's tone turned serious, "Nope. Not gonna do that, kid. _You_ messed up, _you_ pay the price. And, by the way… our deal is off."

Itachi moved off of his knees and sat cross-legged. Reaching over to the box next to him he pulled out a bottle of water and drank it all in one gulp. It had been hours since he had last drank anything and he felt so dehydrated he didn't even have much saliva. He cleared his throat a few times before he could speak again, "Madara…"

"If you're going to beg, forget it." Madara said calmly.

"I wasn't… I just…" Itachi rubbed his face with his hands.

"Itachi, you really are sick. It's plain to see you have a fever." He stood up and walked toward the cell, then walked through the bars. "Come on, get back in bed." He grabbed the teen's arm and guided him back on the bed then sat next to him. "Swallow this. It's a tranquilizer and will put you to sleep for a few hours. I was going to give them to you later after we finished, but you look like you could use one now."

Itachi took the pill and swallowed it. There wasn't much point in staying awake at this point anyway, since his chakra had been drained he had no strength to exit the cell. 'If the deal is off,' Itachi thought to himself as he closed his eyes and started to drift off, 'then I will need another way to keep Akatsuki out of Konoha. But I will… if I can't save Konoha from Uchiha, then I will definitely save them from Akatsuki.'

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **x

"For some reason I'm not surprised to see you here." Fugaku greeted Madara sourly as he and Mikoto materialized a few feet away from him. It was nearly midnight, but the brightly lit cell block gave no indication of the dark skies outside of its walls.

"Good to see you too and of course the lovely Mikoto." Madara stood up and bowed formally as he smiled.

"I take it you and my son had some sort of arrangement? I'm surprised you didn't break him out of jail." Fugaku gave a short, bitter laugh.

"Yeah, we were going to wipe out the Uchiha clan, but, well, you sort of put a damper on that little bit of fun." Madara laughed as well.

"Hmm. So that's what Danzou was holding over his head." Fugaku frowned and glanced at Mikoto who was standing a foot away from the bars and staring at her son.

"He sure as hell wouldn't have thought up something like that himself. Even his original idea was thought up by his cousin. He's a great ninja, but, on the whole, too kind-hearted." Madara said plainly.

"True. Danzou will pay for this. Painfully." Fugaku looked at Itachi. He was still having trouble feeling angry at him. Every time he began to feel upset his sons sunken eyes, pale skin, and skinny arms came to mind and instead, he felt sad. The fact that Danzou had so effectively brain-washed someone like Itachi was what angered him.

Mikoto spoke up in a worried voice, "What's wrong with him? He's not waking up."

"I gave him a tranquilizer." Madara pulled out a small plastic bag. "Here are the rest. I didn't want to give him the whole package."

Mikoto took the bag, "Thank-you, Madara."

"So why are you still here? I would prefer you left." Fugaku spoke sternly as he returned his attention to Madara.

"I think I'll stay and watch you fight Sarutobi. I love a good fight." Madara crossed his arms and leaned again the bars of an empty cell.

Fugaku growled, "Whatever. Just stay out of everything."

Madara gave a short laugh, "Itachi's partner is in the woods. I bet he'd like some fun."

"Tell him to leave. Having one of the seven swordsmen, especially a missing-nin, show up would not be good publicity on my part."

"Ha! He will pout when he finds out what he missed. But I'll see to it that he gets the word." Madara disappeared.

Fugaku and Mikoto both breathed a sigh of relief when he left, but quickly grew tense again. "Was he joking?" She paused for a few seconds, dreading the answer to her question, "About killing the clan?"

"I doubt it. Really, if you think about it, things do start piecing together." Fugaku replied bitterly.

Mikoto sneered, "Danzou… a thousand painful deaths would be too few."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, the coup begins. **

**I update on Friday's so add the story to your alerts and you'll get an e-mail when the new chapter is posted.**

**If you are new to my fics, I try to write long chapters, about 5000 to 6000 words. Mainly because I enjoy reading long books, so to me that's just a normal size.**

**Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2 It Begins

**Last week Itachi was subdued before he was able to attack the clan.**

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I enjoyed reading them.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Pein, who tricked Kishimoto into signing a ten year unconditional license. Hinata is currently trying to buy the rights back. Everyone else is trying to figure out why frogs legs are being served in the ramen at Ichiraku instead of pork.**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 2 – It Begins**

"Eight-thirty already? I better get home. Mom gets mad when I'm out after nine." Sasuke threw his kunais into his backpack and exited the school training grounds at a run. It only took ten minutes to run home, but Mikoto had a wicked tongue when she was mad and the eight-year-old boy didn't relish the thought of starting his weekend with a lecture about responsibility. Besides, his stomach had been growling since school had let out several hours earlier and he really wanted to eat something. His mother certainly wasn't beyond sending him to bed without dinner if she was really mad at him. Subconsciously, he started running faster.

The shops were already closed, but the street lamps and lights from the apartments above the shops lit the way as Sasuke ran down the wide main street of the Uchiha compound. He noticed that there were a lot of people gathered at the temple at the end of the street, but didn't think twice about it as he waved to his aunt. A lot of club activities centered on the temple and they were probably having a meeting or something. It was busy almost every night.

Mikoto was standing on the wide, covered porch near the front door when Sasuke arrived. Wearing a knee length, short sleeve tan and black dress and white apron she looked like she had been cleaning. Her thin face was etched with worry and her usually smooth, medium-length black hair was coming out of the band she had tried to secure it with.

Bending over, Sasuke rested his hands on his knees and breathed heavily, "So…rry…I…lost…track…"

Fugaku stepped out of the house and spoke just as Mikoto was about to open her mouth, "Next time be more observant. We were just debating whether or not to go look for you." Sasuke cringed at his fathers stern words. "Go inside and eat your dinner, but be quick about it." He rested his hand in the seam of his black yukata and stood with both bare feet planted firmly on the wooden planks of the porch. His ever-present frown was accentuated by the noticeable clenching and un-clenching of his teeth.

Sasuke nodded and walked passed his parents. Mikoto gave her husband a faint smile before following her son inside. He had tried to hide it, but he had been worried when Sasuke hadn't returned home on time. Mikoto had known him too long to be fooled. She had tried to put him at ease, though, telling him that sometimes their son would stay out until nine o'clock practicing at the schoolyard and going after him before that time would look "out of place" to the ever-present and watchful ANBU who had been tailing the clan.

"Sasuke? We had stew tonight, so grab a bowl and help yourself." Mikoto smiled as her son used a ladle to pour the still hot contents of the tureen into a ceramic bowl. She handed him a piece of buttered bread and watched as the boy dug into his food. In no time flat he was reaching for seconds.

Walking back down the hall Mikoto retrieved a suitcase from Sasuke's room before returning to the porch. Fugaku was staring out at the dark lake with a pensive expression on his face. The full moon reflected off of the water, creating a long white line that rose and fell with small, wind-swept waves.

The clan-chief's stout, muscular build, medium length hair, and serious expression had changed little over the years and Mikoto found herself wondering if Itachi would look like his father when he grew up and started filling out. The two had many similar traits. Both tended to speak only when they had something to say, avoiding small talk. They also tended to be aloof when it came to showing their feelings and perhaps the biggest similarity was in their ninja abilities. While Itachi was a genius who had honed his skills at an early age, they were almost the same as Fugaku's. In fact, Fugaku's one strength over his thirteen-year-old son could be said to be experience. At forty, he was one of the most powerful ninjas in the world and rated as S-rank.

Mikoto figured that Itachi had to also be S-rank by now as well. She had worried when Fugaku had said he would subdue his son. If it had turned into a fight there would have been a lot of destruction and she wasn't so sure either one of them would have come out unscathed. And she was not going to choose between her husband and son. Luckily Fugaku had been practicing Genjutsu techniques with his Mangekyou Sharingan and found one that worked very well at disabling Itachi.

"He'll be okay." Mikoto said quietly, correctly guessing what her husband was thinking about.

Fugaku turned his head to look at his wife then looked back at the lake before quietly replying, "He won't, Mikoto."

"Why not?" Sasuke's worried voice piped up behind them and they both turned around and stared at their youngest son. His eyes were wide with concern and his hands were clenched into fists. "You're talking about Itachi, aren't you? What's wrong with big brother?"

Fugaku was taken aback at his youngest son's outburst, but he could see that the boy was near tears. Sasuke idolized his older brother and Itachi's campaign of avoidance had hurt him greatly. "Sasuke…" He paused and looked at Mikoto, who had bowed her head and closed her eyes, "Sasuke there are some things going on that we haven't told you about. Itachi… is going through a very bad situation right now. It's possible he will never be the same after this."

"But…but you're going to help him, aren't you? You aren't going to hurt him again?" Sasuke instantly regretted his words when Fugaku's eyes flashed red with anger. The young boy remembered seeing Itachi after the confrontation two years ago when his brother had been accused of killing Shisui. The fact that Fugaku had beaten Itachi black and blue had frightened him quite badly; even though he had not seen him do it he did see the distressing after-effects.

"Sasuke!" Fugaku said sternly, "Uchiha do not abandon Uchiha. Fathers do not abandon sons. If that means discipline, then so be it."

"I'm sorry, father. I didn't mean…" Sasuke paused, "I just want…"

Fugaku closed his eyes and sighed, then reached over and put his hand on Sasuke's head. "I realize that. We are all worried about him. Now, I want you to take your suitcase and go to the temple. Auntie is waiting for you there."

"The temple? If I'm spending the night with Auntie shouldn't I go to her house?" Sasuke wondered why this evening was turning out to be so strange. First he was late, then he was given stew, which he realized as he ate had come from a can, then learned Itachi was in trouble, and now he was being sent to the temple with a suitcase. As with most young children, he didn't like being outside of his usual routine and a small amount of anxiety was beginning to build in his chest. Something was going on. In the last year he had spent many evenings at Auntie's house and he enjoyed visiting with her, but for some reason tonight was different.

"It's okay, Sasuke." Mikoto smiled. She knelt down in front of him and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "You are to follow Auntie's orders to the letter, understand?"

"Yes mother, I always do what she says." Mikoto gave him a stern look and Sasuke amended his statement, "Most of the time. But I will this time. I promise." He put his shoes back on then grabbed the handle of his suitcase in both hands and walked away.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"There you are!" Auntie exclaimed cheerfully, "I was beginning to think I would have to eat these buns by myself." The heavyset, elderly woman gave the boy a big smile as she raised her hand to show her nephew a sack loaded with sweet confections. She was actually his great-aunt and had raised the orphaned Mikoto from an early age, so really Auntie was more like a grandmother to Sasuke and Itachi than an Aunt.

Sasuke smiled back at her, "I'll help you eat them, Auntie." He followed the older woman into the temple.

"Take your shoes off, but bring them with you." She instructed as she picked her own sandals up off the floor.

A few of the elders were in a corner talking about something that caused their faces to be set in serious frowns, but it was a hole in the floor that caught the boy's attention. One of the tatami mats was lying askew and in its place was a staircase that descended down into the dark.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Go ahead and go down, Sasuke. It looks dark from up here, but it isn't really. Just be careful you don't trip." Auntie waved her hand in the direction of the opening and watched as the boy slowly descended, holding his suitcase handle with both hands.

Sasuke was surprised at what he saw. The room was about the same size as the one above it with an altar at one end. The altar had three lanterns sitting on it to help light the room. There were also lanterns hanging from various wall hooks. It wasn't as good as electric light, but it was bright enough to read by, as evidenced by several people who were sitting under them doing just that.

Several boxes labeled "food" and "supplies" were set up against one wall and futons were spread out against the rest of the walls. A table was set up behind the alter that had a propane stove, rice cooker and a tea pot sitting on it. Folding chairs were situated randomly throughout the room, especially under the lanterns.

"You will be over here, Sasuke, next to Sheeta and Nui." Auntie pointed to a corner where the thirteen and nineteen-year-old sisters were already sitting on a futon. They waved to him and he walked over, sitting on the futon next to theirs.

Nui grabbed Sasuke's hand and squeezed it. "How are you doing tonight, kid?" She smiled cheerfully and Sasuke smiled back despite the growing apprehension he was feeling. He knew she was a medic at the hospital and that she always worked the night shift so she could be free during the days. So why was she here? He looked over at Sheeta and frowned. Itachi's girlfriend was staring intently at a photo with a sad expression on her face. He could see part of the photo and recognized it. It was Itachi and Sheeta holding Rumiko's twins before the woman had been killed. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"What's going on Auntie? Why is everyone here? Are mother and father coming too?" Sasuke jumped when he heard something slam down above him. "What was that?"

"They closed the stairway." Nui replied quietly.

"What about mom and dad!" Sasuke stood up and tried to run but an elderly man caught him and picked him up.

"Calm down, Sasuke. They'll be fine. We're just staying down here for a while so we don't get in anyone's way." He looked up at the boys face and smiled, "And what's with the tears? Is that any way for an Uchiha to behave?"

Sasuke shook his head and wiped his face off. He had no idea why hearing the door close had upset him. He was actually quite independent and rarely worried about being separated from either of his parents. So why was it bothering him now?

The man put him down and knelt in front of him. "Now, Lord Fugaku is going to be confronting the Hokage about some issues in a few hours. It will turn into a fight and a lot of people are going to be hurt or killed. However, Lord Fugaku and Lady Mikoto are extremely skilled shinobi and won't even get a scratch."

"What about Itachi?" Sasuke sniffed and even though he tried to keep his voice even, it cracked.

"He is going to back up Fugaku, but you know your brother is the Uchiha prodigy. He's not going to get a scratch either. So you see, there's nothing to worry about." The man smiled and ruffled Sasuke's hair.

Auntie put her hand on the boy's shoulder, "Put your pajamas on and I'll give you a roll for desert, okay?"

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Sasuke woke up a few hours later. The room was quiet, except for the occasional snores of sleepers or rustling pages of those who were still awake and reading. He glanced over to the futon next to him and saw Sheeta's eyes were also wide open. She glanced at him once then turned over onto her back and sighed. He realized the teen hadn't said a word all evening. Usually she was quite talkative and outgoing.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke felt someone take hold of his hand and he smiled as he drifted back to sleep.

_Sasuke looked around and saw himself in one of the unused rooms in his family's mansion. On the floor were the dead bodies of his mother and father, blood splatters were on the floor beside them. Standing behind the bodies was Itachi, dressed in his ANBU gear, minus the mask. His emotionless face and red eyes glared down at the boy and filled him with fear. Itachi had killed their parents._

_Sasuke suddenly jumped up and ran at his brother. His anger was quick and he didn't think first about what he was going do when he reached him, "What's wrong with you?" He yelled._

_Itachi bent forward a foot and his fist connected with Sasuke's stomach, knocking the air out of him. The boy fell onto the ground right in front of his parent's heads. He looked straight into Fugaku's face, blood was still dripping from his mouth. They were truly gone. Dead. And the person who killed them was still in the room standing over him._

_Sudden panic took grip of Sasuke and tears fell as he started sobbing loudly, "I'm afraid!" He yelled as he dashed out of the room at full speed. He ran out of the house and into the street, only to find his escape route cut off by Itachi._

"_It's not true! My brother wouldn't do this!" Sasuke continued to sob loudly as he yelled at Itachi._

"_I pretended to be the brother you wanted so I could determine your potential. You will be the one to help me confirm my ability. You have felt anger and jealously toward me. You hoped to one day surpass me. I will let you live for that reason. For my sake. Like me, you have the power to one day awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan." Itachi stopped talking at looked at the terrified little boy standing in front of him, "But there is one catch…" _

"Sasuke! Wake up!" The boy felt himself being forcefully shaken and he opened his eyes only to find he was screaming and everyone was standing around him. Nui had her hands on his arms and as Sasuke quieted down she relaxed her grip. He sat up quickly and looked around, relaxing only after realizing there were no dead bodies or evil versions of his brother ready to jump out and hurt him.

"What were you dreaming?" Sheeta asked quietly.

"Itachi… killed a bunch of people and attacked me." Sasuke said in a worried voice.

"Its okay, Sasuke dear, it was just a dream." Auntie gave him a reassuring laugh that made him smile, despite the residual fear from his dream. Everyone else in the chamber settled back down quietly. "You just lie down and go back to sleep. You can see Itachi in a couple days and tell him your dream. He'll probably poke you in the forehead again and laugh like always. You'll see, everything is fine."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Three-man teams of Uchiha clansmen worked their way through the pre-dawn chill, positioning themselves in key areas around the government buildings, the business district and the watch towers. They moved quickly and silently, unseen by those who watched and unheard by those who listened. Clouds obscured the sky as a soft mist of rain began to fall. It was Saturday and many people were sleeping in, leaving the roads empty of all but the earliest of risers.

Five minutes after six o'clock the front gate and all four watch towers were under Uchiha control as the guards were quickly dispatched. The gate was closed and those who showed up to exit or enter were turned away. A large banner displaying the Uchiha fan was hung over the front and back of the gate, covering the Konoha leaf symbol. The business and government districts were sealed off at the same time the gate and towers were seized.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Fugaku walked resolutely through the streets followed by Toshiro and six other clansmen. As they approached the government buildings they saw a group of Konoha ninjas standing around arguing with the Uchihas on guard. It was a rather one-sided argument as the clansmen refused to speak or back down. Fugaku stepped through the barrier and entered the Hokage tower.

Sending out his chakra, he tried to sense the Hokage's location. As the eight shinobi ascended the staircase they continued to sense nothing more than a few of the early workers and some random ninja. They reached the floor under the Hokage's office and stopped.

"Let's look here. Sarutobi isn't the type of man to hide and the fact that I can't sense his chakra is not a good sign." Fugaku said calmly.

"What is this floor?" One of the ninja, a man named Genga, asked quietly.

Fugaku performed a series of hand signs and opened the door, "It's his private apartment." They entered a beautifully paneled foyer with a polished marble floor and were instantly on alert. The entryway was in complete disarray. The floor was littered with glass and ceramic shards from a broken display case, an overturned shoe rack had spilled its contents and there were deep gouges in the floor and walls.

"I'm sensing a single, faint chakra source inside the apartment." Genga whispered.

Fugaku looked at him, "You and Uchito go check it out. It's not Sarutobi, that's for sure. With any luck it's Konohamaru and he's unharmed. Though, considering how the foyer looks that may be unlikely. The rest of you, come upstairs with me."

As the two men entered the apartment Fugaku and the other five continued up the stairs. The last flight was now dark, even though the lights had been on a few minutes earlier before they entered the apartment. When they reached the top of the stairs they looked around and saw that the hallway was also blacked out. Because it curved around the circular building the shadows cast from the very few exterior windows were short and ominous. As they entered an interior hallway the Uchihas had to use their Sharingans to see in the dark.

The double-doors of the Hokage's office came into view, complete with four dead bodies. They were stretched out against the wall, as if they had been moved to clear the walkway.

"How considerate of them." Toshiro said dryly.

"Someone is in here." Fugaku scowled, "Its Danzou."

Toshiro growled under his breath. "So he got here first. How did he know to come at this time?"

Fugaku clenched his teeth and fists in anger. Obviously this meant Danzou knew Itachi was in custody. The ANBU commander had entered the isolation cells once, years ago, and probably entered them again last night while Itachi was unconscious from the tranquilizer. Seeing that the teenager had failed his mission, he probably moved forward with his own plans to stop the coup. However, what did that have to do with the disarray they had seen downstairs?

"You stay out here. I'm going to speak with him alone." Fugaku opened the doors and walked in, shutting them securely before he faced the elderly man standing in front of the Hokage's desk. The room was unmolested and lit with a table lamp set on the edge of the desk. The sky was beginning to brighten as the sun rose behind the storm clouds. In the distance smoke could be seen billowing up from over a dozen different areas of the village.

"You finally showed up. A little late in the game, but here nevertheless." Danzou smirked. His deeply lined face and forehead were wrapped in white bandages, leaving only the right side uncovered. He was leaning forward slightly, his right hand rested on his cane, while his left arm was wrapped across his torso.

"What are you up to?" Fugaku advanced on the elder, stopping four feet in front of him.

"Why, the same thing you are, of course. Amusing how you never figured it out. Even young Itachi, the 'once-in-a-generation' genius never guessed what my true intent was. I must say, you went to great lengths to restrain the poor child. You should have just killed him." Danzou gave a short laugh. "He was _such_ a _good_ little pawn though."

Fugaku sneered, "You really think it's that easy? I can never forgive you for standing between me and my son. Your death will be long and painful, Danzou. Now where is Sarutobi?"

"Humph. You'll never find him."

"Then where are you? I know that what stands before me is a shadow clone." Fugaku glanced out the window again and watched as the building across the street went up in flames.

"You'll never find me either. But when the village finishes exterminating the Uchiha clan, I will be sure to present myself to your corpse." Danzou laughed again and spoke as his clone disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. "A few hundred Uchihas up against six thousand ninjas; sounds like a massacre to me. I will then take my rightful place as Hokage. The villagers will be more than happy to back me after all the havoc you will be causing."

Fugaku cursed loudly then retreated back to the door. Violently pulling it open, the door banged against the wall with a loud "crack" before the safety catch on the hinge caught it, holding it open. He glared at his kinsmen, as a blind rage filled his thoughts, "Danzou has _somehow_ managed to kidnap the Hokage."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"So now what?" Toshiro asked angrily.

"We carry on with securing the village." Fugaku stamped out of the office and into the hallway. "Meguru, Wakaki, secure the building. Grab Genga and Uchito and have them help you."

"Yes Captain!" The two men replied and took off down the hallway back to the apartment.

"You two," Fugaku pointed at Jinya and Chion, "Go to the front gate. Reinforcements will be arriving tomorrow and we need to keep the area secured so they can enter. Toshiro, follow me."

The two men exited the building and immediately walked into a confrontation. Fifteen jounin were standing outside the barrier that was being maintained by several Uchiha men and women. They were keeping up a one-sided argument, trying to get them to drop their guard and let them into the building. There were seven bodies on the ground nearby and the building across from the tower was still burning.

The jounin noticed Fugaku and diverted their attention to the clan chief. "Where is the Hokage? What have you done with him?" A man in his late thirties that Fugaku recognized as Ayuta one of Sarutobi's most trusted ninjas demanded.

"Good question. Perhaps if we can find Danzou we'll find Sarutobi." Fugaku stared at the man, "As for the position of Hokage, that is now my concern."

"What the hell? Are you saying Danzou…" A different Jounin spoke.

"Danzou kidnapped the Hokage, sometime last night." Fugaku frowned. "Now, choose a side, mine or Danzou's."

Ayuta responded angrily, "Don't mess with us! We take orders from Sarutobi! Or if he is absent, the council."

"Wrong answer." Toshiro smirked. "Time for some fun?" He turned around and looked at Fugaku, who smiled back at him.

"Sure, why not?" Fugaku smirked as he launched himself at Ayuta.

Ayuta dodged the attack and swung around with a kunai only to find Fugaku was not there. He quickly jumped away from the area only to find himself knocked to the ground with a kunai in his shoulder. Ayuta jumped up and looked around. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know." One of the other jounin answered.

"Arghhh!" A man standing behind Ayuta fell to the ground, his throat cut open. He grabbed at his neck for a few seconds before loosing consciousness.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Ayuta yelled as he grasped his wounded shoulder and grimaced in pain.

Seven more jounin dropped down onto the ground dead, but this time there appeared to be no injuries. The remaining jounin looked around the area, but Fugaku was not visible and Toshiro was using Taijutsu on his opponent.

"What is going on?" Someone asked.

"It's probably a Genjutsu." Ayuta decided. He put his hands up to form a hand sign and yelled, "Kai!" Nothing changed.

Four more jounin fell dead and Ayuta knelt down next to one and looked closely at the body. There was a tiny pinprick in the woman's neck. "Poison! We have snipers!" He looked up at the surrounding buildings but he couldn't sense anyone. Of course, they would be hiding their chakra. The man Toshiro was fighting dropped to the ground with a broken neck.

"Good-bye." Fugaku suddenly appeared behind Ayuta and pushed his kunai into the man's heart, then pulled it out and quickly swiped it across the last Jounin's throat.

"Ha! Well that was fun. Nice to see Kisa hasn't lost her touch." Toshiro laughed. His wife had trained several Uchihas, mostly women in their thirties to fifties who were healthy but not fit enough for battle, in the art of poisons and they were now stationed throughout Konoha acting as snipers.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"What the hell is going on out there?" Hiashi, chief of the Hyuuga clan stood up from the table where he had been sharing breakfast with his wife and two daughters. His long, straight black hair was pulled back with a tie. Dressed casually, he wore a floor length plain brown kimono with a white belt.

"It sounded like an explosion." Yuka gazed at her husband for a minute before she joined him at the window. She wore a black kimono with a black obi wrapped around the middle, as was traditionally appropriate for a married woman. Her long hair was pulled up in a bun on top of her head with several hair sticks poking out. Her white eyes looked over the horizon, "There's smoke coming from the building by the Hokage's tower!"

"I'm going to go see what's…" Hiashi was interrupted by an angry voice calling out to him from the foyer.

"Hiashi! Get out here, now!"

"Who is that?" Hiashi muttered under his breath as he headed off down the hall. Yuka followed him with their two daughters, eight-year-old Hinata and three-year-old Hanabi, bare feet padding silently behind them. Their mother had dressed the girls in identical medium-blue stretch pants and white sweaters with Nordic patterns woven across the chest and arms.

Reaching the foyer Hiashi stared petulantly at the eighteen men standing on the porch. "What is the meaning of this? Have you forgotten protocol? It is unseemly for branch members to approach me directly."

"Arrogant as always." A tall man with long black hair stepped forward. "We are here to take you and your family into custody. Come along quietly and things won't get ugly."

"Sadaharu, that isn't even remotely amusing." Hiashi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "What is going on?"

"Coup d'état. _Lord_ Fugaku is the new Hokage and we are assisting him." Sadaharu and the men next to him laughed.

Hiashi noted that Sadaharu had not only put an emphasis on "Lord" when speaking Fugaku's name, but he had failed to use the title when saying his own name. He looked toward the Hokage tower and saw the black smoke was thicker. There was also smoke coming from several other areas of the village.

"Hyuuga are loyal to Lord Hokage Sarutobi. You will stand down and assist the village in defending the Hokage." Hiashi said sternly. The idea of the Hyuuga being governed by an Uchiha was distasteful to the man. He saw that clan as nothing more than the descendants of an oath-breaker who had betrayed the Hyuugas, breaking away to create the Sharingan. When his grandfather had agreed to come to Konoha it was with much trepidation, knowing that the Uchiha were already there and their leader, Madara, was a friend of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.

Sadaharu chuckled, "But we _are_ defending the Hokage. _Lord Hokage Fugaku_."

"Dammit!" Hiashi cursed and brought his hands up to form a hand seal as he activated his Byakugan. Veins popped out on either side of his head near his white eyes as he sent his chakra into the seals located on the men's foreheads. The men smirked at him and Hiashi dropped his hands in surprise. The "caged bird" seal was a dual purpose mark placed on the members of the side branch. In its more benign form it fried the brain upon death, making it impossible for enemy ninja to delve into the secrets of the clan's Kekai Genkai. However, it could also be used by Hiashi to punish or even kill troublemakers.

The seal had been a subject of discord between the main and side branches for decades. It was seen as a symbol of their status as a bird "caged" off from the benefits their heritage had given them upon conception. The main branch used it as a way to show superiority; some more blatantly than others.

"Guess what Fugaku did last night while you slept." Sadaharu and the others reached up and removed their bandages, revealing eighteen clear, unblemished foreheads.

"That traitor!" Hiashi hissed, "You and he will all burn in hell for this!"

"Will you come quietly, or do we have to forcibly subdue you?" Sadaharu chuckled.

Hiashi jumped through the porch and into the yard. "You will all die for your treachery."

"Good, a fight." Sadaharu and the others jumped down into the yard as well. "I was hoping to be able to show you what else we've learned."

Hiashi immediately twisted his body in a 64-palms attack as soon as the men got close to him, but he missed when they jumped back. One of the branch-members jumped close as soon as he finished and began his own 64-palms attack. Hiashi was caught unawares and knocked back against the wall of the courtyard. He stood up quickly and looked at the eighteen men who were now standing in front of him. He never expected a branch member to be able to use that attack, and had unwisely dropped his guard. Feeling extremely stupid for his oversight he glared daggers at the men in front of him.

"Guess what else the branch-members have been doing in their spare time?" One of the men taunted.

Hiashi growled under his breath. He heard a noise coming from the house and watched as ten other branch members subdued his wife and children. There was no way he could fight twenty-eight men using their most powerful attack and he didn't want his family harmed. If he went all out, there would be too much damage. He frowned in anger when Hanabi started to cry. The toddler was sobbing and reaching for her mother but the man holding her refused to hand her over. He saw Hinata wiping tears from her face as she tried to pull away from her captor. The girl caught her father's eye and he shook his head. She stopped struggling and stood still. Yuka stood resolutely as chakra limiting bands were attacked to her wrists. She would do whatever it took to remain with her children, as was her duty.

"Are you finished?" Sadaharu asked.

Hiashi nodded once and grimaced as his own chakra was sealed with same type of bands his wife was now wearing. Another part of being a ninja and a clan leader was recognizing when to fight and when to back down. And backing down now did _not_ equate to surrender. _Not even close_. He would bide his time and deal with Fugaku later. Even if had to wait a year. His primary concern was the clan, his secondary concern was Hinata, his heir. The young girl had to survive. Third, were his wife and second child. As crass as it sounded, they were disposable. He could always get another woman from within the clan and more children, but "firstborn" was a treasured title within the main-branch and Hinata had to be protected at all costs.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Fugaku, Toshiro and the other Uchiha's jumped back as the building across from the Hokage tower collapsed in on itself. It had been burning for about an hour. The buildings on either side caught fire a few moments later and two other buildings nearby collapsed when jutsus hit them and undermined their foundations. The area was scattered with dead and injured Konoha ninjas.

"Why haven't we been attacked by any ANBU yet?" Fugaku asked as he kicked the man in front of him in the neck, breaking it instantly.

"Good question." Toshiro responded. "Do you suppose Danzou is holding them back?"

"Or they could be disguised as Konoha ninjas." Fugaku realized it would be a logical plan to have the ANBU remove their uniforms and dress as Jounin and Chuunin. He had a passing thought about asking Itachi what his former commander might be planning, but quickly realized that the chances that Danzou had confided anything in the teen were nil.

"Hey you!" Fugaku yelled to the nearest Jounin. "Have there been any instances of Jounin or Chuunin attacking Konoha citizens?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He responded angrily.

Fugaku frowned, "Where are the ANBU? Danzou kidnapped the Hokage and is planning something. He may be undermining the fighting by playing against both sides."

The man stood still and looked curiously at Fugaku, then glanced around at the bodies strewn around the area. He didn't believe what the clan chief had just told him, but… "That man and that man over there are ANBU. However, if they aren't on duty they could have just run out to join the fight in their civilian clothes. I haven't heard of any attacks like the one you are suggesting."

"Why haven't the civilians been evacuated yet?" Fugaku countered.

The man's eyes opened wide in shock. He himself didn't have a family, so he hadn't noticed. But Fugaku was correct, in the absence of the Hokage the elders or the head of ANBU had the authority to evacuate the village. That had not yet happened. "If… if they haven't been evacuated…" The man closed his eyes and shook his head. The other Jounin and Chuunin standing around him were also showing varying degrees of shock. "Then… then the Hokage and the council must actually be missing. And you don't know where they are…"

"What the hell is going on?" A Chuunin yelled in anger and threw a kunai into the ground for emphasis.

Fugaku activated the transmitter on the wireless strapped around his neck. "All teams report if you have seen occurrences of Konoha Jounin or Chuunin attacking civilians or other non-Uchiha ninjas."

The receiver crackled as four teams responded positively. One had seen it happen and three had reports from civilians that claimed Konoha ninjas had attacked them.

Toshiro growled under his breath. "It looks like things just got ten times more complicated. Now what?"

"We have to evacuate the villagers. You!" Fugaku pointed to the three Jounin and five Chuunin who were standing nearby in an attack formation, "Go sound the order to evacuate!"

"Who are you to give us orders?" A Chuunin yelled angrily.

"Can it Teruha. Traitor or not, he's right. We need to get the civilians into the tunnels. Follow me!" The Jounin ran back into the village, followed by the other Jounin and Chuunin.

Fugaku activated his transmitter again, "If you are able, assist in evacuating civilians to the tunnels."

****

****

**Next week Danzou plays dirty, a surprising turn of events in the Hyuuga clan and the Uchiha children have an adventure that will culminate in a very surprising discovery.**

**So how was a powerful ninja like Sarutobi kidnapped? You'll have to wait to find out. I hope Danzou's plot isn't sounding like I pulled it out of the air. I hinted at it a couple times in the last story, but I didn't want to give anything away.**

**Also, I hope you don't think Hiashi gave up too easily. I figured that since the 64-palms attack was used almost solely by the main branch it must mean they were afraid of the side branch using it against them. In that case, having the side branch learn that attack and removing their cursed seals would place Hiashi in a very bad position. Part of being a leader is not just leading, but knowing when to step down or back off. Hiashi is smart enough to realize this and decides to bide his time. It's the "retreat and try again later" strategy.**

**I do believe it would have been fairly easy for Fugaku to get a few of the Hyuugas on his side. Mainly because of the hostility they felt toward the main branch of their clan. I decided to exaggerate this and say that most of the side branch is on the Uchiha's side. But who knows… I may not be exaggerating… I wouldn't be very loyal to Hiashi or Konoha if I was in their position. (Sorry, this is one of several things I really dislike about Sarutobi – the fact that he allowed the seal to exist and then sacrificed Hizashi to appease Cloud. Naruto will make a great Hokage because he would never do that.)**

**And… no Itachi this week or next week. After all, he's sitting in a jail cell right now singing "99 bottles of beer on the wall" and counting ceiling tiles. How exciting can that be? xD But I promise he'll be back in chpt 4. In the meantime I hope you're enjoying Sasuke.**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3 Nakano Temple

**Last week the coup began as the Uchihas attacked. However, the Hokage has been spirited away by Danzou, who it turns out is staging his own coup.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! I always look forward to reading them.**

**And I wanted to explain something that may have been confusing. I am under the assumption that a ninja may know his neighbor or friend is in ANBU, but not be able to recognize them if they were in their ANBU gear, or know what job they do within ANBU. So if he was wandering around Konoha unmasked, you would say "Oh, there's Al, he joined ANBU a couple years back." But that is all you know.**

**Disclaimer: While Pein was busy monologuing instead of escaping with Naruto, Kishimoto was able to regain rights to his manga. You know, someday bad guys will learn… You don't need to explain your evil plot to the person you are about to kill / kidnap, just destroy the world and get it over with. Sigh…**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 3 – Nakano Temple**

It was mid-morning when Toshiro walked into the Hyuuga compound and headed toward the meeting hall. Fugaku had instructed the side-branch to hold Hiashi and the other members of the main-branch in the large building. He shook the rain out of his short black hair and yawned. The previous evening, over a period of three hours, he, Fugaku and six other Uchihas had removed the seals from around one-hundred-and-twenty Hyuugas, with a promise to remove the rest of the seals later. Because it had to be done at the last minute in order to prevent anyone from finding out, they couldn't do everyone. Toshiro was still shocked that they had been able to accomplish as much as they had without loosing a lot of chakra, but Fugaku was a genius when it came to seals and had worked closely with a few members of the Hyuuga clan over the last three years to figure out the procedure.

It turned out the seal itself was rather basic in its construction and used little chakra on the part of the person creating it. The complicated part had been figuring out how to draw the casting seal on the ground. However, the side branch had managed to steel some important documents and Fugaku was able to assemble the collected information to determine how it should be assembled. From there it was just a matter of the seven assembled Uchiha activating their Sharingans and then watching Fugaku draw it once. They then copied his design. After each use, about fifteen percent of it had to be reconstructed. Even so, each person was able to go through fifteen Hyuugas each.

The rain was still falling steadily but the neatly manicured streets and paths of the Hyuuga compound contained no puddles. He found it a little disconcerting though, when he didn't see anyone. On a normal Saturday the street he was now walking down would be packed with people doing their morning shopping or standing around gossiping. But this was no normal day. Toshiro glanced at his watch just as he reached the meeting hall. The building was about three times larger than the temple in the Uchiha compound. In fact, the Hyuuga had both a meeting hall and temple, whereas the Uchiha used their temple for both purposes. It was fifteen minutes after ten o'clock. It was beginning to look like it would be a long day.

Toshiro stopped in his tracks when he heard screaming and crying coming from within the hall. Rushing forward he slid open the double doors and gaped at the sight within. Blood was splattered all over and corpses were piled up against one of the walls. In the middle of the huge hall Hiashi and Yuka were sprawled out. Blood covered the floor beneath them and stained their clothes.

A scream from a young girl broke Toshiro out of his shocked stare and he jerked his head over to the right where two grown men were kicking a child who was curled up in a ball on the floor. The girl was screaming and crying, while a younger child lay unconscious on the floor nearby.

"Stop it! What the hell is going on here?" Toshiro yelled, anger and frustration welling up inside of him. Seven Hyuuga side-branch men looked at him and smirked.

"We're taking care of a little problem. It's none of your business." One of the Hyuugas sneered at him.

"You were ordered to subdue them, not harm or kill them!" Toshiro yelled.

"We decided to change the terms of our agreement."

"That is not acceptable! If this is what you had planned, Lord Fugaku would never have helped you!" Toshiro stated angrily.

"It's not what the others wanted, so we sent them away and took care of the problem ourselves. I'm sure they will thank us for it later." The Hyuuga smirked.

"You think so, huh?" Toshiro activated his Sharingan and attacked, using an advanced Genjutsu to freeze the men in place he used a flicker move to quickly slit their throats with a kunai. The attack took about three seconds, too quick for the Hyuugas to activate their Byakugan and fight back. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. Breathing heavily he shook his head to clear it. The amount of chakra that jutsu used was tremendous and he was not a young man. He looked back at the corpses of the seven men. How had they been able to kill this many people? Of course, the chakra seals would make them vulnerable, but still… something was not adding up. After all… if those seven were strong enough to kill over a hundred people how had he been able to kill them so easily?

"You…" Toshiro turned his head at the faint sound of a man's voice. "How did you… do that?"

"They were weak." Toshiro responded truthfully as he picked up Hinata and set her down next to the unconscious toddler. The girl wiped her eyes and looked up at Toshiro fearfully. "I won't hurt you." He said kindly. Checking the toddler he realized that she had a slight concussion but was otherwise unmolested. "Stay here."

Toshiro walked over to Hiashi and bent down next to him. The man's injuries were severe. He had been cut several times with a sword, most of them shallow, as if he had been tortured.

"Yuka…" Hiashi said faintly.

"Is dead. I'm sorry. It… doesn't mean much to you now, but Lord Fugaku did not want this to happen. He didn't want you injured, just incapacitated. He wanted to speak to you himself." Toshiro's voice was full of regret and he reached down to brush the hair away from Hiashi's face. He realized he wouldn't be able to question him about what had happened. He probably wasn't going to be alive much longer. That left Hinata… if the memories of a traumatized child could be trusted, that is.

"I… can't forgive him… but… I… don't blame… him for this…" Hiashi started coughing and blood spilled from his mouth. He reached up and grabbed Toshiro's arm, "Side branch was… my fault. I could have changed things… but… I didn't."

"Lord Hiashi… it wasn't your fault. That wasn't why we helped them."

"Listen…" Hiashi's voice grew a little stronger, "Danzou… he is up to something. Maybe… this coup is…"

"Yeah, we figured that out a few hours ago." Toshiro admitted, "He kidnapped Sarutobi."

"Unfortunate." He closed his eyes as more blood bubbled out of his mouth.

"Hold on a little longer, I can get you to the hospital." Toshiro pleaded.

"Too late. You… you as conqueror are responsible for raising… daughters… old tradition..."

Toshiro nodded. He remembered the old ways from the history books and stories. The conquerors would either kill the entire family or raise the underage children and merge them into their own clan. "I will defend them with my life. My wife and I will adopt them. Please go in peace and know they will be well looked after."

"Hinata… clan chief…" Hiashi's voice was becoming weaker, but it was clear he was only hanging on by a thread, trying desperately to tie up loose ends.

"She will take her place as chief when she reaches fifteen. That is a promise." Toshiro swore then frowned as Hiashi finally closed his eyes for the last time and succumbed to his injuries. He sighed, "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Father? Mother?" A small voice came from behind him and he saw Hinata and Hanabi standing a couple feet behind him. The older girl was moving her mouth like she wanted to say something else, but nothing came out. She was badly bruised and when Toshiro put his hand on her back to push her toward the exit she flinched in pain and started limping.

Looking back at the carnage he couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened. How had they missed this? Why hadn't they guessed something like this might happen? Of course the side branch hated the main branch, that was why Fugaku had sought them out as allies, and why they had agreed so readily to help. From what that man had said, they had sent away those who did not want Hiashi harmed. Did that mean they didn't know what was going to happen, or didn't want to watch? Either way, he hoped those seven were the only ones involved. But then again, nothing else was working out as planned, so the chances of that being the case seemed minimal.

"I'm going to take you someplace safe, so if you can be quiet while we move through the village…" Toshiro knelt down and picked up Hanabi and Hinata climbed onto his back. He made his way quickly to where Kisa was perched on top of a building near the Hokage's tower. Leaving the girls there, after a short explanation, he left to rejoin Fugaku and give him the bad news.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Mikoto moved though the streets alone, quietly assassinating Konoha ninjas who were attacking Uchihas. If she saw a fight in progress she would throw poisoned senbon at the enemy to quickly disable them. She was one of several Uchiha women who were doing the same thing.

"Fifty-three." Mikoto said quietly to herself.

"I've gotten two-hundred-thirteen." A deep masculine voice whispered in her ear, causing her to quickly pull out a kunai as she swiveled around.

The man grasped her hand to deflect the weapon and smiled. "I just couldn't stay away from all the fun. But you're going to have to do better if you're planning on beating me."

"Madara! I seem to remember Fugaku _telling_ you to leave." Mikoto hissed.

"You're so sexy when you kill. Why don't you leave Fugaku and marry me?" He taunted.

"Humph. Aya not enough for you now?" Mikoto asked angrily.

"Not interested in sixteen-year-olds. I prefer women with experience. And you are definitely experienced." He gave a short laugh, then pushed her up against the wall, capturing her lips with his own.

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Fugaku said angrily as he approached the pair. Mikoto tried to push Madara off of her, but he held her fast as he turned his head to look at the clan chief. "Getting tired of Aya already? I guess you won't mind returning her then."

"Why? Five or ten years she'll be ready for me and, well, that should be worth something." He chuckled. "Of course, if Mikoto would agree to come with me now then I could have both of them. It's kind of fun to have two women at once, as I'm sure you know Fugaku?"

"You're sick. You know that, don't you?" Mikoto said with disgust.

Madara stepped back from her and laughed. "I've been told that before." He changed the subject, suddenly turning serious, "Where is Sarutobi? I was looking forward to seeing you fight him. He is certainly no 'Hashirama' and you are most definitely not on my level, but still, an Uchiha defeating a Hokage would have been worth watching."

"Danzou has him somewhere and his ANBU are moving about without their uniforms, attacking the villagers." Fugaku said calmly.

"Humph. That man. Well, it should be interesting to see what happens next then." Madara frowned.

"I want you to leave." Fugaku sighed and shook his head. Even though he was saying it, he knew the man would refuse.

"I'm having too much fun. Ha! But don't worry, I'm only attacking Konoha ninjas."

"Attack ANBU instead. They are the real enemy." Fugaku suggested, realizing that if the man wasn't going to leave, then perhaps he could at least be useful.

"ANBU huh? That makes sense. And it's a bigger challenge since they aren't wearing their uniforms. Alright then! Back to the fun!" He laughed then used a jutsu to disappear.

"That man's impossible." Mikoto said angrily. "How does Itachi put up with him?"

"With difficulty. However, he grew up with the man breathing down his back. I think he probably would have an easier time controlling him than we ever would." Fugaku snorted, "But I have a feeling whatever control he may think he has over his sensei is probably illusory."

Mikoto coughed as thick smoke suddenly blew into the area. "What's on fire?"

"The housing area near the front gate. Unfortunately about twenty-five percent of the village lives there. I just hope everyone evacuated when they were told to." Fugaku said quietly. "I think Danzou's people set the fire using some kind of incendiary. Our fire-style jutsus could have done it, but so far as I know, no one was near the area when it started. Several Konoha ninjas are fighting it now. The fact that it's been raining all day helps, but if the wind picks up it could spread." Fugaku looked suspiciously at the gray sky.

A loud explosion was suddenly heard and Fugaku and Mikoto turned their heads and gasped.

Mikoto put a hand over her mouth, "That definitely came from the compound!"

"_Fugaku!"_ The crackling voice came over the receiver_, "The temple's been bombed and we're being attacked!"_

"Understood. Lead them away from the temple and I'll send some people over right away." Fugaku spoke hurriedly into the transmitter, then relayed the message to his wife.

"That means no one is guarding the temple!" Mikoto paled visibly as a vision of her youngest son crushed to death under a building went through her head. "How did they know to attack it, though? There are dozens of buildings in the compound."

Fugaku frowned at her and they both said the same thing, "Itachi." It was obvious the boy had said something at some point to tip off Danzou about the existence of the hidden chamber in the temple.

"Danzou, when I find you…" Fugaku was so angry he couldn't even finish the statement. However, he didn't have time to dwell on it as his received crackled to life again.

"_Fugaku! The ANBU are wearing Uchiha fans on their clothes and attacking civilians."_ The voice yelled into his ear.

"Why are there still civilians in the village?" Fugaku yelled into the transmitter.

"_They are being told to return to their homes. They are hearing things like 'the evacuation is in stages and it's not your turn yet', or 'only the west side is being evacuated'. Also a few other stories, whatever works."_

Fugaku growled. This was not good. The villagers had no idea who was an Uchiha and who wasn't. Most of the clan did not have Sharingan eyes so that couldn't even be used to distinguish them. Only a few ever developed the advanced eye jutsu. Considering the fact that he had told his clan not to attack civilians outside of self-defense this new ploy of Danzou's would make things much, much worse.

"I'm going to go check the temple." Mikoto said, worried.

"Okay. That's a good idea. Grab some other Uchihas on your way to help you." He watched as his wife took off running toward the compound.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Breakfast consisted of rice, apples and bottled water. The general mood was somber and a little tense. Sasuke, who was still tired from his restless evening, fell asleep again a couple hours later, but woke up around noon when he heard people talking excitedly about something. Jumping up from the futon he quickly shoved his feet into his sandals and rushed across the room to find out what was going on. Several elders were also gathered at the base of the stairs looking up anxiously at the door.

A huge explosion was heard overhead and the chamber shook as sediment dropped down on the inhabitants. A huge cracking sound came from the other end of the room. Loud gasps and screams were heard as several beams collapsed into the area where Sasuke, Sheeta and Nui's futons were resting.

Daylight filled the chamber followed by rain and thunder. One of the elders cautiously walked over to the rubble and looked up through the opening. Then said in an urgent voice, "Sasuke, Sheeta, Nui, get over here!"

The three trotted over and cautiously looked up at the stormy sky. The man rubbed his temple wearily as he watched Sheeta quickly grabbed a photograph off the floor and pocket it. He pointed to one of the beams. "I want each of you to climb out of here on this beam. Nui, you go first, then Sheeta, then Sasuke. Keep a lookout for enemies. And by enemies I mean anyone that is not an Uchiha. At this point Konoha is to be considered our enemy and avoided. If you are attacked and cannot get away, attack with deadly force. You three are our children and our future and must survive at all costs."

"But how will you guys get out?" Nui asked, concerned. The beam was steep and many of the people in the chamber were elderly or sick, meaning they had weak chakra and probably couldn't escape without assistance.

"Not your concern. Now get going, now!" The man ordered as he grabbed Nui by the arm and shoved her toward the beam. The nineteen-year-old gingerly climbed onto the beam then stood up at an angle, sending chakra into her feet to steady herself. She slowly walked up the beam, then stopped when she neared the top. Sasuke looked up and could see her searching the area for a few seconds before walking the rest of the distance and climbing out of the hole. Sheeta followed her next, moving exactly the same way as her sister.

When it was Sasuke's turn the elder lifted him up and placed him on the beam. Sasuke started crawling up on his hands and knees since he hadn't yet learned how to use chakra to climb.

The elder watched him, concerned. The rain was pouring down through the hole and the beam was obviously slippery. Sasuke got halfway up and slid back a foot. "Sasuke, use chakra to grip the beam."

Sasuke stopped and looked down, embarrassed, "I… don't know how yet."

"We need a rope!" The elder called back into the chamber. Someone near the altar pulled one out of a box and gave it to him. "Sasuke, catch this and tie it around yourself, then throw it up to Nui. She and Sheeta will have to haul you up."

"Can't I jump? I can reach the opening if I jump." Sasuke looked up and it was an easy reach.

"The pressure you would use to jump off the beam could make it collapse the rest of the way. Plus, the floor around the opening is week and might collapse when you land on it." The elder threw the rope up and Sasuke caught it, then tied it under his arms with a knot he was taught in school. He threw the length up to Nui who caught it easily.

"Don't move until I tell you to, Sasuke." Nui yelled down at him. She then ran off and wrapped it around a strong beam on what was left of the porch. "Sheeta, stand by the hole and guide the rope, that section over there is the strongest so we need to keep the rope from moving away." She started pulling slowly and Sasuke continued to crawl up the beam, only this time he had the rope for leverage and didn't slip.

After Sasuke was safely at the top, Nui tied off the rope and threw the end back down to the elder. "You guys can climb up on this, we'll take off and hide."

"Good luck to you all!" Several voiced called up.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Nui and Sheeta cast a Genjutsu around themselves and Sasuke to hide from any enemies before running across the street to a covered sidewalk. Thunder and lightening crashed overhead and the rain pounded down on top of them. It was October and chilly out and the three were not wearing coats.

"Where do we go?" Sheeta asked as her teeth chattered.

"Inside this building to borrow some coats." Nui answered. She kicked in the door and they entered the foyer. Luckily there was an assortment of jackets hanging from hooks next to the shoe rack. Unluckily they had obviously broken into the house of an Uchiha male who was apparently very tall. Oddly enough, whoever it was seemed to be using their foyer as a closet and it contained about a dozen coats and hats. They all grabbed a jacket and put them on, but Sheeta and Sasuke practically disappeared in the clothing.

"This sucks." Sheeta said despondently. Her hands were about a foot from the end of the sleeve and Sasuke's coat was so long it reached the ground.

"Don't forget hats." Nui deposited the kasas on their heads and then looked around the foyer.

"We should go to the police station." Sheeta suggested.

"Why? They'll be looking for us there. It's an Uchiha facility." Nui said calmly.

"I know a secret way into the station and how to get into the isolation cells. We can hide there. Hardly anyone even knows they exist." Sheeta said happily. She had watched Yotsua with her Sharingan when he opened the isolation cells and was sure she could do it herself.

"Perfect, then. With any luck they won't bomb the jail, there are civilian prisoners in there." Nui moved to the door and opened it carefully, then looked back at Sheeta and Sasuke. "Sasuke, are you okay? You haven't said anything."

Sasuke blinked and looked up at Nui. "I guess. I just… there isn't anything I can do to help so everyone has to baby me. Itachi wasn't like this when he was eight."

"You don't want to be like Itachi, Sasuke. Just be yourself." Nui answered after she turned her back to the two children.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sheeta asked stubbornly.

"Just… something is wrong. I don't know what. We don't have time to talk about it now, let's just try get to the station in one piece." She walked through the door, followed by a confused Sheeta and Sasuke.

The street appeared empty and neither Sheeta nor Nui sensed any chakra nearby. They stood for a couple minutes, extending their senses but they could only feel the people in the temple and a small group a little ways beyond it.

"Why would they bomb us then take off? I mean… in the movies the bad guys always run to the bombed building to make sure everyone is dead." Sheeta was getting very worried at the apparent "oversight" and wished more than anything that she was home in her bedroom, nice and safe.

Nui shook her head in frustration, "I was wondering the same thing. They must be here though… hiding their chakra probably. Perhaps they don't see us as a threat. Perhaps the Uchihas that were guarding the temple chased them away. I really don't know. Let's just get going. The longer we hang out here, the more time they have to re-think their actions. And Sheeta… you need to quit watching so much TV."

Sheeta laughed half-heartedly at her older sister's complaint. It was something Nui teased her about frequently, especially when the woman came home from work at six in the morning to find her little sister asleep on the couch and the TV still on. And, of course, Itachi liked to tease her about it as well since she had gotten in the habit of quoting "sappy" lines from soap operas to him. She wasn't sure if she was doing it to make him feel better, or to bug him, but she did know that he would at least smile a little bit and that had to be a good thing.

They reached the front gate of the compound a few minutes later. Sheeta unlocked the opening mechanism and large double doors swung slowly open. Just as they were walking through them a bright flash followed by an explosion threw them to the ground. When they looked up they saw what remained of the temple at the far end of the street crumble to the ground. Sasuke jumped up and started to run back, but tripped over the hem of his jacket.

Nui picked him up and set him back on his feet, "We have to hide, Sasuke, they would never forgive us if we went back now."

"No! Auntie is…" Sasuke yelled, panicked. He imagined Auntie crushed to death him and started crying.

"We don't have a choice, Sasuke!" Nui yelled back, "I'm sure other's will come and dig them out… You know they will. We always… look after each other." Tears were streaming down the woman's face by the time she finished speaking. She didn't want to leave the temple like this; it felt too much like cowardice. But she had Sasuke and Sheeta to look after, and as a medic she had been taught to avoid battle so she could heal those who fought. It was a hard decision, but also unavoidable.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

It took Mikoto thirty minutes to reach the broken temple after having been delayed by a group of ANBU wearing fake Uchiha symbols on their shoulders. She and a team of three real Uchihas fought them, but ended up backtracking because of collapsed and burning buildings. Finally reaching the temple they saw that the whole structure was flattened.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto ran up to where the porch was and looked around helplessly.

"Mikoto? Is that you?" A woman's voice yelled up faintly from the ground.

"Is Sasuke okay?" Mikoto yelled back.

"The children got out. They were told to hide. We don't know where they went." The voice called up.

Mikoto pushed a button to activate her transmitter, "Fugaku, the children got out, but no one knows where they are."

"_Got it. I'll tell everyone to keep their eyes open. We'll just have to trust that they can keep under cover. Nui is with them so… it should be okay."_ Fugaku answered in a worried voice. Many buildings had collapsed or burned down and there was still a lot of fighting going on in the village. While Nui and Sheeta could be comparable to Chuunin, Sasuke was still a student and nowhere near as powerful as his brother had been at his age. Also, the two girls would have problems if they ran into any powerful Jounin.

Mikoto knelt down on the ground as the rain fell down around her. Thunder and lightening flashed overhead as she closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. Things weren't working out the way they were supposed to. The destruction, the loss of life. The numbers were far higher than expected because of Danzou. She wasn't fooling herself though, she had walked into this knowing a lot of people would die… but the corpses were easily in the thousands and it wasn't even one o'clock yet.

"Please, Sasuke, Itachi, Fugaku… please be safe." She whispered to herself as thunder exploded overhead, drowning out her prayer.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

There were no civilians to be seen anywhere. The city appeared deserted, except for the occasional sound of kunais or yelling in the distance. They were halfway to the station when they came upon their first corpses. Sasuke quickly counted thirty-seven as they made their way carefully around them. Blood and gore leaked from the bodies and empty eyes stared blankly at the sunless sky. Rain washed the blood onto the streets and stained their shoes. The next street over had about fifty bodies. Then came the worst sight of all.

The next set of bodies were all civilians, and in a surge of panic Sasuke quickly recognized some of his classmates. He ran up to a black-haired girl and grabbed her arm, "Ami! Ami! Get up!" He ran to a fat boy with swirls on his cheeks, "Choji! Ami needs help!" He ran to another boy he didn't know the name of and shook him, "Get up! Get up!"

Nui and Sheeta were standing shell-shocked, watching Sasuke run from body to body. He finally stopped running and dropped to the ground, sobbing bitterly.

Sheeta whispered, "I knew this would happen. I knew it."

"Uchiha scum." A man in a green Jounin vest walked up behind Nui and Sheeta, "Look what your arrogance has done to my home. You don't deserve to breathe the same air as me."

"I got the fox brat Shinji." A second man in a Jounin vest walked out of a building hauling a small blond boy with whiskers behind him. The boy's blue eyes were wide open and he was so scared he couldn't speak. His head kept turning around and looking at the dead bodies.

"Good. Humph. We get to kill the fox and the clan that caused the Kyuubi attack eight years ago all in one go." Shinji laughed

"You're not going to be killing anyone!" Nui announced, "Release the boy!"

"Ah, how sweet, the Uchiha whore is defending her pet fox." Shinji laughed, "Sayama! Slit the boy's throat!"

Sayama laughed and pulled out a knife, the boy suddenly came to his senses and started struggling. "Let me go! Let me go! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Let Naruto go!" A loud boy's voice came from twenty feet away. Sasuke stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Sasuke! Stay out of this!" Nui yelled back at him. "Let me handle it! Sheeta, go to Sasuke and stay out of the way."

Sasuke frowned. He didn't want to stay out it. He wanted to help. But when it came right down to it, he realized there was nothing he could do.

Nui attacked Sayama as he brought the knife close to Naruto's throat. She used a flicker move to appear in front of him. He was caught by surprise and momentarily loosened his grip on the kunai. This allowed Nui to grab it and plunge it into his throat. She pulled Naruto out of Sayama's grasp and shoved him away.

"Run to Sasuke and stay there!" She yelled. Naruto quickly did what he was told.

Shinji advanced on Nui and she turned around quickly and attacked. He turned out to be better trained than his companion and they were both engaged in a kunai fight. However it was interrupted when four more Konoha ninjas appeared. Three came up behind the children so fast that Sheeta was knocked out before she noticed their presence and Sasuke and Naruto were quickly restrained. Nui was momentarily distracted by the sudden attack, giving Shinji an opening. He plunged his kunai into her side and she dropped to the ground. He hit her on the back of the head, knocking her out.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"Do something, Sasuke!" Naruto pleaded as he kicked at the man restraining him.

"I can't! I'll hit Nui!" Sasuke was panicking. He wanted to use his fireball jutsu but Nui was on the ground in front of Shinji.

"You're the best student in school! You must be able to do something!" Naruto was also panicking and his voice came out as a whine.

"We should kill the two girls while they're unconscious." Shinji said calmly.

Sasuke decided he didn't have a choice and quickly formed the hand signs for a fireball jutsu. He concentrated very hard on making the size small and then shot fire out of his mouth. The fireball was about three feet in diameter and hit the surprised Shinji directly in the face and upper torso. He fell immediately; screaming in pain for a few seconds before dying. The man holding Sasuke released him in shock and backed up a foot. This gave Sasuke the chance the start forming the hand signs again.

The man who had knocked Sheeta out, however, was faster than Sasuke and plunged his kunai into the right side of the boy's chest, just below the collar bone. Blood spurted out and Sasuke fell to the ground. The man backed away and laughed.

"Your clan has killed a lot of my comrades. I think I'll just stand here and watch you bleed to death." He laughed and backed away. The man holding Naruto released him and the boy quickly ran over to Sasuke.

"Sasuke! I'm scared, what are we going to do?" Naruto started crying and Sasuke, who was on his knees felt tears dripping out of his own eyes as well. He was just as scared as Naruto. Looking up, however, he saw Sheeta and Nui were still unconscious. If he didn't do something they would all be killed. They were his friends, probably his only friends in the whole world. How could he fail them like this? And what would Itachi say if his girlfriend died because he couldn't defend her? How could he face his own brother after that? Or even his parents?

"It's all up to me." Sasuke whispered. "I have to do this. I have to do this!"

"I'll help." Naruto sniffed a couple times and stopped crying.

"Okay." Sasuke turned his head and looked at Naruto but frowned when he saw the shocked expression on the boy's face.

"Sasuke… your eyes… they're… they're red!" The amazement in Naruto's voice made Sasuke touch his face to see if it was bleeding.

"What…" Sasuke winced in pain as his shoulder started throbbing. He looked up at the three ninja's. They were walking toward Nui. "Go to Sheeta and wake her up! Now!"

Naruto quickly ran to Sheeta as Sasuke ran through the hand-signs for the fireball jutsu and launched it at the ninjas. The attack was rendered faster by the boy's new Sharingan and the targets were engulfed in flames before they realized what was going on. It helped, of course, that they also hadn't expected an injured and crying boy to attack and had dropped their guard.

Sasuke ran to Nui and roughly shook her, "Nui! Wake up!" He winced and started gasping as he fought back against the blinding pain that engulfed his right arm.

Nui opened her eyes and looked up. The rain was pouring onto her face and she squinted to keep the water out of her eyes. Intense pain wracked her body and she moved her hand down to the stab would to shove chakra into it. The wound was deep but had missed all the organs. The bleeding stopped and she noticed that Sasuke was swaying.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" She sat up with great difficulty.

"He was stabbed in the chest." Naruto said as he and Sheeta ran over and knelt down in the ground next to Sasuke and Nui.

"Where?" She quickly pulled the bulky jacket off the boy and saw his shirt was soaked with blood. Pulling out a kunai she cut it open, revealing a stab wound on his right side directly below the collar bone. She laid him down on the ground and forced chakra into his wound, then breathed a sigh of relief. "It's shallow and hit a rib so it missed his lung. Thank God. The thick coat probably hindered the kunai somehow." A couple minutes later the bleeding stopped. She pulled the jacket closed and everyone stood up.

Sheeta looked around and tried to sense more chakra sources. "We need to continue on to the station."

"Yeah. Naruto, stick close to Sasuke. You're coming with us." Nui said sternly.

"Okay." Naruto looked over at Sasuke. His right arm was hanging limp by his side and his left arm was held tightly over his stomach. It was obvious that the boy was feeling sick. "Do you want me to carry you Sasuke? You can ride on my back."

"No… I'm fine." Sasuke said quietly. He didn't want anyone to think he was weak. However, a few seconds later he bent forward and expelled the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

Nui looked at him and sighed. She quickly noted with relief that there was no blood in the vomit and decided he was just very stressed. When she had seen him standing bent over she was afraid he had been hit in the abdomen. "Well, we're almost there." She replied in a weak voice.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"The entrance is here." Sheeta led the small group to a blank wall on a building two blocks from the police station. She formed several hand-signs and a pattern appeared on the wall. Sheeta then put her palms on the wall at specific locations and pushed her chakra into the seal. It flared up in a red light and the wall disappeared. "Quickly! We have fifteen seconds before it closes."

"Everyone be quiet, there might be people inside here." Nui whispered.

The companions made their way single file through the narrow hall. Nui was in front, then Naruto, Sasuke, and finally Sheeta. They reached a crossroads and Sheeta directed them left. As they walked further into the tunnel they noticed it went down. The overhead lights were sparse and cast long shadows on the dirt floor. The tunnel itself was about four feet wide and the walls were made of bricks that reached up six feet then curved into an arch that was seven feet above the ground. It was dry, but they could hear water dripping in the distance.

"It's just up ahead. I'll have to get up front so I can open the door." Sheeta whispered. In the quiet of the underground hallway her voice sounded loud. She walked up to a steel door and looked in through a window placed about five feet off the ground. "I don't see anyone, or feel any chakra. Once we go through this door we'll be right next to the door that leads to the secret isolation cells. We're already on the same level they're on."

Sheeta quickly opened both doors and the four walked into the isolation cells. She shut the door and re-sealed it then turned around and looked at her companions who, for some obscure reason, were standing stock still in the middle of the room staring into one of the cells. She walked over to see what was going on and gasped.

"Itachi…"

****

****

**Next week – "Chapter 4 – Safe Haven". The children settle into their life of incarceration, Itachi has second thoughts, and the first day of the coup finally ends.**

**Sorry about killing Hiashi, Choji and Ami. But… I wanted to see Hinata in a different environment – and it seemed a good way also to keep Toshiro and Kisa in the story since they no longer have Shisui. How Hiashi died will be explained in a later chapter, there is something else going on here, as Toshiro speculated. I promise, I'm not being malicious. As for Choji and Ami… well, people die in war and it's worse if its someone you know, so Sasuke and Naruto (and the rest of the academy students) are going to be hit pretty hard by this. **

**Please review **


	4. Chapter 4 Safe Haven

**Last week most of the Hyuuga main branch was killed, however Toshiro arrived in time to save Hinata and her sister. Sasuke, Sheeta and Nui escaped from the temple after it was bombed and met up and saved Naruto from a couple ninjas who were trying to kill him. After a fight (in which Sasuke attained his Sharingan) they made their way to the prison and discovered Itachi already ensconced in one of the cells.**

**Thanks for all the reviews. **

**To answer some questions: Ami was the apparent ringleader of a group of girls who were picking on Sakura during a flashback in episode 41. Ino saved her by throwing some flowers into Ami's mouth and then teasing her by saying they were poisonous. They are all the same age, so I assume Sasuke would have known Ami too.**

**About Naruto having been left unguarded by Danzou… the reason why was coming up in chpt 5, but because it was in a review asking why it happened I realized it would fit better in this chapter because it is a very important point after all.**

**Sorry about the long A/N, please enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Pein still owns Naruto – Kishimoto sent Hinata in to regain rights but… sniff, sniff… Hinata!**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 4 – Safe Haven**

"Itachi…"

The teen let out a muffled groan as his nose picked up the heavy scent of rain, wet clothes, and the sickly-sweet stench of blood. Opening his ebony eyes, he raised his head slightly to see what was going on. The tranquilizer had finally worn off, but he was still feeling a little fuzzy and "out of sorts".

"Sh….Sheeta." His voice was very faint.

"What happened Itachi?" Sasuke yelled as he grabbed a bar with his left hand. "Ow! What's wrong with the bars?"

"Chakra draining jutsu." Itachi replied hoarsely. He slowly sat up, sighing heavily. "Why are you here?"

"The temple was destroyed and we escaped then we found Naruto and then we were attacked and then we came here." Sasuke said, all in one breath. "Why are you here?"

"I… I'm sorry Sasuke. It's all my fault." He swayed a little and put his head in his hands to try and steady himself. His long black hair had come out of its tie while he had slept and fell forward over his shoulders. It was dull and flat instead of shiny and soft; stringy instead of full.

"Itachi lay down and rest, you look really sick." Sheeta said, worried. "And you two should lay down as well." She glanced at Sasuke and Nui. The sooner she could get them settled, the sooner she could talk to Itachi and find out what was going on.

"These cells are all open," Naruto opened the one to the right of Itachi's cell and waved Sasuke over. He helped him get his coat and the remains of his shirt off. Sasuke could no longer lift his right arm due to the pain and swelling. A huge bruise now covered the upper part of his chest and shoulder. He lay down on the narrow cot and Sheeta came over and washed his wound, covering him with a blanket. While the room did come equipped with a sink and paper towels, there was no medical kit. All she could do was rinse off the wound and cover it with the towels and a ripped up blanket. Not exactly hygienic, but perhaps it was better than nothing; or so she hoped. She then shooed Naruto into another cell and convinced him to lie down as well.

Nui was able to take care of herself, but Sheeta still insisted on checking to make sure she was okay. "I can't believe its only two-o-clock. This has to have been the longest day of my life." Nui said quietly.

"Lie down and try to sleep. You'll feel better later." Sheeta tried to smile, but it came out as a frown.

"We need medication. When someone comes in, wake me up. I can't believe there's no medical kit down here. I should be okay to work on Sasuke in a couple hours." Nui closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately. The loss of blood had taken its toll, draining her chakra and stamina.

Sheeta looked in on Sasuke once more and saw that he was now asleep as well. Naruto was lying on his cot staring at the ceiling and wiping tears out of his eyes. She covered him with a blanket before walking back over to Itachi's cell. She sat down a couple feet from the bars. "Do you… want to talk?"

Itachi was still sitting on his cot with his head in his hands. "Sasuke and Nui were injured." His voice was still quiet.

"Yes. And… Sasuke has his Sharingan now. He saved us."

Itachi gave a short laugh. "I am very proud of him. I always knew his potential was huge."

"Why are you here? Fugaku did this, it's very obvious." Sheeta pressed.

"I made a mistake. I fell under the influence of Danzou and he tricked me. I am here because Fugaku wanted to protect me." Itachi spoke the words he was sure his father would want him to say. He wasn't in a position to argue with him anyway, so it seemed like the best thing to do, at least for now. "It disturbs me that the temple was bombed. It doesn't make any sense."

"Did someone other than an Uchiha know there was a secret chamber there?" Sheeta asked.

Itachi suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. Right after he had joined ROOT the temple had been searched by ANBU because of rumors about a secret chamber that contained stolen scrolls. Itachi had spoken to Danzou and told him that the chamber existed but there were no scrolls in it. He had been the one to betray his family. It was his fault his brother and friends had almost been killed when it was bombed.

"Did… did everyone get out?" Itachi whispered, hoping beyond reason to hear an affirmative answer.

"No. Only us three got out, then it collapsed. At least, I don't _think_ the others got out, anyway." Sheeta said sadly. "All the elders were in there, they risked their lives for us." She started to cry silently and buried her face in her knees.

"I'm sorry." Itachi whispered, "I'm so sorry."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The ANBU were proving to be a difficult opponent. Having disguised themselves as Uchihas by wearing armbands with the clan symbol, they moved in and out of the various neighborhoods killing civilians and shinobi alike without discrimination. It was a campaign to deface the Uchiha clan, to make the villagers turn on them so the ROOT commander could come in afterwards and "mop up".

However, Danzou's "master plan" was creating confusion as comrade turned on comrade, unsure over which side the other was on. As the hours wore on and more and more shinobi heard about the Hokage's disappearance tempers started to flair. No one seemed to know exactly what was going on and rumors ran rampant. The biggest one was that the ANBU had, for some reason, turned on the village and were killing everyone. While the Uchiha were still a target, and seen as the main instigators, ANBU slowly, but surely, became the primary scapegoat as more and more civilian casualties were discovered. Danzou's name wasn't connected to the rumor because very few people actually knew much about him. Even those who had met him and knew his position in ANBU weren't connecting him to the current hostilities. The man had been so low key that he was almost anonymous.

The big problem was that even though everyone was referring to "ANBU", the reality was that most of the ANBU were still loyal to Sarutobi and would never turn on their own village. However, if you knew or even suspected your neighbor or acquaintance was an ANBU and you ran into him on the street, how could you tell which side he was on? Some were attacking first and forgetting to ask questions later.

Reports were also coming in of groups of shinobi who were wandering the village and attacking other ninjas and kunoichis, ripping off their clothing to "see" if they had ANBU tattoos on their arms. Of course, having accomplished that, their next course of action rarely included a polite apology and a new outfit.

Having been a police chief for almost two decades, Fugaku wasn't surprised by the violence. Konoha had always had a high crime rate due to the extreme nature of the shinobi lifestyle. The fact that a few would take advantage of the situation to run amuck was something he had known would happen.

Civilians continued to be evacuated as groups who were previously turned back were found holed up in neighborhoods. Some civilians were so scared after seeing Konoha ninja attacking each other that they refused to be evacuated. A few even turned up at the front gate and begged to be allowed to leave. However, Fugaku saw the tunnels as safer and ordered his clan to evacuate them with the others. Who knew what kinds of traps Danzou had set in the woods? Even so, some civilians and shinobi did manage to escape the village. No one chased after them, though, as resources were already stretched thin.

About mid-afternoon Fugaku was called back to the Hokage tower. Arriving at the tall building he noted that the destruction from that morning was now ten times worse. Half of the buildings in the government district had collapsed and dead bodies were piled up in several locations.

"Lord Fugaku," Toshiro greeted him with a neutral expression, "these people would like to have a discussion with you concerning the current hostilities."

Fugaku nodded to indicate he had heard, then turned to face the men and women gathered. He picked out two members of the Hokage's staff, two women in their fifties named Tsukimi Ohta and Hako Kisaichi, as well as Kakashi Hatake who was standing protectively in front of them.

"Lord Fugaku," Tsukimi said calmly, "as far as we could gather Hako and I are all that remains of the government. I have heard rumors that Sarutobi has been kidnapped. What is the situation?"

"Humph. Let's go inside and talk."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The inside of the Hokage tower was uncharacteristically quiet and dark. The normally bright and cheerful ground floor reception area was usually full of people, even on Saturdays, running errands or checking up on missions. Electricity had been cut several hours earlier, and the dark, stormy weather rendered the interior nearly pitch-black.

They found their way to a conference room near the entrance that was usually used for meetings with civilians. Toshiro and five other Uchihas had followed them in, standing directly behind Fugaku as he selected a chair and sat down. Hako pulled a lantern out of a cabinet and lit it. The soft glow illuminated the twenty by forty foot room enough to allow everyone to see each other.

The two women were probably the closest thing to a government Konoha had at the moment. Both were members of the judicial branch and reported directly to the now-missing elders. That meant they were, as far as the chain of command went, in charge. Tsukimi and Hako were both a couple inches over five-feet tall, with black hair streaked with white. Tsukimi was wearing a plain dark yellow kimono while Hako was a little more practical with dark pants and a sweatshirt. Kakashi stood behind the two women and three other jounins stood behind him.

Fugaku began speaking. "Danzou struck sometime last night, grabbing the Hokage and spiriting him off somewhere. I spoke to his shadow clone this morning and he told me that after Konoha killed off all the Uchiha he would step in and place himself in the position of Hokage. In the meantime, his ANBU are running amuck in the village killing villagers and shinobi. They are also wearing armbands with the Uchiha symbol. The evacuation this morning was disrupted by ANBU who told the civilians to return home."

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as they digested what Fugaku had just told them. The situation was becoming confusing for the Konoha ninjas. They didn't know who to attack and a few shinobi had even given up in frustration and gone into hiding.

"Are we sure these people are ANBU?" Hako asked.

"The chances are high. A few were recognized by acquaintances who knew they were in ANBU and we have been checking corpses for tattoos. Also, given that Danzou was in charge of ROOT and ANBU, it is a logical conclusion. However, it would be presumptuous to assume he didn't pull in followers from the Jounin and Chuunin squads." Fugaku explained. "The fact that no shinobi wearing a mask has been seen at all makes things more difficult. I realize that they are not allowed to wear them without official orders, and no orders have been given, but there were supposedly ANBU on duty at all times watching the village."

"The normal patrols were replaced late last night." Kakashi volunteered. "I was supposed to be on duty in the Northwest quadrant but I received orders via wireless to stand down around eleven o'clock last night and went home. I didn't see who, if anyone, replaced me. I guess he probably pulled back those whom he figured would not be loyal to him and replaced them with his own people."

Hako sighed. "I see no alternative. We must call a truce, albeit temporary, until the Hokage is found. I will not support Danzou under any circumstances if he insists on handling things this way. There is neither hide nor hair of the elders Koharu or Homura or even the rest of the council. I can only assume they are dead or with the Hokage, or perhaps still hiding." She paused and looked at the people seated around the table. "What are your thoughts?"

"To save the village, yeah, I agree." A Jounin in his thirties sighed, then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, his next words were laced with poison, "Danzou. I remember him from when I was an ANBU ten years ago. Frankly, he was why I quit. Couldn't stand the blood-thirsty bastard."

Kakashi frowned. "I'm just tagging along here, but for whatever its worth, I think we should go along with what Hako said."

Tsukimi gave Fugaku a half smile, "Then we will notify the Hokage's shinobi to cooperate with Uchiha until the Hokage is located. This is temporary, you understand."

"Hmm. It's good enough for now." He paused. "Toshiro, tell the clan to withdraw back to their bases. Kakashi, in thirty minutes begin killing anyone who is wearing an Uchiha symbol. You are one of the premier assassins in Konoha so you should be able to get quite a few of them without any help."

"Yes. That should work." Kakashi nodded his head, "Once the ANBU realize they can no longer pass themselves off as Uchiha they will have to drop the impersonation. We noticed this morning that Uchiha were only attacking shinobi, so when they started attacking civilians a couple hours ago we became suspicious. It didn't make sense, until we realized they weren't really Uchihas."

"It's a temporary fix, at best, but it should reduce their number to an extent." Fugaku said sternly.

"Lord Fugaku, the clan has been notified and all are withdrawing. The Uchiha who are digging out the temple, however, request permission to continue." Toshiro responded.

"Go ahead and tell them to continue. It would be difficult for any impersonators to infiltrate while they are working in the compound." Fugaku frowned.

Kakashi and the other Jounin and Chuunin checked their watches and synchronized them at twelve minutes after two o'clock.

"You have two hours. At that time, four o'clock, all Konoha shinobi will gather at training ground fifteen for further orders." Fugaku named the largest field. "Now go and spread the word." The shinobi stood up and left the building.

Fugaku turned to the women, "You may stay here; it's probably safe."

"Maybe. But we will stay anyway." Tsukimi said quietly.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Four o'clock came quickly and Fugaku found himself in a training field facing eight thousand ninjas. About one-hundred Uchihas and three hundred Hyuugas stood behind him. The rest were in the village doing the same thing Kakashi had been doing for the last two hours; only in reverse. They were killing any Konoha ninjas still left in the village on the assumption that they were working for Danzou.

Kaho and Tsukimi were standing off to one side, glaring daggers at Fugaku. They may have initiated the truce, but they had every intention of remaining loyal to Sarutobi. However, necessity required the two sides to combine forces, at least for a little while.

Fugaku looked out over the field and realized that they were short about four-thousand ninjas. Many were in the hospital with injuries or dead, but a lot of them were Danzou's ANBU. In fact, it was safe to assume that his ANBU were also among the group in front of him as well, still under-cover.

"Attention!" Fugaku spoke loudly into the group. They all quieted down. "As you no doubt have heard, the Third Hokage has gone missing, kidnapped by Danzou, who was the head of ANBU. Due to hostilities there has been no attempt to find him. Therefore it is in everyone's interest, no mater whose side you are on, to put down your weapons. Start cleaning up the mess, burying the dead and healing the injured. We can then begin a real, in depth search for the Third and Danzou."

Looking around in the late afternoon gloom he frowned as an image of Sasuke, Sheeta and Nui came to mind. "You also need to look for any civilians that have not evacuated and get them to the tunnels. They may also be trapped in collapsed or burned out buildings. Danzou's people hindered the evacuation, making it impossible for some people to reach safety." There was murmuring over this information and Fugaku patiently waited for it to die down. "Now, assemble in your command formations and Kaho and Tsukimi will give you your assignments. Stay here until six o'clock, at which time you may begin your assignments."

Fugaku walked towards the edge of the clearing as the gathered shinobi looked around the large crowd for their teams. The teams were members of larger formations that generally took similar assignments. Kaho and Tsukimi had been given a list of assignments according to each formation's specialty. Some would search buildings for survivors, others would gather and bury the dead, and others would collect and distribute supplies. There were about twenty different jobs that needed to be done. The search for the Hokage would be accomplished by the Uchiha and Hyuuga shinobi.

There was a lot of grumbling and cursing, not to mention hostility. However, the news that the Hokage was missing and civilians were in danger made most of them want to cooperate. Fugaku had no doubts that it was temporary, though, as he looked over the sea of faces in front of him. Turning hostility into loyalty would take a while. He walked into the coup knowing that and he fully expected that loyalty would be a long time in coming. In its place he would settle for compliance with his authority.

An hour later Fugaku's wireless receiver crackled to life when Kisa called him, _"Lord Fugaku, Mikoto just reported that she found the children and they have Naruto Uzumaki with them. They are at the jail. I'm going over there now with some supplies, but I could use some help. Is Toshiro or someone else free? Also, is it okay if I put the other kids in with them?"_

Fugaku looked over at Toshiro, who was speaking with a group of Hyuugas. Probably about Hiashi's death. He was still very upset and angry about it, as were most of the Hyuugas. "Yes, I'll send him over. It's probably better if the kids are all kept in one place so go ahead and take them over." He motioned for Toshiro to come over to him.

"What's up?" Toshiro asked.

"What I am about to tell you is to be kept a secret and I want you to pass that on to Kisa as well. Itachi is being restrained in the isolation cells at the jail. When the children escaped from the temple they made their way to the jail and are currently with him. I assume Sheeta was the one who let them in. I need you to go help Kisa take the girls and some supplies down to them."

"Thank God. I've been so worried." Toshiro gave Fugaku a small smile, although he was suddenly very curious about Itachi.

"Don't say anything to the kids about what is going on up here." Fugaku said quietly.

"No point worrying them." Toshiro replied calmly.

"I'm going to head directly over to the jail." Fugaku used a jutsu to disappear.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"What? How… how did all of you get in here?" Mikoto walked into the isolation cells and stood gaping as not one but five sets of eyes stared up at her. Four more than she expected; and all looking just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. Before anyone could answer she grabbed a wireless transmitter from her pocket and switched it on.

"Kisa? The children are all at the jail. Tell the others to stop looking. Also, pass on to Fugaku that Naruto is in here too." Mikoto spoke hurriedly. "Also, get a food package put together, enough to last a week."

"Mother!" Sasuke called from his cot and waved his left hand. He tried to sit up but moving was still painful.

Mikoto hurried over and stared at the make-shift bandage over his chest. She picked the transmitter up and turned it back on, "Kisa? We also need a medical kit."

"What happened?" Mikoto knelt down next to Sasuke, but kept her eyes on Nui who was now leaning against the bars and holding onto her side.

"We were attacked, Sasuke saved us. He's… got a surprise for you." Nui gave a half-hearted smile. She was feeling shaky and ill, and she could feel the beginnings of a fever coming on. However, her chakra level had risen considerably during her short nap and everything considered, she was feeling a little better than she had been a few hours earlier.

"Sasuke?" Mikoto asked quietly.

The boy smiled as he activated his Sharingan. At that moment Fugaku walked into the room and stared curiously at the new arrivals.

"Fugaku! Come here!" Mikoto waved him over.

"Sasuke… you're injured…" He looked at the boy's eyes and paused, his own eyes opening wide in shock. A smile appeared and he gave a short chuckle. "That's my boy, Sasuke. It sounds like when all this is over you're going to have quite a story to tell."

"Yes father." Sasuke gave his father a big grin, but winced as a wave of pain throbbed through his shoulder. "Father? What happened to Auntie?"

Fugaku closed his eyes and frowned. "The temple is being excavated now. They have to go slow so it doesn't collapse any further. We'll let you know what we find."

"Oh." Sasuke sighed.

"Toshiro is bringing the girls here now, Mikoto. Might as well put them with the rest. This is probably the safest place in Konoha outside of the tunnels." Fugaku turned his attention to Naruto who was sitting off to the side being uncharacteristically quiet. "Why didn't you go the tunnels with the rest of the civilians?"

"I started to. The guy who checks up on me said to go to the tunnels, but he left to go fight and the mean lady next door told me told me to go back to my apartment. She said the kids would be evacuated later." Naruto frowned. "I… heard screaming and looked outside and this ninja was killing all the people in the street. Then he came up to get me. Then they showed up." He pointed at Sasuke, Nui and Sheeta.

"They… were Konoha ninjas?" Fugaku said quietly.

"Yeah." Naruto wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"This was outside your apartment?"

"Uh-huh."

Fugaku was silent for a minute. He had never liked the fact that Naruto was left to fend for himself with very little supervision. The boy was not well liked by most of the village and apparently even his caretaker had a chip on his shoulder.

"Unfortunate." Fugaku responded bitterly. The man should have taken the Naruto to the tunnels and then stayed with him. In fact, Fugaku had fully expected that Naruto would not be left unguarded and had not made plans to protect him. It was a dreadful oversight that he instantly regretted. Danzou had probably made the same oversight, since Fugaku couldn't imagine the ROOT commander harming the boy either. He made a mental note to make sure Naruto was placed in a real foster home when things settled down. He was too important to be left alone, and not just because he was jinchuuriki. Fugaku also had a lot of respect for the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father, and had made a promise to protect the boy.

The door opened again and two small girls and a boy, followed by Toshiro and Kisa entered. Both Toshiro and Kisa were carrying boxes, which they set down on the floor. The girls hid behind Kisa when they saw the others in the room. The boy grabbed Toshiro's shirt and buried his face in his stomach. Toshiro lifted him up and the boy wrapped his arms and legs tightly around the man's neck and stomach and hid his face.

"An extra, huh?" Fugaku asked, amused.

"The patrol in the Hokage tower found him this morning hiding under a bed. He's being stubborn and won't tell us his name, but I'm pretty sure this is Konohamaru." Toshiro said as he walked over to where Fugaku was still standing next to Sasuke. "He did say the ninja guard told him to hide and someone would come by for him later."

"I bet that 'someone' was probably up to no good, too." Fugaku explained. He turned his attention to the two girls who were following Kisa as she walked down the aisle. "Hinata, Hanabi, stay here with the other children. No one is going to hurt you here."

"Yes Lord Fugaku." Hinata whispered. Her face was pale and streaked with tears and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. There was a big bruise on one side of her face and she was limping and holding on to her bandaged right arm.

Sheeta stepped forward and with Kisa's help started to fix up a cell for the two girls to stay in. Toshiro extracted Konohamaru from his neck and passed him to Naruto who carried him to another empty cell, talking cheerfully about ramen.

Fugaku and Toshiro exited Sasuke's cell and stood outside of Itachi's. The whole time the teenager had been sitting quietly with his legs drawn up to his chest and his forehead resting on his knees. He couldn't bring himself to look at his family. Toshiro stared in at him, noting the chakra limiting bracelets and bars.

"Danzou." Fugaku said bitterly.

"No wonder you kept pushing the council off." Toshiro sounded exhausted. "Itachi?"

Itachi lifted his head slowly and looked into the eyes of Shisui's father.

Toshiro spoke in a low voice that only those nearby could hear. "Did you kill Shisui?"

"No!" Itachi said a little louder than he intended. Everyone looked over at him then went back to what they were doing. He spoke again, this time keeping his voice low, "He killed himself. I didn't want him to. I… I didn't know what to do…" He buried his face in his knees again, "Please believe me."

Toshiro gave Itachi a tired smile, "I believe you. Forgive me for asking. Danzou's treachery goes deeper than anyone ever suspected. As it turns out, you weren't his only pawn, Itachi."

Fugaku performed a jutsu and the soft white glow that had covered the bars dissipated. He then opened the cell and pocketed the key. "You are free to move about, but don't leave the isolation block. I'm also going to leave the chakra limiting bracelets on for a little while longer. Until all this is over and I am sure you are once again in your right mind I will consider removing them. For now, help look after the children. Understand?"

Itachi lifted his head and stood up, then sank down to the ground and touched his forehead to the ground. "I thank-you for your leniency. It is more than I deserve. I will guard them with my life." He stood up and kept his eyes on the ground, then swayed a little as a wave of dizziness overtook him. He sat back down on his bunk.

"Mikoto? I'm done here, perhaps you could get Nui to look at him. I think he may be more than just tired." Fugaku turned around and headed back toward the door.

"There are some more boxes upstairs; do you have time to help me bring them down?" Toshiro asked.

"Sure. We need to keep the fact that the kids are down here a secret though, until we have the village completely secured." Fugaku answered as they walked through the door.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Before looking at Itachi, Nui worked on Sasuke and Hinata. She was able to lessen the swelling and close up the rest of the wound. The boy was feeling better and wanted to get up, but she pushed him down and told him to get some sleep. Nui was feeling bad about having waited so long to heal him, but the loss of blood had affected her more than she imagined and controlling her chakra had been difficult for a while.

Hinata, it turned out, was badly bruised and her arm had a hairline fracture. She healed the fracture and formed a sling out of a sheet to keep her from over-using it. She then used chakra to lessen the pain in the bruises. Hanabi, Hinata's three-year-old sister refused to leave her side. Both girls had tears coming out of their eyes and were very skittish.

"What's wrong with the girls?" Nui asked Mikoto when she came over to see how they were doing.

"The side branch attacked and killed most of the main branch members of the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi was badly injured, his wife already dead, and a couple men were kicking Hinata. Toshiro walked in on them and stopped the attack. He then promised Hiashi to care for his daughters and make sure Hinata took her rightful place as clan chief. He died a few minutes later." Mikoto's voice trailed off.

"It didn't bother him that the rescuer was the one that created the havoc?" Nui asked quietly.

"I guess, at that point, it didn't. All he wanted was his children to be safe." Mikoto said sadly.

"I think I can understand that." Nui replied. "I guess Kisa and Toshiro now have a houseful of children. That should make them happy."

Mikoto sighed, "Yeah, it probably will. Although I imagine Hinata and Hanabi will be pretty traumatized by all this. It will be difficult." The girls looked up at Mikoto as she spoke, but didn't react. "Well, Hinata, why don't you help us do some interior decorating? I'll be right back, I'm going to go upstairs to retrieve some sheets from the main jail area and then we can build some 'walls' for privacy."

Nui stood up and walked over to Itachi. "Your turn. Now take off your shirt, turn your head and cough. I'll be with you in a minute after I stick my stethoscope in some ice water."

One side of Itachi's mouth moved upward then returned to its previous frown.

Nui smirked. "Well that was almost a smile." She applied chakra to her hands and moved them slowly over Itachi's body. "It seems you're going to live. You have a severe vitamin deficiency including an iron deficiency. Ever hear of something called rickets? It's a bad thing, Itachi, and if you don't start taking vitamins and eating better its only one of the many disfiguring and crippling diseases you can come down with."

"You have such a good bedside demeanor." Itachi replied calmly.

"Humph. Well, if it gets you start taking better care of yourself then I won't apologize." She smiled and then put her mouth next to Itachi's ear and whispered, "This can also speed up the onset of your disease and make it difficult for your body to respond to treatment. If you die and make Sheeta sad I'll dig up your body, bring you back to life and kill you myself. Slowly and painfully." She sat back up and laughed, "I'll write out a list of things for Mikoto to pick up and we can start your treatment right away. You are also very underweight and suffering the effects of extreme stress. I think we could sum this up with one word – 'malnutrition'. This means you are very susceptible to viruses right now, although for some reason you haven't caught one…" The sound of a little boy coughing and sneezing was heard, "yet."

Itachi was a little taken aback at Nui's admission. He had to admit the teenager was very perceptive. He didn't think she had known he had inherited the lung ailment that killed her older brother a few years earlier. It usually didn't manifest until the mid- to late-teens and would cause simple colds to turn into pneumonia or bronchitis if not treated. Fumitake had died in his early twenties, but he had not received treatment until he was nineteen, four years after the onset of symptoms. Dr. Yakushi had assured Itachi that if he started treatment when the disease started to show itself he could either cure it, or at least lessen the symptoms enough to allow him to live a near normal life for another twenty or thirty years.

"Have you ever considered a career in blackmail?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Strange, but you aren't the first person to ask me that." Nui stood up carefully so as to not jar the wound in her side, gave a short laugh and walked away.

It took a couple hours, but in the end a "girls" area and a "boys" area were fashioned using sheets to provide a small measure of privacy. Also a small make-shift kitchen was put together using a plug-in double burner, a rice cooker and a folding table; all confiscated form the break room upstairs. The foodstuffs were sorted and bottled water was provided in case the water tap was shut off. The police station itself was running on a generator that provided light and power to three outlets. When the two older women left, the children were set up to spend the next week on their own with no outside intervention if necessary.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Time passed slowly and eventually Itachi found himself awake in the early morning hours listening to the various sounds of sleeping children. He welcomed the noise, as little as it was, over the unbearable quiet that had presided mere hours ago. He moved the hanging sheet a little bit so he could see Sheeta, who was sitting at the table reading one of the books Mikoto had left in his cell. The book was flat on the table, held open with a second book placed at the top. Her black hair was pulled back in a bun and her chin was resting in her hands. She looked sleepy, but the far away look in her eyes told him that sleep was not something she would be falling into with any ease in the near future. She had offered to stay up and keep watch. While the chances of being discovered were slim, no one felt safe enough to leave the only door unguarded.

Itachi quickly discovered, though, that he wished he was still alone. Being this close to the people he had planned on killing was… what? He wasn't sure what, exactly, he was feeling. Was it guilt because he had failed or because he had looked into the eyes of the people he was planning to kill? Or perhaps it was heartbreak because he knew thousands of innocent people were dying in the coup? Maybe it was relief because his father had stopped him? Really, it was all of that. He cycled through one emotion to the next, without really understanding what he was feeling. The pain was too fresh, or perhaps too close to his heart.

As he lay awake on his cot staring at the bright white ceiling he thought back to his earlier discussion with his father and Toshiro. Inexplicably, he had felt like a little kid when the two powerful ninja were standing outside the bars speaking to him. He wasn't sure why… perhaps the after-effects of the tranquilizer or the chakra-suppressing bracelets were affecting his thinking. And he had actually thanked his father for his leniency. What in the world had possessed him to do that? And then the clan lord had opened his cell; allowing him to mingle with the people he had planned on killing not twenty-four hours earlier.

Sighing, Itachi rolled over onto his side and stared at the white sheets that had been hung up over the bars to partition the cells off from each other. He wondered if Fugaku had told the rest of the clan what he had planned on doing. How would they handle it? Was he going to be executed when it was safe for the children to leave the prison? Or would they chalk it up to "misguidance" and give him a second chance?

'I have to live. Even if I have to run away. Madara's plans… I have to stop him.' Itachi's mind moved into overdrive as he considered his options. 'If I support father, then perhaps we can train Konoha to fight Akatsuki.' But the issue about what he would do about his own membership in the criminal organization came into question. Pein would certainly accuse him of being a traitor if he supported his father. Then again, Madara had to know that he had been passing Akatsuki secrets to Fugaku. But… did Pein know? The man was an enigma he needed to investigate. Madara had chosen him to lead Akatsuki, therefore he must be powerful. Perhaps close to or surpassing Madara himself. Which meant Itachi couldn't take him on. At least not right now. He couldn't afford to have both Pein and Madara mad at him, not if he was going to live long enough to help Konoha.

'And the Cloud Kage said he would support me if I became Hokage… I wonder if that would carry over to Fugaku. He did say he wanted someone other than Sarutobi leading Konoha.' A few months earlier Itachi had run into the Raikage during a mission in Lightening country. They had sparred, but the powerful ninja had apparently set the incident up to have a discussion with him.

_The Raikage dropped his voice and Itachi looked intently at the man. "My intelligence says you are to be named the next Hokage."_

_Itachi fought hard not to react, but the Raikage noticed and gave a short laugh._

"_I would not mind forming an alliance with you at helm. Anyone but the Senju or Hyuuga. So, what do you think, would you reciprocate?"_

_Itachi was struck with the man's apparent honesty and openness. He wasn't treating him like a kid, but an equal. But how was he to answer the question? He had been told by Danzou that he was Hokage material, but he had taken it as nothing more than a compliment. However, it was possible The Raikage was digging for information about the Uchiha coup. Although, if that was the case why would he mention Itachi's name and not Fugaku's?_

"_I am not aware of such an honor, but alliances are much better than war and I would be grateful to form as many as possible." Itachi hoped his statement wasn't too generic and would satisfy the Raikage. He was curious, though, about the current alliance that he thought existed between Cloud and Konoha. Did the Hokage lie, and there was no alliance? Or perhaps the alliance was on paper only and the Raikage wished to have a true peaceful relationship with his enemies?_

"_Glad to hear it, Itachi. You five better get moving it's a long trek to the border." He smiled. _

_Itachi stood up and looked the man in the eye again, sizing him up. 'He really thinks I'm going to be the next Hokage. That's what all this was about. Did he know my team would be sent out after the rogues? Was this meeting a set-up?' Itachi's thoughts were full of questions, but instead of asking them he thanked the Raikage for the sparring session and returned to his team. Twenty hours later they crossed the border into Fire country. _

'Maybe… maybe they could also be used against Akatsuki.' Itachi ground his teeth together in frustration. Even though his initial plans had failed, this one was sure to succeed. It had to. This time, failure wouldn't result in the deaths of a few tens of thousands, but millions of people and entire nations.

"Shisui… things sure didn't turn out the way we planned. I wish you were here." Itachi whispered as he pushed a tranquilizer into his mouth and closed his eyes. Before he could do anything, he had to recover his health.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Danzou does the unthinkable and Konoha realizes that safety doesn't always come in numbers.**

**The conversation between the Raikage and Itachi was in Chpt 59 of "Itachi the Early Years".**

**Please review**


	5. Chapter 5 Realization

**Last week Itachi started the process of trying to come to terms with his failure; Fugaku and a couple members of the Hokage's staff worked out a temporary truce so they could find the Hokage; and Hinata, Hanabi and Konohamaru were placed in the isolation cells with the Uchihas and Naruto.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and fav's! More are always welcome.**

**Disclaimer: Jeez… now Kyuubi owns Naruto. Kishimoto is really going to have to work hard to get him back now. (Have you been keeping up with Shippuden – Deidara and Tobi are at the beginning of the latest episode - yay)**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 5 – Realization**

That evening Fugaku was in the hospital with Mikoto reviewing the list of injured. A handful of Uchihas had been killed or injured, but considering how things had backfired it was a very small number. Dr. Yakushi was busy running from one surgery to the next. He even had his son Kabuto in the waiting room dealing with minor injuries.

Fugaku watched the fourteen-year-old with his Sharingan for a few minutes. He seemed very knowledgeable about basic medical jutsus, and the triage crew was sending people with small cuts, abrasions and simple fractures over to him for bandages and pain killers. However, Kabuto seemed to be reigning in his chakra. He would heal a fracture, but only to the point of being slightly below "acceptable". Meaning the bone was only about ninety percent healed.

Earlier suspicions about Kabuto's alliances resurfaced as Fugaku remembered how the teenager had managed to appear at key moments. The biggest tip-off had been years ago when Itachi was six-years-old and had been kidnapped. Kabuto had been the one to find him, even though the entire police force was searching. The clan lord suspected the boy might be one of Madara's spies. However, revealing him would also place suspicion on Itachi since the two had hung out together along with Shisui, and Itachi's teammate Yota. Also, he was Dr. Yakushi's son, and Fugaku felt a lot of gratitude toward the man who tirelessly took care of the medical needs of the clans. He realized he would have to find a way to learn more about what Kabuto was up to and find a way to neutralize him if necessary, without causing a lot of hate and discontent. It would be a delicate matter.

"Fugaku?" Mikoto interrupted Fugaku's thoughts and he turned around to look at her. "Are you done here? We should leave; we're making some people nervous."

"Oh." Fugaku looked around and realized she was right, "Yeah, let's go."

Walking out into the evening they made their way back to their house. The Uchiha district was dark as the village's electricity had been shut off hours earlier. As they walked past the remnants of the temple they stopped to look at the fallen timbers and crumbled plaster. The garden was torn up and the walls had been knocked down to make it easier to excavate the building. Luckily all the people inside had survived the collapse, but most were now in the hospital suffering from exposure. Hypothermia was not an easy thing to recover from if one was frail. In the morning, some of them might not be alive.

The wind blew down the street and Mikoto shivered. "Let's get to the house."

"Yeah." Fugaku frowned and followed his wife to their house. The dark building looked small and humble after a day spent buried in blood and warfare. Mikoto boiled some water over a wood fire to reconstitute some field rations and brew some tea. Fugaku quickly fell asleep after eating and Mikoto sat up to keep watch. Her husband had been awake over twenty-four hours and she was determined that he should get some rest.

Walking into Itachi's bedroom, Mikoto looked around the immaculately organized room. The teenager had always been very exacting and methodical about how he kept his belongings. His books were alphabetized, his clothes hung according to color and shade, his socks perfectly folded, and the contents of his desk in perfect order. She smiled. Sometimes, when she came into this room she would move one item out of place then return a day later to see if it had been put back. It always was. Mikoto chuckled, despite the quiet and somber atmosphere created by the dark. Itachi had never complained. She was sure he knew it was her doing it and wondered what he thought about her when he found a "z" book in the "f" books. Did he think her childish, annoying, or silly?

Sasuke's room was neat, but compared to his brothers it had a "lived in" feel to it. A stump was placed at one end of the room for shuriken practice, but hadn't been used since he started school. Standing six feet from a target was no longer a challenge. Other than that, the toys sat ignored on the shelf. This room had a TV. Itachi had never asked for one, but Sasuke did actually watch some shows. All were ninja related. When Itachi watched TV it was in the living room and it was always movies.

Mikoto picked up a stack of VHS tapes. They were the old animes Itachi used to watch as a child. Apparently he had given them to his little brother. She smiled, remembering how addicted the four-year-old Itachi had been to the show. He and Shisui never missed an episode.

Sighing, Mikoto returned to the master bedroom and sat in a chair to watch over Fugaku. She sent her chakra out to sense for enemies, hoping for a quiet night. Around three in the morning Fugaku woke up and told Mikoto to go to bed. She crawled underneath the warm blankets, falling asleep almost immediately. Fugaku took her place in the chair and read through several documents until shortly after six o'clock when Mikoto woke up. They both took soldier pills to make them more alert and returned to the village to see what had transpired during the night. Day two was beginning.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The morning continued the work of the previous evening. Cleaning up dead bodies, looking for survivors in collapsed buildings and searching for the Hokage. Everyone was kept busy and when the explosion was heard at nine o'clock everyone jumped in alarm.

Echoing throughout the village, it was easily the loudest sound ever heard in Konoha. Looking up to the cliff behind the Hokage tower where the stone visages of the past rulers kept silent watch, everyone saw large quantities of dust and dirt billowing from the area to the left of the faces. An eerie silence settled over the village.

"Get up to the tunnels! Check for survivors!" Fugaku and about a hundred other people yelled as they ran toward the cliff. The area exposed by the explosion was one of four tunnels used to house the civilians. Shoving his way through the crowd Fugaku reached the front and quickly demanded to know what was going on.

A Hyuuga standing a couple feet from the cliff looked up, his Byakugan activated. Several others had their eyes closed, sending chakra through the rock to search for survivors.

"Nothing. The entire ceiling collapsed." A tall, thin man slid out of the stone and materialized next to Fugaku. Referred to as "Uncle" by everyone who knew him, he was, as Fugaku and Itachi had discovered, the leader of a clan that had been almost completely exterminated by the ninja village in Grass country. He had also planned a coup, but when things had gone wrong and his clan's village was attacked, he had run away in a show of cowardice.

He had arrived in Konoha after hearing his niece Yuri (who, it turned out was really his daughter and heir) had somehow managed to make her way to Konoha and been admitted into the academy. He convinced the young girl he was really her uncle and her father was dead. He then proceeded to train her rigorously in their clan's earth Justus. He tried to move the rest of the remaining clan to Konoha, but the elders refused to allow it. The paranoid and secretive man was not liked by very many people, and his ability to use roots to spy on people and move through earth and rock was a little creepy, even by ninja standards.

Fugaku had used Uncle's abilities to his advantage over the years in various police cases and finally in the coup. He had also promised the ex-clan lord that the remnants of his clan could relocate to Konoha.

Yuri, who was now fifteen, stepped out of the rock a few seconds after Uncle. She looked at Fugaku and clenched her teeth in anger. The cave had been entirely filled in with sediment and boulders. She shook her shoulder-length green hair in an attempt to free up some of the tension she was feeling. She had expected to see Itachi around, but as of yet he had remained out of sight. The two had been on the same Genin team, and had joined ROOT at the same time.

Fugaku growled under his breath, "Uncle, any idea what caused the collapse? Explosion? Structural failure?"

Uncle looked up at the sky for a minute to get his bearings. He disliked being in crowds, and the area had at least a hundred people standing around. He returned his gaze to Fugaku. "It was definitely an explosion."

"Danzou." Fugaku growled under his breath. "The question is, did he order it or did one of his henchman do it on his own? He seems to have little control over them if yesterday is any indication." The ANBU had roamed the village the day before killing anyone who got in their way, shinobi and civilian.

Everyone returned to what they had been doing and Fugaku walked back to the Hokage tower, cursing the entire way. He had to admit that he did place his own clan above the lives of anyone else, but what Danzou was doing… it was unimaginable. The civilian population of the village was around twenty-eight thousand, and the number was currently split between four tunnels and few hundred in the hospital. Almost a quarter of that number had just been murdered in a matter of seconds.

That the tunnels were not safe was now a given. Unfortunately, bringing the civilians back into the village was just as dangerous. Within an hour of the explosion the ANBU resumed their attacks in the village and the battle began all over again. However, the Konoha and Uchiha ninja's weren't as "trigger happy" as they had been the previous day and fewer people were killed. The object, this time around, was to capture as many as possible.

Most of the prisoners were taken to the interrogation facilities under ground and introduced to Ibiki Morino, Konoha's premier interrogator. The remainder were handed over to Uchiha clansmen who conducted their own questioning. It was a race to gather information, to find out why the tunnel had been destroyed, where Danzou was hiding, and what had happened to the Hokage.

Sometime in the afternoon Fugaku received two very interesting messages. The first was that reinforcements were five hours away, and the second was that a strange tall, blue, shark-like man was attacking people with a large sword one mile outside of the village. Fugaku could have sworn Madara had said he would contact Kisame and tell him to leave, but perhaps the man had lied. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't done _that_ before. Saying he would take care of it, Fugaku left the village and made his way to where the odd occurrences were taking place.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Kisame was sitting by the side of the road when a man who looked like a forty-year-old version of Itachi walked up to him, Sharingan blazing. He chuckled, "Itachi, you appear older than I remembered. If this is a new jutsu designed to sneak into brothels it's very good. Although, I must say, I tried the same thing when I was thirteen and they figured it out before I even reached the front desk."

Fugaku shook his head to clear it. This man was obviously insane. He wondered why Itachi had failed to mention that fact. "I am Lord Fugaku Uchiha and I would like to know why you are still here. I was under the understanding that you were ordered to leave."

"Ah! The kid's father. Should have known. He looks a lot like you." Kisame leaned back against a tree. "I did get orders to leave, but then… I thought… why should I? I'll just take off my cloak and ring and let Samehada have something to eat." He pointed his sword toward a pile of corpses.

Fugaku glanced at the bodies and quickly noted that they were all shinobi. "You aren't attacking civilians?"

"No point." Kisame stated plainly, "I only attack people who fight back. Or rather, who put up a good fight."

"You should leave." Fugaku said calmly.

"That's no fun. No one knows I'm Akatsuki here anyway, what does it matter?" Kisame frowned.

"Then attack ANBU only. Ever hear of a man named Danzou?"

Kisame scowled and stood up.

"I take it that's a 'yes'. If you see him, capture him." Fugaku said angrily.

"What if I kill him?" The words were bitter and filled with rage.

"Shit happens." Fugaku shrugged. It was obvious that if the blue man saw Danzou it would not be a pretty sight.

Kisame took a deep breath. "So what happened to the boy? I was supposed to meet him here."

"Should you be talking about Akatsuki to me?" Fugaku asked curiously.

"Itachi returns to this village, I know that already. I meet him here for our missions. He is also not a violent person, unlike the rest of the organization. Put two and two together and you get a boy who is either driven by an ulterior motive of his own creation, or a double-agent. Or perhaps neither. To tell the truth, I don't care." Kisame leaned back against the tree and stuck Samehada in the ground.

"You don't care what his motives are?" Fugaku found that hard to believe.

"Nope. He doesn't get in the way of my business, so I'm not going to get in the way of his. So, where is he?" Kisame demanded.

Fugaku creased his brow. The man seemed genuinely concerned about his young partner. "He's in the village, fighting. I promise I didn't kill your little playmate. Perhaps in a couple days he can come out and play with you."

Kisame gave Fugaku a bizarre expression that was a mixture of confusion, surprise, and consternation. "O…kay." He said slowly.

"There is a group of several thousand shinobi coming this way in a few hours. You probably don't want to be in their way. And don't kill them." Fugaku turned around and started walking away. He could hear the tall man chuckling.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The three thousand ninjas assembled at the front gate received mixed reactions from the shinobi guarding it. The Uchiha and Hyuugas were glad to see them, but the Konoha ninjas were angry. They had held on to a thread of hope that when the Hokage returned the coup would be overturned and things would return to normal. However, it was obvious that was not going to be the case. Or at least it wouldn't be that easy.

Fugaku quickly assigned them to guard the village, giving the Konoha ninjas time to rest. Uncle's clan arrived as well and were put to work searching for Danzou. Their earth nature abilities made them very good at spying and assassinations.

Around midnight Uncle came before Fugaku with some interesting news. There was an extensive underground tunnel system underneath Konoha.

"What do you mean by extensive?" Fugaku asked, curious about what Uncle could be referring to. The ANBU and Hokage towers had several sub-levels containing labs, interrogation facilities and other facilities. He had been down there several times himself.

"There is a whole other level to the village that goes beyond the sub-levels we were already familiar with. They are up to a mile underground and encompass many miles of corridors and perhaps thousands of rooms. It's reached through the ANBU building, but I suspect there are multiple entrances throughout the village." Uncle replied quietly. They were in Fugaku's meeting room in his house sipping the tea Mikoto had brought in for them moments earlier.

"Hmm. I never realized something like that existed. I wonder what Danzou was trying to accomplish by excavating the village? Well, anyway, see if you can find some documents or maps on it. There's not much point in sending people down there without them. It would take too long and turn into a maze hunt." Fugaku wondered how much Itachi knew about this underground city.

"Of course." Uncle drained his cup in one gulp and left the house.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

The next morning started out badly. It was the third day of the coup and the village was starting to clean up. Many collapsed buildings had already been torn down and plans were drawn up for temporary housing for those left homeless. However, no maps or documents had been found overnight to navigate the underground and, at nine o'clock there was another explosion. The second emergency evacuation tunnel had collapsed, leaving, once again, no survivors. Almost half the civilian population was now deceased.

It was unacceptable. To say the Konoha nins were angry would be an understatement. They blamed Fugaku for putting them in this situation, completely forgetting the fact that the Hokage had been kidnapped by Danzou hours before the Uchiha coup began. Thirty minutes after the explosion a message was delivered to the Hokage tower via pigeon. It was clear in its demands: For each day the Uchiha failed to surrender a civilian facility would be destroyed. Day 4 – the third tunnel, Day 5 – the fourth tunnel, Day 6 - the civilian prison, Day 7 - the ninja prison, and if it went beyond seven days then facilities in the Fire country capital would be targeted. The message was signed "Sarutobi" but everyone knew it was written by Danzou.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

"You should surrender." Hako stated firmly.

Fugaku snorted, "And Danzou will be a good boy and let the Hokage go and stop blowing up civilians."

The room was silent. The clan lord was seated in a meeting room in the Hokage tower with the two remaining members of Sarutobi's staff, as well as an assortment of Uchihas, Hyuugas and a few Konoha ninjas. Three lanterns were placed in the center of the long table and lit the room with a soft glow.

"He won't." Tsukimi growled, "He is showing his true colors now and backed us into a corner."

"We have to evacuate the tunnels." Fugaku said. "That way we have two days to locate the Hokage while he blows up empty targets."

"How are we going to do that? If Danzou sees us then he will just re-target the new location." Toshiro asked.

Fugaku answered calmly, "High level Genjutsu. Set up a location two miles from the village for about fifteen thousand people. Keep in mind that it is October and the weather is not optimal."

"That will require a lot of resources." Toshiro said dejectedly.

"There doesn't seem to be much choice. Tsukimi is right, he has us backed into a corner. Fortunately, we can gnaw our way through the wall and hide someplace else. This is to be kept with the utmost of secrecy. Those who enter the Genjutsu are not allowed out no matter what. This could be something the Genin and Chuunin could do – setting up tents and transporting supplies. Then they can stay and look after the civilians.

"This needs to be done by this evening. Evacuating that many people is going to be a long process. Some will have trouble walking and there will be young children to consider. Anyone who is ill should be taken to the hospital, even if it is minor. When the evacuation is ready, I'll be available to help with the Genjutsu." Fugaku stood up and Toshiro followed him out of the room. The weather was still stormy, but at least it wasn't getting any colder than forty-five degrees in the evenings.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Mikoto was walking down the road carrying a sack. She greeted the two men with a faint smile.

"Been out shopping?" Toshiro teased. The stores were all closed, of course.

"It's Naruto's eighth birthday today. He wanted ramen, of all things, so I grabbed some out of our house for him." She opened the bag to show them. It contained several pre-packaged ramen mixes of different flavors.

"Ramen?" Fugaku said distastefully. He was known for his dislike of pre-packaged food, although he did end up eating quite a bit of it anyway.

"He's a strange kid. He takes after Kushina, his mother. I was talking to him and I got such a sense of déjà vu it was creepy." She paused and got a far-away look on her face. "It's hard to believe… eight years ago today the Kyuubi attacked."

Fugaku frowned as he remembered the events of that day. There was a lot of death and destruction. But the events of the last few days were much worse. However, it wasn't the journey, but the destination that the Uchiha clan was working toward. A Konoha where the Uchiha held their rightful place and equals instead of looked down on with suspicion. Although, he had to admit, their destination had taken a different route. He was now working to rid the village of Danzou. That man had been the true enemy of the Uchiha and Konoha. The village could not prosper if that man remained alive.

"How is Sasuke? Is his injury healing okay?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes. Nui did a good job and it looks like he won't even have a scar. He's also playing with Naruto and Hinata. I've never seen him play with children his own age before. Actually playing games. He seems happy, although he is trying very hard to put on a stoic face." She laughed, "He is so much like you its laughable."

Fugaku smiled and Toshiro chuckled, hitting his friend on the back, "Looks like you got yourself a mini-Fugaku there. I remember you used to do the same thing."

Snorting, Fugaku held back a laugh. Toshiro was now approaching fifty, but many decades earlier he had befriended Fugaku when he was a young boy. Even though there was a big difference in their ages, hide-and-seek and tag were daily events that Fugaku had looked forward to eagerly. Although he would also put on a "stoic face" and pretend he wasn't enjoying himself, they both knew it had been an act. The games ended when Toshiro got old enough to go on missions and Fugaku had to begin training, but their friendship never faded.

Toshiro turned serious. "I'll notify the Konoha nins to evacuate the sick and injured to the hospital. That shouldn't raise any suspicions so we might as well do it now."

"Sounds good." Fugaku acknowledged. When Toshiro had disappeared from view he turned his attention back to Mikoto. "How is Itachi?"

"Pensive. He spends all his time deep in thought or sleeping. He is starting to look a little healthier though. Do you think he'll ever go back to normal?" Mikoto's face turned a little red and she wiped a tear away from her eye. She had become more and more worried over her eldest son as the days passed.

"Normal was never a word to be used when describing Itachi. Psychologically, he was badly manipulated. I don't think that is something one can overcome. The real question we should ask is how badly scarred is he?" Fugaku spoke in a low voice in case anyone was listening in.

"I can't believe he was actually going to kill everyone. I can't believe it. Itachi was always such a logical child." Mikoto sniffed and wiped her eyes again.

"Apparently something happened in Water country. Itachi mentioned it the other day after I imprisoned him. I checked the mission files and he broke down after his team walked into a village that had been massacred. Aki, Shisui's sensei, ended up having to carrying him after Itachi became unresponsive. It was almost twelve hours later before his brain switched back on."

"So he developed an aversion to death?" Mikoto couldn't believe it. After all, shinobi were raised with the knowledge that killing was just another part of the job and were desensitized to the act.

"It sounds like it. I'm not sure why Sarutobi didn't recommend psychological counseling. Perhaps Aki wanted Itachi to remain scarred so Danzou could manipulate his insecurities easier. If so, it worked like a charm." Fugaku snorted in disgust.

Mikoto frowned and looked at the ground. "I hope we find Danzou soon. I really want to see that man suffer." She turned around and walked away, her sorrow replaced by anger.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

Time passed slowly in the isolation cells. The only people they saw from the outside were Mikoto and Kisa, who brought medicine for Itachi, and games and books for the kids. The children seemed to cycle through crying fits (especially Hanabi and Hinata, who missed their mother, and Konohamaru, who missed his grandpa) and happy bursts of activity followed by hyperactivity and loud voices.

Sasuke and Naruto resumed their usual bickering almost twenty-four hours later. At one point it threatened to turn into a fight and Itachi was forced break it up. He threatened them, saying that if they couldn't get along they wouldn't be allowed to play together anymore. For some reason he didn't understand both boys settled down after that. Although he was sure it was only temporary. As soon as they got back out into Konoha hostilities would probably resume.

They also learned that all of the elders survived the attack, although several were suffering from exposure and very ill. The chamber had been cold and wet from the rainstorm and it had taken several hours to dig them out.

On the third day Sasuke wandered over to where Itachi was sitting alone near the kitchenette. "Itachi? Can I ask a question?" He asked shyly.

Itachi gave him a small smile and patted the floor next to him. Sasuke sat down and pulled his legs up to his chest. "Do you… ever have nightmares?"

"Yes. Everyone does." Itachi stated simply.

"Me too." Sasuke was silent for a couple minutes. "Do they ever come true?"

Itachi turned his head quickly and looked at his brother. "I… um." He didn't want to lie to him, but he didn't want to scare him either. "Father says that our dreams only come true if we go out of our way to make them happen." Perhaps a half-truth was okay. "What was your dream?"

Sasuke wondered if he wanted to tell. He knew that Itachi had done something, after all this "Danzou", whoever he was, had led him astray somehow. Meaning he had done something bad that their father was punishing him for. Sasuke sighed, "You killed mom and dad but had decided not to kill me because of the Mangekyou Sharingan, but right when you were going to tell me how to get it I woke up screaming. This was the night I stayed in the temple."

Gulping loudly, Itachi couldn't help the shock that appeared on his face. It was his plan… exactly as he was going to execute it. He had planned on leaving Sasuke alive so he could gain the power to kill him. Konoha would then label him a hero for ridding the world of "Itachi the clan killer". But how had the boy been able to dream about it?

On the other hand, Itachi had also experienced similar dreams that had come true. He had dreamed of Shisui the night he killed himself. The teenager had spoken to him… Itachi shook his head to rid himself of the memory… but even after two years, it wouldn't go away.

_Itachi walked toward the river in the early morning darkness. The dry path turned wet as he reached a secluded spot. There was a figure sitting on a large boulder next to the path, looking longingly into the water. It turned around and an eyeless face stared at the boy then pointed to the river. Its mouth moved, but no words could be heard. _

_Looking into the water Itachi could see two red eyes looking back up at him. Turning around he saw that the figure on the rock was now wet. Some of the weeds that grew near the bank were in its hair. It pointed again, this time at a small piece of paper that was sitting on top of a different boulder. A small stone held the paper in place._

_As soon as Itachi picked up the stone it turned into an eye and blinked at him. The sharingan gazed up. For some reason Itachi did not understand, he pushed the stone into this right eye. Looking down at the paper again he saw that a second stone had materialized. Picking it up, he pushed it into his left eye. _

_The figure on the stone suddenly wailed, as if in intense sorrow. Itachi fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to reach for the figure's leg but his hand passed through it. Looking back into the water he could see, through his tears, a face slowly rising from the watery depths to the surface. It spoke in a very familiar voice._

"_I have cursed you, my brother. And in turn you will curse your brother. It never ends. In my present state I can see a thousand different paths for you, and all end in sorrow. But, for some reason, that makes you happy. I am unable to understand your fate or read your heart, but know that with the gift of my eyes I will always walk with you and see your path, until the end, when darkness falls and fate joins us together once again."_

"_Shisui…" _

_Itachi sat straight up in his bed and covered his mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to escape. The dream had been so vivid, so real. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he placed his feet on the floor. One foot, however, slipped slightly on the wood floor. Lifting it up he saw that it was wet. He pulled the blankets back and saw that the spot where his feet had been was muddy. _

_Itachi quickly stood up and ran to the small mirror attached to the wardrobe. Looking at his face he saw dirt around his eyes. "It was just a dream. I… what happened? Was I sleepwalking?"_

"_No." A voice spoke quietly, as if from a distance. He looked around but couldn't see anything, then assumed his imagination was playing tricks on him._

"_I must have just gotten dirtier than I thought when I was training. The dream is freaking me out." He walked back to his bed and got back in it. He remembered that he had been training by a small pool of water formed by a river bend until a couple hours ago and the area had been very muddy. Closing his eyes he reasoned that he had been so preoccupied he hadn't bothered to wash up as he usually would. But still, he was unable to get back to sleep. Red eyes, a ghostly figure, and wet feet kept him awake for the rest of the night._

"You have them too." Sasuke whispered. "I can tell."

"Sasuke, I don't really want to talk about it." Itachi finally told the truth. "The things I see… are terrifying. I used to take medications when I was younger so I could sleep."

"That's why you're always tired." Sasuke spoke as if realizing a great truth.

"Hn." Itachi didn't want to talk about it anymore. It was disturbing. Could it be that the Sharingan could see into other realities? Other dimensions? In that other dimension… did he succeed in killing the clan? It seemed like he had these dreams the most when he was under duress. At those times, was it possible that he was creating a psychic link with his other "self"? It seemed unbelievable, something from one of the sci-fi movies Sheeta would make him watch.

Sasuke could feel that Itachi's mood had turned dark and stood up, joining the other children who were playing a card game. However, Sheeta used it as an opportunity to take Sasuke's place next to him.

"Is this Danzou person really going to come after you?" Sheeta asked in a worried voice.

Itachi contemplated her question for a couple minutes. "I doubt it. I really don't know why he would. On the other hand, there seems to be something Fugaku isn't telling us. 'Danzou's treachery goes deeper than anyone ever suspected' is what I was told. We haven't heard about whether Fugaku fought with Sarutobi yet and Konohamaru still thinks he's alive. I wonder if Danzou did something to the Hokage? Maybe he killed him?"

"There were also all those people the Konoha ninjas killed. Could that have been Danzou's people? They wanted to kill Naruto for some reason and they called him a fox. Do you think they wanted to kill Konohamaru too?"

"Interesting. It might mean then that they left Konohamaru behind for someone else to kill later. You know, if Danzou staged his own coup at the same moment Fugaku started his, then this could get really messy. But, on the other hand…" Itachi remembered that the ROOT commander had wanted him to kill his clan. If he had succeeded in doing that, then would Danzou have launched a coup after Itachi left the village? Was the murder of the clan a way to remove a hurdle and make his own coup go smoother? Were all the restrictions the council placed on the clan part of an intricate plan to drive them to extreme measures?

"Dammit!" Itachi cursed loudly and banged his hand on the floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the normally quite teenager. He pulled his legs up to his chest and dropped his forehead down to his knees. "I'm such a god-damned idiot! I fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. He was probably laughing his head off every time he talked to me." He suddenly felt tears building up in his eyes and squeezed them tightly to prevent them from falling.

Sheeta looked at him, not understanding what he was talking about. She heard something and looked up. Nui was standing six feet away, frowning. She moved closer and knelt down in front of him. "Itachi, I want you take this tranquilizer. Mikoto gave them to me. I don't want you falling apart in front of the kids. They're already freaking out enough as it is."

"I'm tired of people drugging me everytime I…" Itachi started speaking but was interrupted by Nui.

"I realize that… I really do. But right now…" Nui sighed and dropped her hands down into her lap.

Itachi looked up after a minute and noticed that Sasuke was watching him with his Sharingan activated. He suspected the boy wasn't aware he had turned it on. Naruto and Hinata were wide-eyed and had worried looks on their faces. Hanabi and Konohamaru were ignoring everyone and coloring quietly next to each other in a corner. Five children who couldn't defend themselves against advanced ROOT assassins. And Danzou knew how to get in without detection. He had done it once before, many years ago.

"Dammit!" Itachi cursed again. "Nui, call Mikoto. Tell her I need to speak with someone. Now." His voice took a deadly edge and Nui stood up and ran to her cell to collect the transmitter.

Nui returned five minutes later, "Someone is coming but it won't be until later."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement. After all, his father had probably already figured out what was going on. There wasn't much of reason to be in a hurry after all.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**And that is my own little theory about why Danzou manipulated Itachi into killing his clan. To make his own coup go easier. I also don't think Itachi found out about it until much later (if ever). When he left Sasuke alive and then threatened to tell all of Konoha's secrets to all the other countries if Sasuke was harmed it put a stop to Danzou's evil plan. Later, when Danzou assigned Sai to kill Sasuke he probably figured Itachi would assume Orochimaru was to blame for it and he would be free to act.**

**Next week, Itachi has a talk with Fugaku about his suspicions and the search for the Hokage finally begins.**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6 Underground

**Last week: Danzou blew up two of the four tunnels housing the civilian villagers and Itachi figured out why Danzou ordered him to kill his clan.**

**Answers to some of your questions: **

**Madara returns to torment everyone in chpt 8 xD **

**Why didn't Danzou stage his coup after Itachi killed his clan and left? Well, my theory is that it's because Itachi left Sasuke alive. He threatened Danzou to reveal all Konoha's secrets to enemy villages if Sasuke was hurt. The coup might have been construed as "hurting" so Danzou called it off. Other than that, it is a hole in my theory because he could have taken Sasuke into protective custody. But then again, would Itachi have allowed Danzou to do that, knowing what the man was capable of? I do actually believe Danzou is afraid of Itachi. After all, he would have killed him after the massacre if he could have, I'm sure of it.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 6 - Underground**

Only one tunnel led through the cliff and into the woods north of the village. Considering how well planned out the village was, this seemed like a tremendous oversight. An over-reliance on the security of the tunnels had probably led to a certain amount of arrogance when it came to designing escape routes. Around ten thousand villagers walked through that tunnel under the cover of darkness and a Genjutsu supplied by the Uchiha clan. In order to ensure secrecy they were not told where they were going. The Konoha ninjas herded them through the tunnel and onto a path that wound for two miles through the forest. Stragglers were prodded forward under the suspicion that they may be spies for Danzou, trying to escape. The entire operation took eight hours and was finally finished at two in the morning.

About three thousand of the remaining villagers had been moved into the hospital for observation due to age or illness. It was a tight fit, but Dr. Yakushi, who had been briefed about the problem, pulled out a folder that contained a contingency plan for just such an emergency. The man was quite resourceful.

The area the villagers were evacuated to was a lightly wooded area protected by a second Genjutsu also maintained by the Uchiha clan. Anyone who happened to walk passed the area would see an empty forest and hear nothing but birds and wind blowing through creaking branches. Konoha ninjas had been busy all day, working inside the Genjutsu area constructing tents taken from emergency stock.

The small truce was hanging by a thread, but the desire to protect the civilians overrode, for the most part, their mutual hostilities. There were still quite a few arguments, and some of those resulted in fights. It was all overlooked, though, as the people in charge saw it as a way to "get it out of their system" and allowed the transgressors to return to work. After all, the life of a ninja was full of violence anyway, and for most, the only way to let off steam was to fight.

When the civilians started arriving they helped with the remaining tasks and by morning everyone had a place to stay. It was not comfortable, far from it. Several families shared tents and food was strictly rationed, leaving most people feeling a little hungry. The supplies they did have had been carried by the civilians during the evacuation, as well as ox-cart and was only about half of what was remaining in the tunnels. It was unfortunate because when Danzou destroyed the last two tunnels, the remaining supplies would be lost. However, the plan was for ox-carts to run non-stop until the last minute in an attempt to get out much food and water out as possible. The rest of the supplies were secondary.

The villagers were not happy with the situation. They had been stuck in the tunnels, fearing for their lives for two days, wondering if their tunnel would be the next to collapse. Now they were "imprisoned" inside a Genjutsu shield by the very people who had started the rebellion. Most didn't consider their position improved and many felt that it just made them easier targets.

Nine o'clock came and the distant sound of an explosion broke the villagers from their negative thoughts as everyone quieted down and turned their heads in the direction of the village. Another tunnel had exploded. The arguments disappeared as they realized that perhaps their current situation was better than they had thought.

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Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief when the tunnel exploded. He hoped it meant Danzou did not know about the evacuation and the villagers were safe. At least for a while. It also meant they had at least forty-eight more hours to locate the Hokage and hopefully Danzou. In order to solidify his position as the new Hokage, Fugaku had to take out the Third.

A message arrived by carrier pigeon a short time after the explosion, informing Fugaku that the last tunnel would be destroyed the next morning if he didn't surrender. Well, that was expected. He had a passing thought as to why pigeons were being used to deliver messages instead of hawks as was usually the case. It wasn't important though and he dismissed the thought almost immediately.

Several Hyuugas and members of Uncle's clan descended into the tunnels, using radios to search the area. However, there were no leads. The area was just too large and in the absence of any information about the underground the search was nothing more than a stroll in the dark.

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In the early evening Fugaku got word that his son wanted to speak with him. Unfortunately, it was one o'clock in the morning before he could get away. Making his way into the isolation cells in the police station he entered the large room and nodded once to Nui who was sitting at the table keeping watch. Sasuke was sitting next to her with his head on the table fast asleep.

Nui whispered as she smiled up at Fugaku, "He wanted to keep watch with me."

Fugaku stood looking at his youngest son for a minute, frowning. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and sat straight up in shock when he saw his father. The look on the man's face was harsh and the boy felt his stomach drop at the sight.

"Fa…father." Sasuke stuttered.

"Itachi would not have fallen asleep on watch. If you cannot fulfill your duty do not offer to do it." Fugaku's disappointed voice cut into Sasuke like a knife. He turned his back on the boy and strode over to Itachi's cell. Parting the makeshift curtain he entered silently and lightly shook Itachi's shoulder.

Itachi quickly opened his eyes, alarmed that he hadn't sensed anyone approach him. Of course, it was because of the chakra limiting bracelets. He sat up and saw Fugaku standing over him. The bright lights in the isolation block could not be shut off so other than being tired, 1am looked the same as 1pm. It was a little disorienting and as he looked up at his father he wondered if it was dark outside before realizing what a stupid thing that was to think.

Fugaku pointed to the door and Itachi rose from the cot and quickly pulled on his pants, shirt and sandals. As they walked out of the room he glanced at Sasuke, pausing for half a second. The boy had tears running down his face and Nui was rubbing his back.

"Ignore him." Fugaku snapped as he opened the door. Itachi walked out into the hallway, correctly deducing that his father had probably said something to upset his younger brother.

'He never changes.' Itachi said to himself.

"You definitely look better than you have in weeks." Fugaku said appraisingly.

Itachi sighed. Despite the ill-will he felt toward his father, this was not the time or place to voice it. He had more important things to discuss. "I was thinking… I… I…" Suddenly what he wanted to tell his father was really hard to say.

"I don't want to push you, son, but I'm really busy." Fugaku said impatiently.

Itachi nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just… I think I know what Danzou was up to. You may have figured it out as well. It's just… I don't think the kids are very safe here."

"What have you figured out?" Fugaku was curious.

"He set Uchiha up to stage a coup, then gave me the task of stopping the coup by… killing… everyone. But he expected me to fail, and possibly die in the attempt. Then while you attacked, he would stage his own coup. Or, the alternative is that I succeed and leave the village and his coup goes forward without any hindrance. Either scenario works for him. And in both scenarios I am no longer in the picture." Itachi found it hard to admit how badly he had been tricked to his father. He had always endeavored to stand up to him as a strong, powerful ninja worthy of his clan status as heir, but now... he felt like none of that. He felt like an ignorant child who had fallen for a simple trick.

However, Itachi still wasn't ready to forgive his father for the coup. He had heard from the others about all the dead bodies and knew that the total number of casualties must be much higher. And, as expected, civilians were among the dead. If only he had been more observant he would have seen that the whole thing had been a setup from the beginning.

Fugaku frowned. "Yeah, we figured that out in the last few days as well. We still haven't found Danzou, but the clans I invited to the battle are busy fighting his minions. Some of whom don't seem to be following his orders. I know for a fact that Danzou would never harm Naruto and the fact that one of his ANBU tried to kill him is disturbing."

"What about Sarutobi? Konohamaru…" Itachi asked.

"Don't worry about that." Fugaku said quietly.

"I can't believe he thought I could be Hokage." Itachi said dejectedly.

"How do you think he felt when he realized what Danzou had done? He probably wasn't feeling much like he deserved the title either. Danzou… I think he might be able to give Madara lessons on backstabbing. His level of treachery is certainly unparalleled."

Itachi nodded, then lifted his forearms. "I need to protect them, unless you want to assign a couple ninja down here with us. He will come. No matter where you put us, Danzou will attempt at least one more assassination."

Fugaku smiled, then pulled the chakra key out of his pocket and unlocked the bracelets. "If Danzou is not found soon I am considering sending those seven to Mist. You would go with them as escort."

"That's a last resort, I hope." Itachi realized it might be a good idea, even if it did have a large number of drawbacks. Madara, as Mizukage, had offered to give sanctuary to anyone Itachi didn't want killed in the planned massacre. He had already taken in Sheeta and Nui's sister Aya after she botched an assassination assignment a year ago. He had also kidnapped the twin infant sons of an Uchiha woman and taken them to Mist when Itachi had refused his offer.

"That goes without saying." Fugaku was quiet for a moment. "We need to get this all sorted out quickly so you can get back to Akatsuki. In fact your partner has been running around outside the gates attacking ninjas. Luckily he isn't wearing his cloak so even if someone recognizes him as a missing nin they can't trace him to Akatsuki. Of course, it also helps that the organization is virtually unknown."

"Do you… want me to talk to him? He… might be worried about me." Itachi sighed. He imagined the shark-man was having a lot of fun; he loved fighting with his large, oversized sword.

"I already did. He's only attacking ANBU now. He said his leader told him to back off so he decided on his own that the order didn't apply if he wasn't acting on behalf of Akatsuki and took off his cloak. Rather flimsy logic if you ask me, but he seems half insane anyway. And he did ask about you, but I told him you were inside the village fighting." Fugaku smirked.

"Hn. Well, I should get back. I will guard the children, father. I swear nothing will happen to them." Itachi looked his father straight in the eyes for the first time in months with a clear, penetrating gaze.

"As expected of my son." Fugaku said confidently.

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Itachi re-entered the room and stopped next to the table. He reached down and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Sasuke…"

"Get away from me!" Sasuke yelled as he stood up and backed away from Itachi. "It's always about you, isn't it? I'll never be good enough!"

"Sasuke…" Itachi was alarmed by his brother's sudden outburst, "what happened? What did he say to you?"

"What do you care? You're the only one he ever sees! No matter how good I am it never matters!" Sasuke had been backing up as he yelled. Hitting a corner he slid down into a crouch and wrapped his arms around his legs and put his head on his knees. Bitter sobs wracked his body as he vented his frustration with tears.

"Please Sasuke…" Itachi started walked forward.

"No. Leave him alone." Nui grasped Itachi's shoulders and bent down to whisper in his ear. "Aya and Sheeta used to argue like this all the time and I found the best thing to do was to leave them alone for a few hours. It'll be okay in the morning."

Nodding almost imperceptibly Itachi turned around and faced the older teen. "What happened?", he whispered.

"Lord Fugaku snapped at him for offering to stand guard then falling asleep. He compared him to you, and said you wouldn't have fallen asleep." Nui frowned. "Things… aren't going so good up there, are they?"

"I have no idea. He still won't tell me anything." Itachi replied. He heard rustling and saw that they had an audience. Naruto, Hinata and Sheeta were standing a few feet away looking back and forth between Sasuke and Itachi. Their faces were sleepy, but also curious and concerned.

"Okay, everyone back to bed." Nui said cheerfully. "Just a bit of sibling rivalry. Nothing for you guys to worry about." She walked over to Sasuke. "You too. Go to bed and we'll talk again tomorrow, okay?"

Sasuke stood up, looking at the floor. His face was streaked with tears and he clenched his fists tightly at his side. Nodding once to indicate he heard Nui he walked silently back to his cell and disappeared behind the strung-up sheet.

Itachi watched his little brother and frowned. Sasuke was not one to let go of grudges. In that regard he was very much like his real father – Madara Uchiha. The bitter disappointment Itachi had felt when he had learned the truth washed over him again as he stared at the sheet that hid his brother.

_Itachi looked up at his father, "Explain yourself." _

_The words took Fugaku aback. He blinked a few times at their coldness. This was not a five year old boy sitting in front of him. What was it? 'I'll have to tell him the truth.' Fugaku sighed and sat down on the bench. "Itachi. I made a terrible mistake. I thought of myself instead of the welfare of the clan." He sighed again. He was not used to talking about his feelings, or showing emotion. Explaining himself to a child seemed even more absurd._

"_Itachi, your grandfather, my father, was a man who loved to kill. He killed on his missions, and it wasn't always out of self defense. In fact, the last few years of his life he wouldn't just kill his targets. He would go looking for someone powerful enough to challenge and fight them to the death. He was obsessed with proving his power. Eventually the Kage found out, then others in the village. The clan was disgraced and he was executed by the council of elders. Before he died he killed my mother and was going to kill me, but instead he made me promise never to have any children. I broke his promise and had you. But I couldn't live with the guilt and I had a medical procedure done that would prevent me from having anymore children." He stopped talking and watched as the breeze picked up a little, blowing some fallen leaves across the pavement._

"_But how did mother get pregnant then?" Itachi was watching his father closely._

"_I take it you know how babies are created?" He hoped the answer was "no"._

"_Yes, mother told me."_

_Fugaku sighed and wiped his hand across his face, then tried for a very simplistic answer. "A doctor can remove sperm from a man and the egg from a woman, combine them, then put the egg back into the woman. That is how Sasuke was born. Do you understand that?"_

"_Yes. There is still something about grandfather you aren't telling me." Itachi was very direct._

"_There is a lot about him I am not telling you. But one day, I will tell you. I want… I want you to grow up a little more. To develop your own personality without being weighed down by his legacy. He was my devil, I don't want him to be yours too. Please don't ask me or anyone else anymore questions about him. What I told you a few minutes ago was the truth, it was not the whole truth, but… just honor my request, Itachi."_

"_Yes. I will." Itachi stood up. "Sasuke is my brother, no matter what."_

"_And he is my son. Just as much as you are."_

Well, Fugaku did love his sons. Itachi had never doubted that. But he was very strict to the point of being cruel. He had hoped it was because his father wanted him to grow up strong and capable, to be worthy of the title "heir". However, while Fugaku had yelled at Sasuke for normal things like leaving toys in the hallway or running in the living room, he had never before berated him by comparing him to his older brother. Itachi understood Sasuke well enough to know that was the worst thing their father could do. The young boy felt like he was living in his brother's shadow; never good enough to cast his own. Hopefully, it was just stress that prompted Fugaku's behavior and it wouldn't happen again. Itachi also knew Sasuke well enough to understand that the boy would not take it for long before striking back. And knowing Fugaku, that could land the boy in the hospital. Subconsciously Itachi rubbed the arm his father had broken when he was four-years-old. That man did not hold back when applying "discipline". Sasuke could be in for a lot a trouble.

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Itachi returned to his cot, laid down on top of the blanket and stared at the ceiling. He sent his chakra out into the room, testing it. Finding himself at full strength once again, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly fell asleep.

_The rain poured down on a destroyed Konoha. A boy, an older, teenage version of Sasuke, knelt down next to two corpses. Pink hair and blond hair mixed with each other as the newly dead embraced. They were the teenage versions of Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki. Tears were coming out of the teen's eyes as he collapsed over their bodies. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save you. Itachi, if only… if only things were different, you would have been here with me to save them…"_

_Itachi walked up to the teenager and tried to call out to him, but his voice was gone. He looked down at his body and saw that not only was he an adult, but he was transparent. He was a ghost. He couldn't help his brother because he was already dead. Where were their parents? They should be here… Itachi gasped as the transparent forms of Fugaku and Mikoto appeared in front of him, looking down at Sasuke they also tried to reach out to him but they were dead as well. They looked up at Itachi, shock on their faces, then anger. He was supposed to have protected his little brother, yet here he was, dead._

_Looking away Itachi noticed that all of Konoha was gone. The buildings had all collapsed. Corpses were everywhere. _

_A desperate plea was shouted into the rain, echoing impotently among the destroyed buildings and bloated corpses, "Please! Don't let this be my fault!"_

Itachi gasped and sat up quickly, his breath coming in short gasps he clutched at his shirt and closed his eyes tightly trying to forget the images in his dream. Konoha destroyed. Everyone dead. Sasuke being the only one left alive to bear the grief. Itachi suddenly opened his eyes in shock. If he had succeeded in killing the clan, his plans were to leave only Sasuke alive. And, if his own plans to kill Madara succeeded, then he would probably die in the attempt… or at least from his illness a short time later. That would mean… Sasuke would be alone.

And even though he had experience this particular dream perhaps a hundred or more times, he still didn't know who had cried out at the end of the dream. Himself or Sasuke.

But if he didn't kill the clan, why did he have that dream again? Perhaps, was he going to get another chance to kill his clan? No. He wouldn't do that. It had been Danzou's idea, not his, and now that his mind was clear he could see the lies he had fallen under while in that man's grip.

"What does it all mean?" Itachi asked himself quietly. He had that dream many times over the years and despite its familiarity it always scared him. Standing up he made his way to the small kitchenette. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost seven in the morning. Pouring some rice in the rice cooker he started it up. He wasn't hungry, but the others would be waking up soon and they would expect him to eat.

"I wonder if Sakura and Ino are okay." Sasuke's voice interrupted Itachi's thoughts and he looked over at his little brother who had silently wandered up to the small table. He was looking at the floor, a little sheepishly, as if embarrassed about his outburst a few hours earlier.

"Why?" Itachi remembered Sakura was a little pink-haired girl from the Haruno clan and Ino was the daughter of Inoichi from the Yamanaka flower shop.

Sasuke frowned. "No reason."

"They're his fan club." Naruto piped up, smiling as he walked up to them. "I'm sure they're okay. They wouldn't give up on you that easy!"

"Ami is dead. She was one of them too." Sasuke's face turned red and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He thought his little "fan club" was irritating, but when he had seen Ami's corpse he realized how much he had gotten used to them, and oddly enough, how much he missed them. He also realized he only knew the names of three of the girls, Ami, Sakura and Ino. He now felt bad about that, too. In a way, they had been his only friends at school.

Naruto's face fell and he sat down next to Sasuke. "Oh." Was all he could say. After all, he had seen the corpses, but even though he couldn't remember the faces clearly due to trauma, he did remember the emotions he felt when he had seen them.

"I saw Choji too." Sasuke whispered.

Naruto gulped, "He was one of the kids who would play with me sometimes."

"I had another nightmare. Sakura and Naruto were dead." Sasuke said quietly.

Itachi had to exercise every bit of mental control he had to keep from reacting to his brother's words. It was more than a coincidence it was downright terrifying. He was dying to ask what the details of the dream were, but he couldn't do that here.

"Don't be silly! No one can kill me! I'm going to be a powerful ninja someday!" Naruto declared.

Sasuke smiled half-heartedly, "You're too lazy."

"Am not! Take that back!" Naruto demanded.

"Boys, it's too early to argue. The rice cooker just finished, get something to eat." Itachi broke up the impending fight and the boys decided that stuffing their mouths was more fun than arguing.

The door opened a few minutes later and Fugaku entered the room. With a grim expression he gazed intently at the three boys sitting at the table. Sasuke refused to look at him, instead keeping his gaze on his rice bowl. Finally, he ordered Itachi out into the hallway, closing the door after them.

"Itachi, do you have any knowledge of the tunnels under Konoha?" Fugaku asked seriously.

"Yes. I know them very well." Itachi was shocked at the relief that flooded across his father's face.

"We are in a very grim situation. A few hours before the coup began Danzou kidnapped Sarutobi. We have been unable to find him. Several ANBU have been working on his side, killing indiscriminately. They have blown up two tunnels killing all the civilians inside them. We evacuated and hidden the rest of the civilians. In a few minutes the fourth tunnel will be blown up. Tomorrow they will target the ninja prison, and then this prison the day after unless we surrender. A loose consensus seems to be that the Konoha ninja would rather follow Uchiha than Danzou so for the moment they are standing beside us.

"However, we need to find Sarutobi as soon as possible. He is probably underground somewhere." Fugaku stopped talking and looked down at his son, who was returning his gaze with a pensive look on his face.

"ROOT appears to have been a mistake. I had no idea he was that corrupt." Itachi felt like a fool admitting that to his father. "I have about ninety percent of the underground committed to memory. If you would like, I could go down and find him. However…" Itachi paused, wondering what the best way to phrase his next words was, "I will not harm him."

Fugaku wasn't surprised by his son's words, "What happens after that is between me and him. You don't need to shoulder that burden, Itachi. The cares of the world are not yours alone. You got into this mess partially because you internalize too much. You are my son, Itachi, and I don't want you to feel trapped like that again."

Itachi creased his brow in shock. That was probably one of the last things he would ever expect to hear his father say. What was going on? Fugaku had, two years earlier, accused Itachi of underestimating him. Back then he had been witness to his father's power as he fought and killed the Kage of the village hidden in the Stones. However, could it be that Fugaku also understood human nature as well? And, God forbid, mercy?

'Not possible.' Itachi said to himself, remembering all the beatings he had suffered over the years at the hands of both his parents. In fact, he fully expected, when all this was settled he would be picking himself up off the floor again as his father went all out on him. There was no way it wasn't going to happen. In fact, he considered himself lucky he was even alive. If he had been anyone else he would be dead by now. And in a way, he felt that this time he would deserve it.

"I'll return shortly." Fugaku said quickly, then opened the door to let Itachi back into the jail before leaving.

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An hour later the door opened again and Mikoto walked in followed by Kisa and Yuri. The three women smiled at the children and Kisa pulled Hinata and Hanabi aside, giving them hugs and reassurances that "everything would be okay soon".

Yuri, even though she was smiling, looked the worse for wear. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes and her hands were clenched into fists. "Good morning, Itachi." She said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Itachi responded. The fifteen-year-old teenager had been on his Genin team, and later his subordinate during his short stint as an ANBU captain. Skilled at earth jutsus she had the unique ability to call roots out of the ground with her chakra, using them to spy on the enemy or wrap them around a person and strangle them.

"Yeah." Yuri replied without emotion.

"Itachi, Fugaku wants to see you at the top of the stairs." Mikoto held the door open and pointed at the narrow staircase.

The teenager looked at his ANBU teammate, worried about what she might have gone through. She didn't appear to be injured, just exhausted and upset. Well, whatever it was would have to wait. Itachi exited the room and ran up the stairs, finding the physical exertion comforting after being trapped underground for so many days.

"Itachi, there you are." Fugaku said calmly.

"Hey there! Long time no see."

Itachi looked at the person standing behind his father. "Kisame, what…"

Kisame threw Itachi's backpack at him. Itachi caught it and stared. "How were you able to see through the Genjutsu?"

"I found it." Fugaku replied. "I want you and Kisame to go down into the underground and find Sarutobi."

"Okay, I can do that." Itachi replied firmly. "But… why is Kisame here?"

"Danzou. I have some personal business to iron out with that demon and this is definitely the closest I'll probably ever get to him." Kisame sneered in anger, "It sounds like you have a reason to as well, boy."

Itachi was a little taken aback. Kisame had never called him "boy" before. Sometimes he called him "kid" if he was being familiar or lecturing him. He decided from the context of the sentence he probably meant it as a challenge. Well, Itachi wasn't exactly one to pass up a challenge.

"Yeah, I have a reason." Itachi replied bitterly.

"You have until midnight, at which point I will have to evacuate the ninja prison. Considering who is in that prison I am considering just letting them all be blown up. The resources to manage hardened ninja criminals is beyond our capabilities right now and would place the civilians in danger. Danzou's really got us between a rock and hard place." Fugaku said sternly. "Mikoto, Kisa and Yuri will help Nui and Sheeta guard the children while you are gone."

Fugaku handed his son a small vial of blood and a scroll. "Use this to summon a cat when you find him. Have the cat find me and bring me to your location. You only need to use a small drop of the blood, and you should already know the handsigns."

"Yes." Itachi acknowledged.

"And Itachi… I am going to forgive you for what happened, but if you betray me again do not let me catch you." He paused for a moment, holding his son's gaze. "You better get going."

"Yes." Itachi and Kisame walked up more stairs to get to street level then exited the police station.

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"Does Leader know you're here?" Itachi asked quietly as he rooted through his backpack for his weapons. He saw that his father had also picked up his sword from the house as well.

"No. Didn't tell him. We are allowed to do whatever we want as long as it doesn't conflict with the overall goals of the organization so I thought I would stick around and play for a while. He probably already knows, though. Zetsu does a lot of spying." Kisame explained as he waited for Itachi to arm himself. The teenager then stuck his backpack in an alley and placed a Genjutsu over it to hide it.

Collapsed and burned out buildings, empty lots where buildings used to be and corpses piled up waiting to be collected were just some of the sights that made Itachi cringe. The knowledge that even if he had succeeded in killing his clan Danzou would have still staged his own coup made him feel even worse. There seemed to have been no way to have avoided the situation they were now in. War was raging in Konoha and half the population was already dead.

Itachi thought about what his father had told him a few minutes earlier. Why was he forgiving him? It was completely out of character. Was he regretting the coup? Itachi found that he had mixed feelings about what was going on. On the one hand, he felt his father would do a better job of running the village than Danzou, but on the other hand he wanted Sarutobi back. Fugaku tended to be reactionary and violent. War was inevitable if Fugaku was in power. Of course, it was probably inevitable anyway once the neighboring countries discovered how chaotic things were in Konoha. It would be the perfect opportunity to strike. Not to mention Akatsuki's goal of destroying countries.

"Lord Itachi!" He turned around when someone called his name and recognized one of the Uchiha elders.

"There you are! Lord Fugaku said you were around but this is the first I've seen of you." The old man walked up to him and patted him on the back.

"I am pleased to see you recovered from the temple collapse. You shouldn't be out here, though. There are enemy shinobi in the next street over." Itachi responded politely. "I am on my way now to do some important work, so I really can't stop to talk."

"I understand, and I'll be careful. Well, I'll tell the others I saw you, they have been curious." He wandered away and Itachi breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You remind me of a caged animal Itachi." Kisame observed.

"I feel like one. And not just because I was trapped in a prison with a bunch of kids." Itachi mumbled a confession.

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The ANBU building was, surprisingly, still standing. Itachi fully expected to see it collapsed on the ground in a heap of rubble. The circular structure was guarded by several Konoha nins who glared as they approached the front door. Three dead bodies lay sprawled on the ground near the entrance.

"Huh?" Itachi stared at the bodies.

"Do you recognize them, Itachi?" One of the Konoha nins asked cautiously.

"Subordinates of mine. Masanori and Toshiya. They were members of ROOT." Itachi looked at them for a few seconds before turning back to the building. His short stint as an ANBU captain had put him in charge of four subordinates, Masanori, Toshiya, Yuri and Iria. He briefly wondered about the fate of Iria.

"What is he doing here?" One of the ninja's challenged, pointing a kunai at Kisame's scratched out forehead protector.

"None of your business." Itachi responded.

"Humph. So Fugaku is aligning himself with Mist scum now, huh?" The man spat angrily.

Kisame grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up two feet before shoving him roughly against the wall. Scowling he growled, "Would you like to rephrase the last part of that sentence before or after I kill you?"

The ninja scratched at Kisame's hands and gurgled as he tried to free himself. The other ninjas backed off and one of them yelled at Itachi, "Make him stop! He didn't mean anything!"

"It sounded to me like he meant it." Itachi frowned. Considering what was going on in the village he didn't see how calling people names was going to help and was quite irritated at the man's childish behavior.

Kisame threw his captive to the ground and walked into the building.

"He's unconscious!" One of the Konoha ninjas said, "How come he didn't kill him?"

"I don't waste my time on weaklings." Kisame called out from inside the building. Itachi smirked when the ninjas scowled at the shark-man's words. Silently, he followed Kisame into the building.

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"So where do we start?" Kisame looked down a long, seemingly bottomless shaft. The pair was standing on a platform that acted as a crossroads to four different parts of the subterranean village. Large pipes climbed their way out of the depths making their way to the surface and the faint hum of machinery could be heard in the distance.

"The lights are on down here." Itachi said quietly.

"Danzou probably has his own power plant then." Kisame sighed and readjusted his oversized sword.

"I've been thinking," Itachi finally said, "I know a lot of places he probably wouldn't be and a lot of places he could be…" He was quiet again for a couple minutes as he stood motionless with his eyes closed. In his mind he saw a three-dimensional map of the underground. He knew almost the entire facility. "The big problem is the size. Even cutting out the parts that I am positive we won't find him still leaves a lot of area to cover."

"Should we split up then?" Kisame offered doubtfully. He was looking over the edge of the platform again and trying to count the number of platforms beneath the one they stood on. There were too many though, and they disappeared into the depths of the earth, out of sight.

"No. We shouldn't separate under any circumstances. We are essentially in a maze. Taking time to find each other would be counter-productive. So… let's start on the level we are on now and work our way down." Itachi moved off to the north passage, followed closely by Kisame.

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"This is not good." A cloaked man spoke severely. "I never thought Fugaku would use Itachi after what he did. In fact, since no one has seen or heard anything of him for the last few days I was sure he had killed him. I expected him to kill him."

"Should we move the prisoner?" A masked ANBU spoke from a crouched position; head averted respectfully.

The figure was silent for a couple minutes. "No. Perhaps we should allow Itachi to find his target. If Fugaku has convinced Itachi to work with him then we will have to withdraw. He knows too much about ROOT and passing that information onto his father will…" He sighed in frustration. "Withdraw immediately from Konoha and gather at location four. I will have to take care of the matter myself."

"Yes." The ANBU disappeared to deliver his commander's orders.

"Dammit!" The man yelled, banging his fist into the wall.

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**Next week Itachi continues searching the underground for evidence of the Hokage.**

**Fugaku breaking Itachi's arm is in chapter 3 of "Itachi the Early Years". If you haven't read that story, it might be worth going back and reading that chapter for more insight into Fugaku's character. That's also the chapter where Itachi first met Madara. Occasionally, I'll recommend chapters for you all who haven't read the first story and don't want to. That way you can just read the "important" parts without wading through 65 chapters. You don't have to read them, though, it's just a recommendation. I promise there won't be pop-quiz… or will there be? xD**


	7. Chapter 7 Confrontation

**Last week Itachi and Kisame descended down into the Konoha underground to look for Sarutobi.**

**Thanks for all the review and fav's! **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. **

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**Chapter 7 – Confrontation**

"Ya know…" Kisame said thoughtfully, "Sarutobi's got to be a pretty powerful guy. Which means he has to be held behind a very powerful seal. And seals use a lot of chakra."

Several hours had passed and it was now evening. They had been moving slowly downward into the subterranean world looking for any signs of the Hokage or even other people. The place was completely deserted. At one point they found a small kitchen and grabbed a quick meal before continuing. The food in the refrigerator was still fresh, leading Itachi to believe that Danzou's henchmen had been present mere hours ago. And now, the pair were standing in a white, very sterile looking hallway. It appeared, for all the world, like the only people who had ever been there before were the janitors.

Itachi smirked, "And Samehada senses chakra."

"I'm getting a chakra surge coming from a lower level. It's very small though. The chakra feels different from anything else I've sensed here so far." Kisame said quietly.

"Hmm. So it could be nothing? Well, let's go down another level anyway and see what kind of reading you get. This is the only lead we've gotten so far, might as well follow up on it." Itachi replied thoughtfully. Samehada was perhaps one of the best methods for sensing chakra he had ever encountered. Often picking up chakra so faint that his own Sharingan hadn't even detected it yet.

Itachi led the way to the stairwell. They ended up going down twenty-three more levels, each giving a stronger reading than the previous, when Kisame suddenly grinned widely, revealing his sharp pointy teeth.

"Straight ahead." He pointed Samehada in front of him.

The hallway they stood in was carved directly from a deposit of limestone. The arched ceilings and blue marble tiled floors looked completely different from the rest of the underground. It looked older, as if it had been hiding for a thousand years. Considering the village itself was less than a hundred years old it was an unexpected anomaly; causing Itachi to wonder if the location of the village was selected because a city from one of the ancient empires once stood there. The hallways were almost ten feet wide and while they were swept and washed, still appeared old, cracked and dirty. Their footsteps echoed slightly, despite their stealthy steps.

"Here." Kisame scowled. They stopped in front of a round hole that was twenty-foot wide. It was sealed with a double door that had been painted blood red and appeared to be new. There was none of the decay that other wooden doors on that floor had exhibited. The surface of the door was bare, but that wasn't unusual. Some seals were invisible until activated.

Itachi lifted his hands and formed a series of handsigns. The doors glowed and the outline of a seal displayed in yellow, then faded. The teen clenched his fists and ground his teeth. He could feel chakra coming from the seal, but could detect nothing of what it might be hiding.

"That is one powerful seal." Kisame growled in frustration. "This has to be where the Hokage is, unless Danzou set up a trap."

"It's probably not a trap. He no doubt didn't expect anyone to be able to get this far. Setting traps would be a waste of energy. Danzou fully expected me to be out of the way by now and I was the only person other than him that knew the underground well enough to navigate it." Itachi moved closer to the wall and put his ear against the crack that separated the two doors.

"I can't hear anything." Itachi said after a minute. "I guess I should inform Fugaku of our location. The seal is too advanced for me so we have no way of verifying who is in there." He hesitated, though. As soon as Fugaku released Sarutobi, he would kill him.

"Itachi?" Kisame frowned at the teen's hesitation. "What will Fugaku do when he releases the Hokage?"

Itachi looked up at the tall man before returning his gaze to the doorway. "Kill him."

"What is the alternative?" Kisame prompted.

"Dying of starvation underground in a sealed room." Itachi instantly saw the point Kisame was trying to make and nodded his head. He could not release the seal himself. Otherwise… Itachi closed his eyes. He had knowledge of jutsus that could blow the doors away, but using them on an unknown seal would no doubt prove disastrous. Killing the prisoner during an escape was not an option.

The only alternative was to have Fugaku work on the seal and release him. And Sarutobi _would_ want it that way. He was, first and foremost, a ninja. And as a ninja he would want to die fighting instead of trapped all alone in an empty room.

Kisame snorted as he slid down the side of the wall and sat down. "I can't believe I'm assisting in the jailbreak of the Hokage. How _did_ I get myself into this mess? And there hasn't been hide nor hair of Danzou and I really wanted to wrap my hands around that bastard's throat."

Pulling out a piece of paper, Itachi sketched the seal he had just seen on the door in detail. He then unrolled the scroll his father had given him and spilled a single drop of blood from the vial. After forming the hand signs, he slammed his right hand down on top of the blood, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Itachi instantly regretted it when he saw which cat had come out.

"Hello there kitten!" The white cat with large black spots said cheerfully, "What are you doing down here? Taking up a new hobby? Did the torture thing get boring already?" The last time this particular cat had approached Itachi he had been reading a book on "information gathering" methods used by the Uchiha clan so he could interrogate a ninja who had killed his friend Rumiko and her husband.

"Kitten?" Kisame broke out in uncontrollable laughter.

Itachi growled under his breath. That cat had a rather nasty habit of calling him a "kitten" instead of a "kid", despite the number of times he had corrected the small animal. He stood looking at his partner, frowning for a couple minutes.

"I think, before you start calling me 'kitten'," Itachi angrily addressed the still laughing Kisame, "you should look in a mirror again, '_sharky'_."

Kisame stopped laughing and smiled. "Can't imagine anyone or anything calling you that and living through it."

"Oh, don't worry. When this is over we're having cat cutlets for a snack." Itachi spoke through clenched teeth. "After all I was told to include more protein in my diet."

"Ah! It sounds like the kitten needs a nap." The cat said cheerfully. "Well, that's okay, you always did get a little snappish when you were sleepy."

"Why are you pushing my buttons, cat?" Itachi sighed.

"Why do you have so many buttons to push?" The cat responded.

Both Itachi and Kisame blinked in surprise. That answer seemed, somehow, profound.

"Point taken." Itachi finally said, sighing again. "I need you to find Fugaku and give him this note. Tell him we think we found Sarutobi. The doors here have a strong chakra source behind them, but the seal is preventing me from telling who it belongs to." He tied the note around the cat's neck. "Bring Fugaku down here."

"I'm on my way!" The cat ran off down the hall.

Itachi growled again and slid down to the floor across from Kisame. The big man started to snicker. "You're not going to let it go, are you?" Itachi frowned.

"Maybe… eventually." Kisame smirked.

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Forty-five minutes later Fugaku and Toshiro appeared, jogging down the hall behind the small cat. They were still wet from the rain and a heavy scent of smoke and charcoal followed them. Itachi and Kisame stood up, warily greeting them.

"Neglected seals in your studies, huh Itachi?" Fugaku asked sternly.

Itachi frowned, giving his father a dirty look.

Fugaku moved to the door and performed a series of hand signs. "I trust that deficiency will be rectified in the near future."

The teenager nodded his head almost imperceptibly. It wasn't like he did it on purpose after all. And he did know some high level seals. It was necessary when steeling scrolls to be able to release any binding seals encasing them. His Genin team had been experts at document retrieval, after all. Even though Itachi could be classified as a genius, there was still a lot he didn't know. Life as a high level shinobi meant continuous study. Some shinobi would limit themselves to training, constantly trying to hone the skills they had learned as Genin. They rarely advanced, though, without the addition of books and hours of study.

Something hard hit his head and Itachi looked up, blinking at his father.

"Earth to Itachi! Pay attention!" Fugaku looked down at his son, a little surprised at the spaced out look the boy had displayed for a couple minutes. He wondered if his son was still sick. Perhaps having him working so soon was a bad idea. Unfortunately, he really didn't have a choice. Itachi was the only one, apparently, who knew the underground as well as Danzou.

Meanwhile Kisame and Toshiro were staring at each other with curiosity. After a couple minutes Kisame broke the silence, "You look remarkably like Shisui. Would you be his father?"

This took Toshiro by surprise, "Yeah… I am."

"Huh. Sorry to hear about his death. He had such potential, a true genius." Kisame said firmly.

This also took Toshiro by surprise. "I… um… thanks. Kisa and I really miss him. But… how do you know him?"

"Worked with him on a mission in Water country a few years back." Kisame replied. Several years earlier Itachi and Shisui's Genin teams had combined forces to protect a village in Water country. It had ended in disaster when Itachi's teammate Yota Hyuuga was killed. Kisame and Zabuza, both of whom were still shinobi working for the village hidden in the Mist were assigned to assist in the mission.

"Of course. I remember now." Toshiro gave the man a small smile then turned his attention back to Fugaku, who was working furiously on the seal.

Kisame suddenly turned away from everyone and looked down the hall. He pointed Samehada directly in front of him and scowled. "Someone is down there, moving in our direction."

Itachi moved to stand next to him and stared down the hallway with his Sharingan. Even though lights illuminated the long hall, the stone and dark colored marble created shadows that limited ones field of vision. However, his Sharingan clearly saw two separate chakra systems moving stealthily toward them.

"They don't know we've sensed them." Itachi finally said. "Let's wait and see what they do. We need to stay close by in case they…" The teen suddenly turned around as he reached over his shoulder to draw out his sword. In one fluid stroke he severed the head of a man who was materializing out of the wall. Suddenly the hallway was filled with ninjas.

"Shit!" Fugaku cursed and backed away from the doorway.

"Keep working, we'll take care of this!" Toshiro moved forward to engage one of the ninjas as Fugaku returned to the seal.

Itachi jumped up and kicked at the man in front of him, knocking him into the wall. The ninja quickly recovered and pulled out a kunai. Swinging it around he missed the teen when he leaned back out of reach. Catching the man's eyes Itachi used his Sharingan to force him into a Genjutsu then slit his throat. He quickly engaged the next ninja.

Kisame had run down the hall toward the ninja's at the end of the formation so he could fight with his sword without hitting his companions. The ten foot wide hallway was a little too small for fighting with Samehada; but still, he did manage to take out five with one swing. Three others jumped back, staring at the blue man in front of them and the two Uchihas behind them. They were surrounded. Kisame laughed then lifted his sword a few feet off the ground and rested it against the wall and leaned his body against the other opposite wall, effectively blocking the way.

"Going somewhere?" Kisame chuckled, his pointed teeth clicked menacingly as he glared down at the ninja's with his white, round shark-like eyes.

"Doesn't look like it, does it?" Toshiro gave a short laugh. Itachi smirked and leaned against the wall with his arms folded, his sword hanging loosely from one hand. "Let's see if we can get some information out of them…What the hell?"

All three ninjas suddenly fell to the ground, dead. Their eyes were wide open and blood started to leak from their open mouths.

"Well none of the other ANBU we captured did that." Fugaku remarked, surprised.

Itachi stared at the dead men and ground his teeth. If he had used his Mangekyou Sharingan he could have questioned them without worrying about them committing suicide. Too late now. He looked over at Fugaku to see how he was progressing with the seal and suddenly found himself on the floor looking up at the ceiling.

"Itachi!" Toshiro knelt down next to him, "Did you get injured?"

"What?" Itachi asked quietly.

"You fainted." Kisame said angrily.

"I…" Itachi sat up and scooted against the wall. "I guess I'm still a little out of it then."

Fugaku sighed, "Unfortunately, there was no one else familiar enough with the underground. Next time you decide to stop eating, think ahead first."

Itachi nodded and stuck a soldier pill in his mouth as another wave of fuzziness passed through his brain. It passed a few seconds later and he sighed in relief and wondered how long it would take to regain all his strength. In a way, his father was right. He should have been taking better care of himself instead of moping around and not eating. "Shinobi" wasn't a part time job. Even if he had succeeded in killing the clan, he would have been out fighting soon after that in one capacity or another. He had been very short sighted and was now paying the price.

"Itachi?" Fugaku looked up from a pad of paper he was making a calculation on. "When I finish, go get Sasuke. If Sarutobi and I fight, I want him to watch."

"Huh?" Itachi didn't like the sound of that. Sasuke had been sheltered during his upbringing and had never seen a fight until the one he was in a few days earlier. Seeing two men he respected fight each other might be more than he could handle.

"And Hinata." Toshiro added.

"But I don't think…" Itachi was interrupted.

"We weren't asking your opinion." Fugaku said plainly.

"Yes. I'll bring them." Frowning, Itachi stared at the ground, imagining a very sleepless evening with two upset eight-year-olds.

"Itachi." Fugaku turned his full attention to his son. "I know it's going to be hard on them, and I know they'll probably have nightmares, but they are both going to be in positions of power when they grow up and they need to understand what that means. This is only one of many lessons. Perhaps I coddled Sasuke too much. At the time I thought there was no reason for him to grow up the way you did. He…"

"It's okay, father. I was protecting him too. I refused to train with him so he would be more like the other kids." Itachi gave his father a half-smile, "It may have been wrong. We may never know. And… he doesn't appreciate it. He wanted to be pushed."

Fugaku nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the seal.

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Thirty minutes after coming down into the underground the seals were finally broken and Fugaku pulled the red double doors open. The room inside was partially lit with one small lamp set on a low table, leaving long shadows in its wake. A man was standing next to it, covering his eyes to protect them from the intense light coming in from the hallway. An overwhelming stench of death and urine wafted from the room, making the four ninja cover their noses.

As the man walked forward the four shinobi could see white hair and a heavily wrinkled face. He reached up to the wall and light flooded the room, revealing eight dead bodies sprawled out on the ground next to a wall. A metal glint hinted at the presence of several knives.

"What… what happened?" Fugaku asked, surprised. He wasn't sure what, exactly he had expected to see when he opened the doors, but this certainly wasn't it.

Sarutobi closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "After putting us in here, Danzou handed out knives and told the elders and council that if they didn't want to be tortured they should kill themselves. The fools fell for it." His voice was stern and unforgiving.

Fugaku frowned and looked over the bodies. Why had they given in so easily? "Were they drugged?" He finally asked.

"Possibly. A depressant would have made them easier to control." Sarutobi looked at the men standing in the hallway. He had expected Fugaku to find him, eventually. As a matter of pride, he knew the clan lord would not place himself in the role of "Hokage" without fighting him first. It was all a matter of waiting. He walked out of the room and Fugaku closed the doors behind him. It trapped the smell and Sarutobi took a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in days.

"That man is truly despicable." Sarutobi said bitterly. "He played both of us against each other."

"Even I missed it." Itachi whispered.

Sarutobi smiled, "I am pleased to see you did not go ahead with his mission, young Itachi."

"I tried. Father… incapacitated me." The teen's voice rose from a whisper to a semi-audible tenor.

"Then, Fugaku, you have my undying gratitude for spotting it. Truly, it would have been disastrous to have lost such a noble clan." Sarutobi's words were glad, but his face was full of sorrow.

"Hn. How did he capture you?" Fugaku asked.

"I trusted him." Sarutobi said simply.

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"_Anybody home?" Danzou's voice called out from the foyer. _

_Sarutobi, who had been picking up his grandson's toy blocks, stood up slowly, "Coming!" He carried the brightly colored cubes into Konohamaru's bedroom and quietly deposited them in an equally brightly colored toybox. He glanced at the sleeping toddler and smiled. The boy always threw a fit about his eight-o-clock bedtime, but never failed to fall fast asleep within a minute of his head hitting the pillow. He would then sleep soundly until morning. So unlike his father and uncle. Those two seemed to have made a point of not sleeping. Perhaps his grandson took after his mother then. Smiling, he left the room, closing the door quietly after him. _

_Entering the foyer he saw Danzou standing calmly, flanked by three of his Root operatives in full ANBU gear. "What can I do for you, Danzou? You are aware it's nearly one in the morning."_

"_Hmm. Yes, despite the loss of one of my eyes, I am still able to read a clock." Danzou replied conversationally._

_Sarutobi smiled. The man's sarcasm was something he had gotten used to many, many decades ago. "That is good to hear."_

_Danzou smiled at the little "joke". "I would request that you hand over your village to me, Sarutobi, but I realize that you would be unwilling to do so. Therefore, I am here to take it from you."_

"_An interesting way to begin a conversation, but I believe it is still in poor taste. Please leave." _

"_No." He reached out with his can and touched the Hokage's leg. The man fell to the ground and clutched his calf. _

"_You…" He lifted his hands to form hand signs in order to cast a jutsu, but they dropped to the ground. "What… what is this!"_

"_I used chakra to paralyze your arms and legs. It will wear off in a day."_

_Sarutobi scowled. He knew Danzou was capable of using medical jutsus in combat situations. He never should have stood so close to him. But the man had never attacked him before, or even indicated that he wanted to._

"_You!" He pointed to the three ANBU, "Rough up the place to make it look like there was a fight. Also, one of you stay here and make sure the brat is not removed from these premises."_

"_Leave Konohamaru out of this!" Sarutobi yelled._

"_Request denied." Danzou turned around. "I have to kill him, to make sure he doesn't grow up and cause me problems. Asuma is also on my list." He referred to Sarutobi's surviving son, who was currently living in the Fire country capital._

_The last thing Sarutobi saw before he woke up in the sealed room was two ANBU wrapping him in a large canvas tarp, and Danzou's face, turned up into a sneer._

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"It's embarrassing, certainly. I let myself get caught by him because I believed that, despite all his criticism and ill-will he would never harm me." Sarutobi said bitterly. "The exact goddamned situation I was in with Orochimaru. Unforgiveable. When Minato died I should have selected a replacement instead of coming out of retirement. I imagine the death toll is very high by now. Both from this week and the past with Orochimaru." He sighed, "Tell me, my grandson…"

"Is safe. He has been staying with Sasuke and Itachi." Fugaku said, then, as an afterthought, "Naruto is also with them. I hold no ill-will toward Asuma, unless he challenges me."

"Ah. Then everything is taken care of." He looked over at Itachi, but spoke to Fugaku, "Do we have any options left?"

"No." Fugaku said firmly. "I will carry this through to the end, for my clan. However, I do not wish to abandon the village. I will also look after them as well."

"Itachi could…" Sarutobi was interrupted.

"I can't." Itachi said quietly. "I have another purpose… a man I still have to kill. All my efforts will go into that battle. Also…" He looked at his father, wondering if he was saying too much.

Fugaku closed his eyes and sighed. There was no point keeping it a secret. "Itachi has inherited a Kekkei Genkai related disease. He has a few years before it shows itself, and if they can't cure it or put it in remission it will kill him before he is twenty-five."

Both Sarutobi and Kisame gasped at the news and stared wide-eyed at the teen who was staring at the ground and blushing. He didn't like being the focus of attention, especially if that attention consisted of pity.

"This man…" Sarutobi started to speak but was interrupted again.

"Shall go unnamed." Itachi answered firmly. "But know that he is a threat that we cannot ignore."

"Hmm." The Hokage looked intently at Itachi, then Fugaku. He had a sneaky suspicion he knew who that man was. And if he was right… then yes, Itachi did have a very important job to perform. 'So the clan is finally going to take Madara seriously. As much as I hate to admit it, I have underestimated you, Fugaku.' His thoughts were practically written on his face, and the clan Lord nodded his head once as if acknowledging his unspoken suspicions.

Sarutobi smiled, "Then let's go above ground and get this over. I have a village to take back."

"Would you like to rest first?" Fugaku asked politely.

"I have done nothing but rest for the last few days. Let's go." He started to walk down the corridor to the stairwell.

Itachi followed behind the others with Kisame trailing behind him. He wondered how he would feel if his father died in the fight. Guiltily, he admitted that he would be relieved. The village would be safer with Sarutobi back in command. He already had alliances in place and the villagers trusted him. Fugaku would be starting everything over from scratch. On the other hand… if war was coming then perhaps a man skilled in warfare as opposed to peace would make a better leader. Shaking his head Itachi attempted to clear his mind. The whole situation was confusing.

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"Sasuke? Hinata?" Itachi walked into the isolation cells and called out to the two children. "Get your coats and come with me."

Mikoto stood up and grabbed her jacket as well. "I'm coming too."

"Are you sure?" Itachi looked up at his mother.

She returned his gaze resolutely, "Yes. He is my husband and I will stand by him, Itachi. Even if…"

"Okay." Itachi cut her off. He didn't want to hear the rest because he knew he didn't feel the same way.

"So where's the girlfriend?" Kisame pushed open the door and stared in at the people inside, who were, in turn, staring up in shock at the six and a half foot blue man with gills on his cheeks and a large sword hanging off his back.

"Kisame! I asked you to wait upstairs." Itachi said, annoyed.

"Yeah. But I got bored."

"It's only been three minutes."

"Short attention span." Kisame grinned, showing his pointed teeth. He pointed at Sheeta. "This her?"

Sheeta nodded, completely dumbfounded.

"Cute! You lucked out, kid. Don't forget to invite me to the wedding." He laughed when the girl opened her mouth to speak then shut it again and blushed. It was a rare sight to see Sheeta rendered completely speechless and the others looked at her in surprise.

"Why? You'd probably show up anyway." Itachi muttered. "Okay, lets go…" he lifted his hand and counted. "Why are there three kids here instead of two?"

Naruto smiled, "I want to go to!"

"I haven't even told you guys where we're going yet."

"I don't care." Naruto displayed a big grin and looked up expectantly at the teen.

Itachi shook his head. He considered arguing with him or even knocking him unconscious. But… "Fine. Just… don't be a nuisance. All of you." He didn't want any of them to see the impending fight. At least Konohamaru wasn't asking to come. He seemed to have bonded somewhat with Hanabi and the two three-year-olds were stacking blocks and having some non-sensical discussion about horses. They were so intent on their playing that they hadn't looked up yet.

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As soon as they reached the street Mikoto left to go speak with Fugaku, leaving the kids with Itachi. Kisame was still trailing behind and when they found a rooftop to sit on he laid down and stuck his arms behind his neck. The kids seemed wary of him and stuck close to Itachi. Hinata shyly climbed into Itachi's lap and he wrapped his arms around her, wondering why she would do such a thing. He realized a second later that she was trembling.

"Lord Fugaku is going to fight the Lord Hokage for control of the village." Itachi started speaking. He wanted the children to understand the context of what they were about to watch. "One of them will die."

"Die!" Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata said at the same time.

"But father! Why would he do that? I don't want him to die, big brother!" Sasuke was starting to get upset.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kisame smirking at him. He wondered if the big man had come to watch the fight or to watch him handle three crying eight-year-olds.

"That's what being a ninja is all about, Sasuke. Battle and dying." Itachi replied calmly.

"Big brother?" Hinata spoke quietly, "Do I have to watch? I already saw… a fight… mother and father…" Her voice disappeared and she wiped her eyes with back of her arm.

Itachi looked at her, shocked at how she had just addressed him, but before he could answer Naruto spoke us as well.

"But… why would your dad want to kill the Hokage, big brother? They've both been nice to us so they must be good people. Everyone else was mean to me, but Lord Fugaku let me stay with you guys and you were all nice to me."

"What's with this 'big brother' stuff all of a sudden?" Itachi changed the subject. He didn't know how to answer Naruto's question, or if the children would even understand him if he did.

Naruto smiled, "Hinata and me said that if we had a big brother we'd want him to be just like you!"

Hinata nodded her head and looked up at Itachi with a worried face. Itachi gazed over to Sasuke who was smirking for some reason.

"I said they could have you if they wanted." Sasuke said plainly.

"I hope you charged them for it." Itachi muttered under his breath.

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question, big brother!" Naruto complained.

Itachi sighed, "I didn't. Naruto, the answer is complicated and… I don't think…"

"I know your clan did a coop." Naruto said.

"That's a coup, idiot." Sasuke volunteered.

"Coup, coop, what's the difference? Anyway… your clan wants to take over the village so…" Naruto screwed up his face, deep in thought.

Hinata replied in a soft voice, "He has to kill the Hokage to do it, right big brother?"

"Yeah." Itachi sighed.

"But I don't want them to die." Hinata added.

Itachi looked over at his younger brother and noticed that the boy had tensed up and was staring at the ground with his hands curled into tight fists. Naruto was standing a few inches from him, in exactly the same pose. It was interesting how alike the two boys were sometimes. He glanced down at the road and watched as Fugaku and Sarutobi stepped out of the Hokage tower. Sarutobi was talking and Fugaku was listening intently, nodding his head occasionally.

'Finally.' Itachi thought to himself. 'Just… hurry up so we can put this evening in the past.' He suddenly felt like he had spent his entire life waiting for this fight. A heavy weight descended on him and he heard something deep in his consciousness that shocked him to the core.

'Cousin… don't close your eyes.'

"Shisui." Itachi whispered.

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Next week – Fugaku and Sarutobi fight, and Itachi gets some surprising news from his father.

Well, I hope you don't think the way Sarutobi was overpowered by Danzou was too lame. I figured that if he couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru, then "trust" might be a good way to manipulate him. And that cane of Danzou's is a deadly weapon, apparently (if you're a frog anyway).

Please review!

Updates are always on Fridays.


	8. Chapter 8 The Darkness In His Soul

**Last week Sarutobi was found and he and Fugaku made preparations to fight for control of the village. Fugaku also instructed Itachi to collect Sasuke and Hinata so they could watch, but Naruto wanted to come as well. **

**Thanks for all the reviews and faves, you guys are great!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, same as always. Kishimoto owns stuff, I don't.**

**So… let's see… reviews… Yeah, Fugaku is very messed up. He has no problem at all using people, including his own children. And, do I get writer's block? Yeah… I knew how I wanted the Sarutobi / Fugaku fight to end, but I had the worst problem figuring out the particulars. But… it's weird, I suddenly got an idea anyway. xD**

**I hope you like this chapter, and please review.**

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**Chapter 8 – The Darkness In His Soul**

Itachi sat quietly, listening carefully. He could have sworn he had just heard his dead cousin's voice. It sounded exactly like Shisui and it had told him not to close his eyes. He rubbed his forehead absentmindedly. It was probably just lack of sleep. Nui had told him it would be several weeks before he recovered. He frowned as he realized the anxiety in his chest was raising and his heart was pounding.

"Oh!" Hinata gasped and Itachi looked over her head. The fight had started. Fugaku and Sarutobi were exchanging fire balls. Even though the small group was three stories above the road they still felt the heat.

Itachi took a deep breath and did some mental exercises to try and calm himself down. For some reason they weren't working and he grew alarmed when he suddenly shuddered. Hinata looked up at him, worried. He tightened his hold around her middle and realized his hands were shaking badly.

'What's wrong with me?' Itachi wondered. He glanced back at Kisame, who returned his gaze with a curious look. He had noticed the teen's condition.

"So… who are we rooting for?" Naruto asked, grinning. His previous anxiety had turned to excitement over the prospect of watching two powerful shinobi fighting, but when Itachi looked at him with his Sharingan he could see that the boy was still trembling and afraid.

"My father, of course." Sasuke replied sarcastically. He was also shaking and had his arms tightly wrapped around his torso.

"Your father?" A familiar voice behind them made Itachi cringe.

"Well… yeah." Sasuke looked up at the newcomer and frowned, then quickly returned his gaze to the fight.

"Your father isn't fighting right now." A high pitched man's voice spoke, amused.

"Is too!" Naruto replied angrily, "Lord Fugaku is his father! And if you give him problems he'll beat you up too!"

The newcomer snorted in amusement. Itachi gulped once and slowly turned his head. He recognized that voice. Perched ten feet away on the very top of the roof was Madara, snickering at his private joke.

"Tobi? What are you doing here? Why aren't you off bugging Zetsu?" Kisame said good-naturedly as he gave the man a wide grin.

"Oh… Zetsu told Tobi to quit annoying him and go play with himself. So Tobi got a deck of cards and tried to play 'Go Fish' but Tobi kept cheating because Tobi knew what cards Tobi had in his hand. So Tobi decided to come visit Itachi and Kisame instead."

Itachi closed his eyes for a second, partially relieved that the man was in his "Tobi" persona and had not introduced himself as "Madara"; especially since Sasuke… and Naruto for that matter… were here. Dressed completely in black Madara wore an orange and black mask that completely covered his face. However, his relief was short lived when "Tobi" walked down the roof and sat next to him.

"What a cute little girl! Sheeta's going to be jealous, Itachi." Tobi laughed, his high pitched voice was child-like, causing Hinata to smile. He lifted the girl away from Itachi and sat her on his own lap. "What's your name?"

"Hinata Hyuuga." She said quietly, still smiling up at him.

"Ah! The new chief of the Hyuuga clan. Well, well, well. Nice to meet you, Lady Hinata." He gave her a quick hug and she giggled once, then remembered where she was and frowned.

"Ah now! No frowns, okay? We get to watch history here. Today, an Uchiha will take his rightful place as Hokage of the village the clan helped found." He stroked her head twice, as if to emphasize his good intentions. She leaned back and relaxed. Itachi suspected he had just used a medical jutsu to calm her.

"Not very good with kids, are you young Itachi?" Tobi teased.

"No he isn't." Sasuke answered seriously, careful not to move his gaze from the fight.

Itachi frowned, 'Yep, this day is _definitely_ getting worse.'

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A few hours earlier, after exiting the underground, Fugaku and Sarutobi made their way to the Hokage tower. Once in Sarutobi's private apartment the old man took a quick shower and changed his clothes. He was rather glad to finally be out of that room and away from the corpses of his friends and colleagues. Of course, the hardest part was all the time he had to think and reflect on what he could have done differently. That, in and of itself, had been the worst torture.

Stepping into the kitchen he discovered that Fugaku had busied himself by brewing some tea. Since the electricity was out Sarutobi guessed he had probably used a small fireball to heat the kettle.

"You must be thirsty." Fugaku passed a cup to Sarutobi as the old man pulled out a chair and sat down. He then placed a bowl of miso soup and a plate with three rice balls in front of the him. "Toshiro brought some food up while you were showering. Please eat."

They were both silent as Sarutobi ate. The food was very good, no doubt helped along by the fact that he hadn't eaten in several days. He had been given several bottles of water, surprisingly enough, but what was going to happen when they were finally empty was unknown.

Fugaku finally spoke in an emotionless voice, "We don't have to do this. If you just step aside…"

"No." Sarutobi spoke sternly. "This village… I am responsible for it. It is my life and you are all my children." He paused and smiled, "There is nothing I can do to stop you at this point. I know that. However, we will fight. There is something I have suspected for a long time… I wish to see it for myself."

Fugaku gazed intently at the man in front of him. Although his expression revealed nothing, his mind was racing. 'So he knows about the Mangekyou Sharingan. I guess the least I can do is give him a sample.'

"So tell me, Fugaku, what has been going on the last few days?"

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Exhaling in frustration, Sarutobi excused himself and walked into the living room. He stopped in front of a wall that both his late wives had used to mount photos. His first wife started the tradition and after she died, his second wife continued it. He wanted to make a short trip to the past before he stepped out into the future. He saw a picture of himself with the First and Second Hokages, taken the day he was inaugurated as the Third. Both their wives and children stood nearby. The thirteen-year-old Sarutobi was in the middle, smiling up at the camera. Other photos documented his life over the next forty years. Most of the people were dead. All he had now was Asuma and Konohamaru.

He thought back to what Fugaku had just told him. He still couldn't believe half the population was dead. Gone. He kept replaying the events of the night Danzou had captured him. Each time he felt more and more frustrated. It didn't make sense. He should have been more alert; yet he wasn't. It was the night Itachi was supposed to have killed the clan.

'I was on edge. I let down my guard because I was worried about Itachi. Afraid he would disobey my orders to stand-down.' Sarutobi's thoughts practically screamed inside his head. 'Danzou must have known that would distract me. He is a master of psychology.' Of all the nights for the head of ANBU to show up, he had chosen that one. If it had been the next day or the next week things would have been different. However, he had been awake and restless. He had even started to clean; something he usually left up to the housekeeper. Pacing around the apartment, waiting… watching… wondering… worrying. Itachi was special to him. He had wanted him to be the Fifth Hokage.

Orochimaru entered his thoughts as he gazed at the last photo his team had taken. All three of his students were adults. 'I had wanted Orochimaru to be the Fourth. Look what happened with that. But… really it was for the best perhaps. Minato made a much better Hokage. The village probably wouldn't exist right now if he hadn't been there. At the end, Fugaku and Hiashi were right beside him too.'

The other problem was that it was not unusual for Danzou to show up late to play "Go" or "Shogi". It was something they had done for decades; and had become something of a tradition. So when he showed up in the foyer, there was no reason to be on guard. The whole situation had been masterfully executed.

He wondered how Hiashi had been taken down and hoped more than anything that the Hyuuga had been able to put up a better fight than he had. He remembered the two clan leaders as boys. Serious children who had the burdens of leadership dropped on their shoulders at too young of an age. They weren't friends; but they weren't enemies either. And they would spar occasionally. Fugaku would win. Once, he had asked Hiashi why he kept loosing.

"_That one is vicious. His attacks are full of power and I can feel a malice coming from his chakra. It would take more than ability to beat someone like that. He's like an intelligent dog that has been chained its whole life next to a chicken coop and is then allowed, one day, to escape and attack. But only for thirty seconds. So he puts as much malice as he can into the battle and in those thirty seconds does a lifetime of damage. If we went all out… if we fought to the death… perhaps I could beat him… but I suspect I would die as well. The Uchiha are like that. The elders of my clan told me so. Warlike and vicious. Second only to the Senju in battle."_

The explanation by the ten-year-old Hyuuga clan chief was so insightful that it had shaken Sarutobi to the core. He had summed up Fugaku Uchiha perfectly. An intelligent, powerful, calculating man with a viciousness that few could rival. Most ninja who fought that way were rash and easy to overpower, but because Fugaku added intelligence to the equation, all bets were off when you faced him in battle.

Yet… this man had saved the village at great risk to his clan. Ordering them to maintain a Genjutsu for such an extended period of time was utilizing a tremendous amount of chakra. They were very vulnerable right now, yet the Konoha ninjas hadn't attacked them. In fact, some of them who were also powerful Genjutsu users had come forward to help. It didn't surprise him. He knew that, on some level, Fugaku did care for the village. Otherwise he would have taken his clan and left. The fact that he stayed spoke volumes about his resolve. Or, at least Sarutobi hoped it did. The fact that he had so severely underestimated Danzou made him question what he thought he knew about the other people around him.

After the Kyuubi attack the council had restricted the Uchiha clan's movements. Danzou was clearly behind that. Making the Uchiha more and more frustrated, he finally pushed them over the edge. And it had been easy. In retrospect, Sarutobi realized that the nature of the Uchiha had always been war. More so than any other clan in Konoha. He needed a distraction so he could stage his own takeover, and the Uchiha fit the bill perfectly.

Sarutobi finally stood up straight and steeled his resolve, "Okay. Enough of this. Time to fight." After his shower he had dressed in comfortable, form-fitting pants and shirt. His fighting clothes. And perhaps his funeral attire as well. After several days trapped without food and only minimal water he was not in top condition. The collection of soldier pills he usually kept hidden in his clothes had been swiped while he was unconscious.

Stepping out into the foyer he found Fugaku leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He appeared deep in thought, but he opened them quick enough when he sensed another presence nearby.

"Ready?" Fugaku asked without emotion.

"Yes."

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Fireballs flew through the air as Fugaku and Sarutobi launched the flaming orbs at each other. It was a basic jutsu, but as shinobi of the village hidden in the Leaves in Fire country, it seemed somehow proper to start the fight with flames.

A large crowd was gathering on the surrounding buildings. A fight between Hiruzen Sarutobi, the ninja known as "the Professor" because of his knowledge of thousands of jutsus; and the powerful Uchiha clan lord, who could use his Sharingan eye to copy and memorize any jutsu, was certainly something nobody wanted to miss.

Itachi glanced over at his brother, "Sasuke, activate your Sharingan and watch the fight carefully. Hinata, you should be using your Byakugan as well. Pay attention to the chakra points as they fluctuate with each jutsu, that can be a hint as to what a person's weaknesses are."

"What about me?" Naruto pouted.

"Don't fall off the roof." Sasuke deadpanned.

Kisame and Tobi broke out in fits of laughter and Itachi had to clench his lips together to keep himself from joining in. Hinata covered her mouth shyly and giggled.

Naruto gave everyone a big smile, "Okay! I can do that!"

"Wow! Did you see what dad just did?" Sasuke yelled, exited. Fugaku had just used an Earth based jutsu to rip a twenty foot wide by fifty foot long piece of earth out of the ground to deflect a large mud ball Sarutobi had thrown at him. The wall of earth stayed upright in the air as Fugaku jumped on top of it and formed a series of handsigns. Itachi recognized it as one of the jutsus he had seen the Stone village Kage use a couple years earlier. A mouth formed near the top of the earth wall. As it opened it started spitting rocks out at the Hokage. The projectiles were fast and deadly, but Sarutobi avoided them by using a transportation jutsu to move onto the roof of the building above Fugaku.

Sarutobi's next jutsu pulled the tiles off the building and they quickly formed into a long snake that wrapped itself around Fugaku and started squeezing. However, Fugaku turned to fire and disappeared.

"A fire clone?" Itachi mumbled, surprised. He had never seen such a thing. Nothing he had read had even hinted that it was even possible. Yet his Sharingan had just shown him how it was done.

Tobi moved Hinata from his lap to the roof. "Go over to Sasuke and Naruto, Lady Hinata." He waited until she was a few feet away then spoke quietly to Itachi, "It's a rare ability, but it uses way too much chakra to be practical. I would recommend you use it very infrequently, if at all. He's just showing off, apparently."

"Humph." Itachi snorted, annoyed. He hoped Fugaku wasn't playing Sarutobi for a fool. If they were going to fight it should be a serious affair. On the other hand… why would he send Hinata away just to tell him that? Perhaps there was more to that clone technique than Madara was revealing.

There was a loud roar from overhead and everyone, including the two combatants looked up in surprise. Suddenly the building the two men were fighting on was showered by a deluge of water. Kisame stood up and pulled out Samehada, crashing it down onto the roof. Broken tiles bounced up into the air and a "crack" could be heard as the wood they had, until recently, been attached to split. The sneer on his face was matched by the killing intent that radiated from his chakra.

Standing on the roof facing a very drenched Fugaku and Sarutobi was Danzou. He was bandaged, with only one useable arm and eye. He held his cane in front of him like a sword and stared intently at the two men. And his chakra was blasting so much killing intent that there wasn't a single person nearby who didn't feel it.

"I guess they call this killing two birds with one stone." Danzou remarked snidely. His voice carried easily across the street, and everyone heard him.

Itachi and Tobi stood up, ready to take action of necessary. Without looking away from Danzou, Itachi spoke to the children, "You guys get behind me. Do exactly what you are told and don't act on your own."

Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata moved so they were standing about six feet behind Itachi. Kisame then moved to stand behind the children. They were confused, though, and Naruto asked in a shaky voice, "Who's the new guy? Is he bad?"

"That, boy, is the devil himself." Kisame answered, scowling.

"Danzou." Itachi added. "He used politics and psychological manipulation to force father into beginning this coup." He gulped once and said to himself, 'And on his orders I almost killed my family.'

"Why are you here?" Sarutobi's voice rang out across the rooftops.

Danzou smirked, "To finish what I started."

"You think you can take both of us?" Fugaku asked angrily.

"Humph." Danzou gave a short laugh. "There are a lot of people watching this little farce of yours. About three hundred, I guess. I wonder what they would think if they knew the truth."

"How interesting, hearing Danzou utter the word 'truth'. I would bet my life you don't even know what the word means." Fugaku yelled back. He was beginning to get angry.

"Tell me Lord Fugaku, does the Uchiha clan know that Itachi was under orders to exterminate the clan? And that you not only stopped him, but covered it up?" Danzou's measured voice was accusing and mocked the clan lord.

Itachi stepped forward, suddenly intent on attacking the ANBU chief. Madara grabbed his collar and pulled him back. He dropped his "Tobi" persona and spoke in his regular voice. "If you move from here you will answer to me, Itachi. Now stand firm. Your first priority is Naruto. Remember your duty."

Itachi looked up at him angrily, but any retort he was going to make was interrupted by Sasuke, "What does he mean by that big brother? You weren't really going to kill us were you? Like in my dream?"

"What dream?" Madara asked angrily.

Sasuke was a little put out by the man's question and looked up at him fearfully. Madara loosened his hold on Itachi's collar and the teen jerked forward, still intent on jumping to his father's side. The masked man grabbed his arm and spoke menacingly, "When I give you an order I expect it to be obeyed."

"No! I want to rip that bastard's throat out and…" Itachi suddenly found himself lifted up off the ground. Madara had one hand wrapped around the teen's throat and the other firmly attached to the front of his jacket.

Speaking through clenched teeth, Madara brought Itachi's face to within an inch of his own, "When I give you an order, you will obey. Is that in any way unclear?"

Itachi was struggling to breath and black dots were beginning to appear in front of him. Madara released him and watched as the teen struggled to regain his breath.

"Who are you?" Kisame asked, annoyed.

Madara looked back at him and said nothing for a few seconds, "We'll discuss it later. Right now we need to make sure these kids are kept safe."

"Of course." Kisame mumbled. He wasn't planning on interrupting Fugaku and Sarutobi like Itachi, but he was itching to take that devil's head. He silently wondered what was so important about the three kids though. He could understand Itachi wanting to protect his little brother, but the other two were just normal kids. Weren't they? And… what was this about Itachi wanting to kill his family?

Itachi closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. He noticed that he was no longer shaking and the anxiety that had been rising in his chest was gone. He gazed forward at the man who had engineered the chaos currently gripped Konoha and clenched his fists in rage. A burning, overwhelming anger descended on him, and he felt a desire to kill such as he had never felt before.

Madara smiled behind his mask, his young protégé had finally taken the last step to becoming a warrior. He had a quick reminiscence of his own past, of the first battle he had entered into in anger. There hadn't been enough of the enemy left to bury; he had cut the man who had killed his father into hundreds of pieces. His grandfather had used a fireball to burn the remains, and given him praise that boy rarely heard from the older man. It was a happy memory, the fight had been satisfying.

Placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder he spoke firmly, "You may go now, Itachi."

The teen glanced back at the children, who were now clutching each other and trembling in fear. Wide eyes dripped with tears of frustration as they gazed back at Itachi, the person they had called "big brother" not one hour ago was now an object of terror.

"If anything happens to those three, you two are next." Itachi jumped off the roof before Kisame or Madara could respond. After all, there was no doubt in his mind that he could kill them with little effort if the three kids got so much as a scratch. And while Kisame also believed the same thing, knowing Itachi as he did, Madara just smirked in amusement.

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"Itachi is also dying of an inherited Kekkei Genkai disease. You haven't mentioned that to your clan yet either, have you? He has maybe ten years before he's pushing up daisies." Danzou continued to reveal his "truths" to the assembled combatants and their spectators. "And what about his psychotic tendencies and hospitalizations for mental breakdowns? Forgot to mention it? Keeping it a secret? The boy is unstable, Fugaku, why do you keep such a liability alive? And to think Sarutobi wanted him as the Fifth Hokage. Unforgiveable. What would this village become with such poor guidance?" he paused and looked over the ruins that, in the dead of the moonless night looked more like the fleshless bones of fallen soldiers than burned out buildings.

"You exaggerate, Danzou, to fuel your own ambitions. I am sure everyone can see that very clearly. Truly Itachi does have some problems, but he is not how you make him out to be." Fugaku answered angrily. He did want to keep these things from the clan, from everyone, but not out of a desire to cover them up. Instead, he was hiding his son's weaknesses. In the Uchiha clan, weakness was looked down upon, strength was everything. He clenched his hands into tight fists and hoped to god that Itachi had never mentioned Madara to this man.

Sarutobi spoke up, "A man who would ask a father to abandon his son is truly despicable, Danzou."

"Humph." Danzou gave the two men a brief smile, "Tell me, Fugaku, what exactly did you have to gain by making Itachi kill Shisui? Are you going to tell me now that you didn't want that to happen? You pushed them together, created a conflict, then waited for it to play itself out. There was no suicide. Itachi drowned the other boy that night in the Nakano river. What did he gain that night, Fugaku? A forbidden jutsu, perhaps?"

A surge of chakra appeared behind Fugaku and he gave a short glance over his shoulder. Toshiro had jumped onto the rooftop and strode purposefully up to the three men. "I have complete faith in Lord Fugaku. I know the facts of that night, and my son committed suicide. Lord Itachi is guiltless in this. How dare you imply otherwise?"

"The loyal lackey makes his entrance. Sarutobi, you say it is despicable for a father to abandon his son, yet Lord Toshiro has done just that. He…"

Danzou's tirade was interrupted when Itachi suddenly appeared in front of him. The dark chakra radiating from the thirteen-year-old boy was heaviest any of them had ever felt. Even the sixty-one-year-old Sarutobi had to admit he had never felt anything like it before. It was deadly, oppressive, suffocating. It spoke of dark nights spent looking into the eyeless orbs of skulls, caresses from the fleshless hands of skeletons and eternities spent waiting for a dawn that would never come. It was death itself.

Fugaku, Sarutobi and Toshiro jumped back to give him some extra room. They had a feeling they knew what was coming next and wanted to be well out of the way. However, they also wanted to be close enough to see it. To hear Danzou's last breath rattle from his lungs and feel the last of his chakra as it faded into non-existence.

"You have something to say…" Itachi growled, then yelled into the night, "You say it to me!" He launched himself at the elderly man, pulling the katana that was still strapped to his back from his earlier jaunt into the underground.

Danzou flickered away from the teen and grinned, showing his teeth. His one eye opened wide as he rested his cane against his body and reached up to his head. Unwrapping the bandages he revealed the disfigured remains of his right face and a fully functioning eye. He grasped his cane in his right hand and pushed a small button on the tip. The cane fell away, leaving a very sharp precision katana in the man's hand.

Itachi paused and looked closely at his adversary. There was something wrong, and it showed itself very clearly a moment later. "Byakugan. So that's what you have been hiding. Is that why you killed of the main branch?"

"Humph. I have had this for fifty years and practiced dutifully to learn all its secrets. Do you think you, a mere child, can possibly go up against me and survive?" Danzou gave a short laugh.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Itachi launched himself at Danzou, but caught himself in mid-air. Executing a summersault he landed eight feet in front of the old man. Gazing at him with his Sharingan he saw chakra flowing throw the katana.

"I do not need to touch you with my hands to disrupt your chakra. I can shoot my chakra through this blade and accurately disable you. Ha!" Danzou threw his head back and laughed as he shot chakra at Itachi. The teen launched himself up into the air, using the precision vision of his Sharingan to avoid the attack.

"If you aren't afraid of me, then why did you go to such great lengths to try to get rid of me?" Itachi asked as he executed another summersault to avoid the streaks of chakra. Danzou didn't answer, instead he stopped his attack and activated his single Byakugan eye. Chakra flowed through his body and into the sword and instead of a streak of chakra a huge wave was shot from the tip of the sword. Itachi used a transportation jutsu to avoid it and as he re-appeared fifteen feet behind the ANBU chief he watched as the building across the street was hit with the jutsu. The top floor now sported a huge hole. Cracking could be heard as the roof collapsed. Belatedly Itachi remembered that was the roof he had taken the children to watch the fight. He looked carefully, but could see no sign of anyone or even feel their chakra.

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Madara had seen what was going to happen as soon as the chakra burst was released from  
Danzou's Katana. Turning around he grabbed Sasuke and noticed that Kisame had also realized what was going on, no doubt helped by the bond he had with his chakra-sensing sword, and grabbed Naruto and Hinata. The two ninjas both hid their chakra and jumped away from the roof.

"Tobi, let's get them back to the police-station so we don't have to babysit." Kisame said as he landed on the street next to Madara.

"No! I want to see my big brother! I want to make sure he's okay!" Sasuke was trying to pull away from Madara, who was holding him tightly against his chest.

Madara held on tighter and spoke quietly so only Sasuke could here, "So do we son, but we can't babysit you and help him at the same time. You understand, don't you?" Sasuke stopped struggling. And looked up at the masked man with a defeated expression on his face. "Good boy."

"You… you promise to bring him back… alive?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"It'll be okay, son." Madara whispered, soothingly. He needed Sasuke to quit yelling so they could move quickly to the station without attracting attention. They boy relaxed and leaned his head on the man's shoulder. Sniffling sounds made Madara direct his gaze to Kisame. Both Naruto and Hinata were crying, but trying very hard to be quiet about it. He had Naruto hanging over his shoulder and Hinata was balanced upright in his other arm.

"This definitely isn't Mist village, is it?" Kisame replied, annoyed. "I'll never understand why they think these crybabies will grow up to be powerful ninja." He paused and looked up, seeing a huge fireball shoot up into the air. "Itachi isn't using any of his advanced jutsus. I know he is unwell, but he should be able to use them nonetheless. If it exhausts him Fugaku and Sarutobi will back him up and take over."

"It appeared he was trying to get some information out of Danzou before killing him." Madara replied.

"Good point. Well, if we run we can drop the kids off in a couple minutes. This way, Tobi."

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Itachi ducked as another, small ball of chakra shot over his head. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fugaku, Sarutobi and Toshiro were now on a different rooftop watching the fight with stern expressions on their faces.

"You aren't getting out of this alive, Danzou. If I fail, there are a lot of other people standing by waiting to take my place." Itachi said menacingly.

"Who?" Danzou laughed again. "Fugaku? He is easy to manipulate. Just push some of his buttons and he over-reacts. Saturtobi? Ha! I easily poisoned his tea the night I nabbed him and he was nice and docile when I showed up at his apartment. All I had to do was tap him with my cane and he dropped, completely incapacitated. Too bad the brat didn't drink the tea too. The dosage was more than enough to kill a toddler."

Itachi growled under his breath. The thought of someone hurting Konohamaru was horrific. The cheerful three-year-old was very likeable and he and Hanabi brought a glimmer of hope to the otherwise traumatized children with their innocence and bright smiles. He suddenly realized that his own little brother had been the same way at that age. But now… the events of the last week had taken that from him. In a way, it was murder. Danzou had killed off that part of Sasuke that Itachi held onto, the only light left in his life as he walked forward into the darkness that man had woven around him.

And he was going to make him pay for it.

"I'm not going to kill you now, Danzou." Itachi's voice had taken a strange, dark tone that no one had ever heard him use before. "I'm going to torture you. Make you scream in pain. You will beg for freedom, but it will never come. You will remember hope, but never again feel its bright light upon your soul. You will feel your flesh being ripped from your bones a hundred times only to see it is still there, ready to be ripped off again. It will never end, Danzou. You will exist forever, in perpetual torture."

The dark evening was so silent as he finished speaking that it seemed as though even the crickets were holding their breath. Every human standing nearby felt the horror of his words and shuddered involuntarily at the torment this boy could inflict on another human being. Some prayed to God that they would be spared; that Itachi would not turn his head and gaze into their eyes. Others held their breath, and felt a little, very little, bit of empathy for the ANBU chief. And Fugaku… he was reminded of Itachi's early childhood when he had wondered if his boy was a psychopath. Occasionally, back then, he had even wondered if he should have killed the child to keep everyone else safely out of his reach. Perhaps… he wasn't that far off in his suspicions after all.

"You can't trap me, Itachi. Byakugan is resistant to Genjutsu. I know you told me it wasn't, but I don't believe you. I have never been caught in one." Danzou spoke arrogantly as he stared straight into Itachi's Sharingan eyes.

Itachi sheathed his sword and his eyes bled into their Mangekyou form. "The first round of torture begins now. After which you will be taken into custody and I will visit you every day of whatever remains of your miserable, pathetic life to inflict more." He paused for a moment, smiled and spoke his next word in a soft, commanding voice, "Tsukuyomi."

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Danzou huffed in annoyance when he heard Itachi utter the name of his jutsu. "Tsukuyomi". That arrogant clan had named it after the God of the Moon. However, a second later he found himself spread-eagle on a cross overlooking a red plain. In fact everything was black and red. He tried to free his hands and legs, only to find them securely bound.

"What is this?" Danzou yelled angrily.

"In Tsukuyomi I control time and space." Itachi pulled his sword and plunged it into Danzou's chest. "Three days here will only be the equivalent of a second in the real world." He extracted the sword and stabbed again. "You will be tortured for those three days, yet never die. It is a Genjutsu to be sure, but your mind sees it as real and will react as if it was real. This will happen every day you continue to live."

After being stabbed a few more times Danzou couldn't hold back any longer and screamed horribly in agony, "How can this be? I am resistant to Genjutsu! Your Mangekyou shouldn't work on me!"

"Your information was wrong." Itachi said evenly.

"My followers are still out there… they will not… back down… just because I am gone." Danzou cried out again.

"No, it wouldn't be much of a challenge if they did." Itachi yawned.

"You can only do this to one person… at a time. How… will you take out… an entire army?"

"You underestimate the Uchiha. Our power is limitless. We are the pinnacle of what it means to be 'Shinobi'. I have many abilities to stop armies, and I can use them without remorse. I no longer fear battle because I finally realized that it is battle that fears me."

"That… makes no sense." Danzou gasped.

"To you… no… it wouldn't make sense." Itachi replied thoughtfully.

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Danzou collapsed to the ground in a heap, panting heavily and still conscious. Itachi stepped forward and grabbed the man's head by the hair. Fugaku, Sarutobi and Toshiro quickly joined him. There was cheering from the assembled spectators as they moved closer to get a better look at the defeated villain.

"Father? Get a medic. Now." Itachi ordered. Fugaku turned to Toshiro and sent him off to fetch one. Nui joined them a couple minutes later.

"Sorry, I left shortly after Itachi did… I couldn't stay behind. What do you need me for?" Nui spoke firmly and looked Fugaku in the eyes. He turned to Itachi.

"Father, hold his head up. I'm going to do some surgery to keep this bastard from killing himself before I finish torturing him." Itachi spoke without emotion, but Fugaku and Sarutobi smiled at the boy's thoroughness. Nui's face went white, shocked at what her young cousin was implying, but she readied her chakra to follow his orders, nonetheless.

As Fugaku got a firm grasp of Danzou's head he could see the look of horror that came over the man's face. It was very satisfying and he smiled, pleased that he was able to be here to see it. The spectators continued to move closer to the small group so they could see what was about to transpire.

Itachi pulled a kunai and Fugaku reached down and forced open Danzou's jaw. Reaching in with the blade the teen expertly severed the man's tongue. As blood spurted out Nui stepped forward and used chakra to stop the hemorrhaging and heal the wound. Itachi then pulled Danzou's remaining arm up and Fugaku grabbed it and held it up in the air. Itachi swapped his kunai for a Katana and swiped it across the old man's wrist. Again, Nui stepped forward and healed the newly created stump.

"Nui, do you know a dental procedure to loosen teeth?" Itachi asked without emotion.

"Y…yes." Nui stuttered. She placed her hands over the man's mouth and pushed more chakra into his jaw. Fugaku held the man's mouth open as Itachi tapped each tooth with his still bloody kunai, knocking them to the back of Danzou's throat.

"Swallow." Itachi commanded. Danzou tried to resist, but Nui tapped him in the neck, forcing him to swallow his own teeth.

Morino Ibiki stepped up and knelt down beside Danzou. "Good work, Itachi. He is completely incapacitated. Completely in our control. Although…" the man winked, "you forgot something."

"Oh!" Itachi took the hint and brought his kunai up one last time to remove the man's stolen Byakugan eye. Nui healed the hole and sighed, relieved that it was over.

Sarutobi also sighed. "Impaled on your own blade, Danzou. I wonder if the First and Second foresaw this when they chose me over you to be the Third. Ibiki, find a nice hidey-hole for him and keep him guarded. Others may try to find him, either to finish what we started here, or to rescue him."

"Unbelievable." Fugaku finally said when Danzou was carried off. "Such arrogance. He truly thought he could fight us both and win."

"His people are still out there. Just because we got Danzou doesn't mean this is over." Itachi reminded everyone. "Lord Sarutobi? Danzou said he poisoned your tea the night you were captured. How is that affecting you now?"

Sarutobi gave the boy a sad smile, "I have no idea, young Itachi. I do not feel the same, but I had been attributing that to my imprisonment. Clearly, that is not the case."

"We'll have Dr. Yakushi look you over then." Fugaku replied. "Tonight's fight is obviously cancelled." He gazed at the Third Hokage, his eyes communicating an unspoken request.

Sighing, Sarutobi closed his eyes. There were perhaps a hundred people nearby and a couple hundred still hanging out in the vicinity. This was probably as good a time to say it as any.

"In light of the circumstances, I will step down and retire as Hokage. I turn that mantle over to Fugaku Uchiha, who will take up the position of Fifth Hokage of the village hidden in the Leaves. Now. Let's rebuild our village and show Danzou that even he can't take away our Spirit of Fire!" Sarutobi gave everyone a bittersweet smile. It wasn't really what he wanted. Fugaku was only one or two steps above Danzou when it came to their ideals, but when choosing between the two the Uchiha won hands down. Danzou's destruction of the emergency tunnels and murder of half the village's population was unforgiveable. Still, he would have felt much better if Itachi was the one taking the position. Unfortunately, the clan lord had given a very good reason for why he didn't want that to happen. Itachi had a man to kill.

Sarutobi realized he was no longer fit for duty. He had thought he felt unwell and had attributed it to lack of food and stress. Now, it was clear he had been poisoned. He could feel his chakra fluctuating and his heart was beating erratically. If he survived, he would likely have a long recuperation. Poisons could be like that. Danzou knew that as well, which was probably why he had given Sarutobi only a few bottles of water. By the time the water ran out, he would already be dead. Fortunately, he was sure he would survive. Dr. Yakushi was very capable when it came to poisons.

On the plus side… Fugaku and Itachi were perfect for dealing with the coming battle. Danzou had attacked in a rather reckless fashion. It was uncharacteristic of him. Why had he done it? Sarutobi had a feeling that something much more sinister was in the works and that only someone skilled in warfare would be able to meet it head on.

Fugaku nodded in acknowledgement, and the look of relief that passed over his face caused Sarutobi to look at him in surprise. The new Hokage spoke quietly, "I didn't want to kill you, Sarutobi. Thank-you."

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**Next week Itachi returns to active duty and runs into an old friend while on patrol.**

**Please review.**

**Oh... I guess it might be confusing... Grown men will often call young boys "son" in an attempt to be nice or familiar. Now, while Madara was being a jerk and dropping hints to Sasuke that he is his father, Sasuke (and anyone else listening) would just think he was being kind and trying to put him at ease.**


	9. Chapter 9 Tinted Red

**Last Week Fugaku and Sarutobi started to fight, only to be interrupted by Danzou. Itachi took over the fight and subjected the ANBU Chief to Tsukuyomi.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs, you guys are great!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 9 – Tinted Red**

"Itachi, I don't know what to say." Fugaku was standing in front of his son outside the police station. It was nearly one in the morning but the sounds of people running around celebrating Danzou's defeat could still be heard. Shortly after the fight ended Toshiro and a couple other Jounin had escorted Sarutobi to the hospital to be treated for poisoning and had offered to stand guard over him so he wouldn't be put in a vulnerable situation. "Danzou's words were heard by some of the Uchiha elders and will no doubt be brought up in the next meeting. But… hopefully it won't be held against you considering how things turned out. Such power! You are truly everything I had hoped you would become."

Looking up into the cloud-covered night sky Itachi sighed. As he watched, a small patch of clouds parted, revealing a few twinkling stars. A cold breeze blew down the street and a piece of paper rolled end over end before settling against the side of the building. Itachi turned to look into his father's eyes, "I felt like the dead deserved revenge. Everything I have gone through… you and Sarutobi have gone through… was due to that man. And all those civilians… He engineered this whole mess. I couldn't hold back when I saw him. I can't really explain it any better than that…"

Fugaku nodded once and gazed thoughtfully at the boy standing in front of him. Thin and gaunt looking, Itachi's appearance had always been unassuming, causing most of his opponents to underestimate him. Yet, he had gone up against "S" ranked shinobi and walked away without even a scratch. In order for Itachi to become weak, it required a conflict of the heart. And even then… he was still powerful. Fugaku found himself wondering what, exactly, the limits of his sons abilities were. Yet deep down in his soul he hoped he never found out.

Itachi returned his gaze to the sky and watched as more stars were revealed as the breeze slowly parted the clouds. The blinding anger that had gripped his soul earlier had called out from beyond the grave for revenge and he had allowed his body to become its vessel. And he had no regrets. In fact, it had felt good.

Mikoto ran up the street and stopped in front of them, "Where are Sasuke and Hinata?"

"I left the kids with Madara and Kisame." Itachi said calmly. "They are on that roof over there talking about something."

"Madara was with Sasuke?" Fugaku and Mikoto repeated simultaneously in alarm.

"Oh!" Itachi realized what he had just said and corrected himself, "He was disguised as Tobi.

"Humph." Fugaku sighed in relief. "Well, considering the fact that Madara is Mitzukage, he and Kisame probably know each other." Fugaku replied. "However, I don't see either Sasuke or Hinata up there with them."

Itachi flared out his chakra to get the attention of the two roof-sitters. They looked down, and jumped off the building, joining the father and son a moment later.

"Congrats, Fugaku. The village is yours." Madara had removed his mask and was smiling broadly.

"Where are the children?" Mikoto demanded.

Kisame replied, "In the jail. We returned them when the building collapsed. It was too dangerous to keep Leaf kids in the open."

"So they didn't see… the part where Itachi…" Mikoto was very relieved, as was Itachi when he realized what would have happened if they had seen him cutting that man up. It would have been disastrous. It was bad enough that Sasuke had heard Danzou reveal his intention to kill the clan.

"No. Unfortunately, they missed it." Kisame replied distastefully. "Really, your children are way too sheltered."

"That's a matter of opinion." Mikoto retorted.

"Spoken like a true mother." Kisame answered back, scowling. "However, the world isn't as 'nice' about it as you are. Remember that."

Mikoto looked him the eye angrily, but inside, she knew he was right. She closed her eyes and gave a small smile as she bowed forward a few inches, "Thank-you very much for returning them here. I realize it wasn't your responsibility."

Kisame suddenly laughed. "If I didn't Itachi would have worked his 'magic' on me next. I'm not stupid! Ha! Well, I'm off now. See you later, kid." He patted Itachi on the shoulder once and disappeared into thin air.

"You next." Itachi looked up at Madara.

"Oh! Itachi! You make it sound like you want to get rid of me. Sad, sad day." Madara tried, unsuccessfully, to look pained.

"I do want to get rid of you." Itachi deadpanned.

"Hmm. Well, that's true I guess. I do have other things to take care of. I spent way too much time here. Dear little princess Aya is probably crying her pretty little eyes out in loneliness without me there to comfort her."

"Aya, huh? You can return her now, you know." Fugaku responded.

"I know. But I won't. I decided to keep her around." Madara spoke cheerfully.

Fugaku frowned. He expected that answer, of course. "Then, I would like you to do your son a favor."

Madara was instantly curious. Fugaku rarely referred to Sasuke in that way.

"He will need a wife in ten or fifteen years. If you are keeping Aya, I propose a trade for a young Uchiha female suitable for Sasuke to marry." Fugaku braced himself for his wife and son's anger.

"Father! No! Sheeta wants her sister back!" Itachi argued.

Mikoto followed instantly, "Aya isn't an object, Fugaku. You can't do this to her!"

Madara smiled, "A trade? Sure, I can provide an Uchiha female for Sasuke. You will have to wait a few years before she can come to Konoha as I doubt the parents of whomever I select would want their precious daughter to leave their side so soon." He laughed when he saw the look of surprise on the faces of the people in front of him. "There are several girls who could fit the bill, but determining which would be the superior fit will take time. Sasuke will get the best, of course." Madara's voice had taken on an arrogant edge.

Fugaku smirked. "So there are Uchiha in Mist."

"They left Konoha after I did. I lured them away and gave them a home where they could be treated with the respect they deserved. Uchiha is Mist's secret weapon. Even Kisame does not know the extent of their integration into the village." Madara explained.

"Hmm. I really can't fathom why keeping them secret would be so important, but…" Fugaku quickly turned to Itachi and grabbed the teen's shoulders as he slumped forward.

"Sorry… I guess I overdid it today. I felt dizzy there for a second." Itachi explained quietly.

"Go inside and get some sleep, Itachi. And try to spend as much time as possible tomorrow asleep as well. I don't want you to have a setback because of today's activities." Fugaku replied, concerned.

"I need to visit Danzou tomorrow. I was serious about what I said earlier." Itachi explained.

Fugaku responded, "I'll take care of it, son. I also would like a shot at that man."

Itachi smiled, "Of course. Then everything is covered for now. Good-night." He turned around and entered the police station, after a couple seconds Mikoto excused herself and followed. She wanted to make sure Itachi, Sasuke and Hinata were really okay.

Madara and Fugaku stared at each for a couple minutes before Fugaku opened his mouth, "The answer is 'no' Madara. I will not hand Naruto over to you."

"I could have taken him tonight, you know. It would have been simple." Madara laughed. "You asked Itachi to bring Sasuke and Hinata, but Naruto wanted to come as well, and, well, Itachi isn't that good at saying 'no' to cute little kids."

"Damn it!" Fugaku cursed. "So why didn't you take him?"

"Don't need him yet." He gave a short laugh before using a transportation jutsu to disappear.

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Itachi entered the police station and sat down on a chair in the open office area. His head was still feeling a little fuzzy and he wanted to rest for a couple minutes. Mikoto started to fuss over him, but he insisted he was okay so she went ahead to the hidden cells. It had been one of those days that felt like it had lasted a week. He was still a little overwhelmed by the feeling of sheer hatred that had coursed through his body when Danzou had appeared. Now that he had calmed down he couldn't wrap his head around why the usually over-cautious and fiercely anonymous ANBU chief had suddenly turned up in the middle of such a public battle. Was he really so arrogant as to think his stolen Byakugan eye would enable him to win? Or was there something else going on? If there was one thing Itachi had never liked, it was a puzzle he couldn't solve.

A few minutes later his head returned to normal and he stood up and made his way downstairs. As he opened the door he was tackled by three eight-year-olds and a thirteen-year-old. A "click" and a bright flash followed less than a second later.

"Ha! I had to get a picture of that. They were so excited to hear you were okay, Itachi." Kisa was standing eight feet away, holding a camera and sporting a wide grin. Mikoto was standing next to her, laughing.

Itachi sat up and wrapped one arm around Sheeta who was now sitting next to him. Sasuke had his arms wrapped around his big-brother's torso, Hinata was in his lap and Naruto was behind him hugging his neck.

"We're so glad you're okay, big brother!" Hinata said excitedly.

"Yah!" Naruto echoed, "Sasuke was crying and everything he was so scared."

Sasuke sniffled a couple times and cleared his throat, "You were too!"

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Three days later found Itachi standing in the center of his bedroom. He had never expected to return his home, and now, as he gazed at his simple furnishings the space took on a familiarity that seemed somehow surreal. Almost like the boy who had living in that room a month ago was not him, but someone else. He wasn't even sure what day of the month it was anymore. There hadn't been a calendar in the jail and he hadn't bothered to keep count. Of course, if he put his mind to it he could figure it out easily enough… but… somehow he didn't want to know right now.

The room smelled fresh, and Itachi could see that his mother had changed his sheets and laid out clean clothes on the end of the bed. He suspected the window had also been left open for a while as a faint scent of rain lingered in the air as well. It was after nine o'clock and the only thing he could hear was the candle on his desk sputtering as it chased the shadows across the room. The electricity was still out and probably would be for a few more weeks.

"Itachi?" Mikoto slid the bedroom door open. She was wearing a simple blue quilted kimono with a white apron and carrying an empty laundry basket. "Thank-you for retrieving Naruto's things from his apartment. I'm setting him up in the guest room at the end of the hall. But… was that all he had?"

"Yeah." Itachi nodded, "He doesn't seem to be the materialistic type, I guess. I asked him about it when we were there and he said he spends his allowance on ramen at Ichiraku. That does add up after a while."

"Hmm. Not mention unhealthy. Well, okay. He can use some of Sasuke's things for now then. His last guardian was sadly lacking in oversight. All of Naruto's clothes are too small for him and his underwear all have holes in them. Minato and Kushina must be rolling over in their graves right now." She wandered away and Itachi heard Sasuke's door open and shut.

Itachi shook his head, but continued to stand. Both Naruto and Sasuke had been very happy when Mikoto had said the blond boy was going to be staying with them for a few months. It was the easiest way to keep an eye on him, but it made Itachi uncomfortable. His assignment in Akatsuki was to deliver Naruto to the organization to have the demon ripped out. They had already pulled out two demons, but for some reason Leader had informed them to quit hunting the jinchuuriki. Something must have gone wrong after the first two were sealed. Or perhaps something else was happening. Either way, having Naruto so close to him was bound to cause problems.

Confronting Fugaku with this information had not changed the elder Uchiha's decision. He said he had to make up for an oversight. He had not accounted for Naruto in his coup and that had lead to the boy almost dying. Itachi was surprised to learn that Fugaku had promised Minato, right before he gave his life to seal the Kyuubi in his son, to help Naruto. He felt like he had broken that promise. It was a side of his father he very rarely saw. All he could guess now, was that Fugaku must have had a lot of respect for the Fourth Hokage if he would go to these lengths to help him.

"Itachi?" His door slid open and this time Fugaku looked in at him. He was dressed rather informally in a pair of black pants with a blue yukata that had a white border with black tomoes on the edge. "The elder council would like to speak with you and Sasuke. Follow me."

Stepping out into the hallway he saw that Sasuke was already waiting. The boy's face had gone white, no doubt nervous about whatever the council would want him for. Even at eight-years-old, the boy already knew that the only time the council called members of the side-branch before it was if there was trouble. Once again Itachi wondered why Sasuke had not mentioned Danzou's revelation yet. He had seen the boy giving him worried glances, but that was as far as it got. Perhaps all that was going to change now.

Because the temple had been destroyed the meeting was being held in Fugaku's meeting room. He took his usual spot on a mat that faced the rest of the people in the room. Itachi sat in front of him and Sasuke was directed to sit next to him. It was unusual because protocol dictated that the boy should have been seated at the back of the room, behind everyone else.

"Let us get straight to the point." An elder, a man in his eighties named Katzumi, began the meeting. "We have learned that Itachi Uchiha betrayed the clan by passing information to Danzou in the months preceding the coup. We have also learned that he accepted a mission that would have led to the extermination of the Uchiha clan."

Itachi felt Sasuke shift off his mat and move closer so that he was right up against his side. Why wasn't the boy afraid of him? He kept his eyes focused on the ground in front of him in a gesture of humility that he didn't entirely feel. He was sorry about everything that had happened, but his finely honed ninja instincts were telling him to be careful.

Katzumi continued, "After consulting with your parents and in light of the way you attacked Danzou we are willing to forgive that. However, Fugaku has expressed the desire to have you removed from your position as his heir. He has requested that Sasuke be given the position instead."

"What!" Itachi was so shocked that he started to stand, but was stopped when he felt two small hands pulling him down. Glancing at his brother he saw the boy's wide eyes looking up at him in fear.

"No! Big brother… don't get mad again." Sasuke begged.

Itachi blinked his eyes and brought himself under control, "I know what being the heir means. I promised myself and my mother that I would protect Sasuke from that. He shouldn't have to grow up with that on his back."

"Is that how you see it then?" Another elder, Utemaro, asked bitterly, "Nothing more than a burden?"

"No. Of course not." Itachi backtracked. "But it is, instead, a side-effect of the position…"

Katzumi interrupted, "That is true. You have been prepared for that, psychologically and physically your entire life. However, there are other concerns here. Lord Fugaku has also informed us of your illness…"

Sasuke interrupted this time, "What illness, big brother?"

"Please don't interrupt, Sasuke." Fugaku said in a calm voice.

The elder continued, "If the illness cannot be controlled, you may only have ten years or so left. If you and Sheeta have not produced a child that can take over as heir by that time… well, Sasuke becomes your heir anyway."

"I will have an heir by then." Itachi stated without emotion.

"You are only thirteen-years-old, Lord Itachi, don't speak of things you aren't old enough to understand yet." Katzumi berated the teen with a stern voice, "It would not be in Sheeta's best interest to have a child so young. Especially since the women in our clan have been having so many problems in the past. There are only six children in our clan right now because of that.

Itachi bristled at being treated like a child, but, he had to admit that he knew very little about parenthood. And he had no desire to place Sheeta in danger. "I apologize. You are correct, of course. However I stand by the promise I made to protect Sasuke."

The elder looked up at the clan leader, "Fugaku?"

"Humph. You did well, Itachi. That was the answer I expected. You will remain as heir for now, but Sasuke is your spare and his training and education will, from now on, be your responsibility. Should you and Sheeta provide a suitable child then he or she will become the heir. However, do not assume that will happen. Train Sasuke as if you expect him to take your place. In fact, if you die before your heir reaches fifteen; Sasuke would become _de facto_ head of the clan for a while anyway."

"I don't wanna." Sasuke mumbled.

"What?" Several people in the room echoed in surprise.

Sasuke continued, "Itachi… he's better than me. Everyone says so…"

Fugaku sighed, "Sasuke, we weren't kidding about your older brother's illness. There is a good chance he will die before he has children. As the second son, you have a duty to the clan that you can't deny, whether you feel like it or not."

"Sasuke…" Itachi whispered, "Don't argue."

Sasuke looked up at his brother. He was trying very hard not to cry, he couldn't imagine his brother dying. He didn't want to accept it.

"He needs time, Lord Fugaku. He's just had a tremendous burden put on his shoulders, on the tail of everything that's happened in the last two weeks." An elderly woman in the back spoke up in a kind voice.

"Very well, Emiko." Fugaku grudgingly acknowledged the woman's words. "Sasuke, you aren't like Itachi, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Do your best and listen well to your lessons. The clan is a living, breathing entity that grows when it has good leadership and withers when times are bad. Every member has a responsibility to the clan, no matter how lowly they believe their rank or skills to be. Because you are so young and there are no other children your age you have been sheltered, but that can no longer continue. Things are going to get a lot harder from here on out and you will have to adjust."

Sasuke nodded once, "Yes father." He was still holding onto Itachi's arm with both hands.

"Itachi?" Fugaku continued, "I will be busy in my new duties. Therefore you will act as my liaison to the elder council."

"Yes father." Itachi realized he should have expected that to happen, but it still surprised him a little.

Katzumi spoke up again, "We will be watching you, Itachi. You are an important asset to the clan, but you were also lured away, tricked, by the enemy. Some here did not want to see you return to your duties; they no longer trust you. However, you are young and not without redemption. More because we need you than because of any goodwill we may feel towards you personally. Basically, Itachi, you may consider yourself on probation until further notice. Keep your nose clean and follow through with your missions and there will be no need for further concern. Is this understood?"

"Yes. I thank you for your leniency. I will endeavor to meet your expectations." Itachi stated calmly, meeting the elder's eyes. He did see their point. Trust, once lost, was one of the hardest things in the human world to regain. But as long as he was able to keep Konoha safely out of Madara's hands he would accept that.

The meeting adjourned shortly after that, leaving Itachi and Sasuke alone. The teen wrapped one arm around his brother's shoulders. Sasuke was still sitting next to him, leaning against his side.

"It'll be okay, little brother. I'll protect you." Itachi said quietly.

"But… big brother… I want to be strong enough to protect _you_. Because when you get sick you won't be able to protect yourself. I remember Fumitake. He couldn't get out of bed. Father's right. That's the way things are." He pulled away from Itachi and tilted his head up to look him directly in the eye. "I will get strong. No matter what. I will protect you and Sheeta and your kids."

Itachi gave his brother a bittersweet smile. It was just like him to overreact. However…

Itachi spoke in a worried voice, "Sasuke, you know what happened. What I did. Aren't you afraid of me? Your dream… the one you told me about… it was true."

"I… I was scared… but I… I don't know." Sasuke's voice fell as he voiced his confusion. "The building got hit and Tobi saved me and I got scared that you would die. And… umm… I wasn't scared of you anymore."

Itachi wasn't sure that made sense, but it pleased him nonetheless. Smiling he poked his little brother on the forehead, "Thank-you, Sasuke. We'll begin training tomorrow after breakfast. I'm not allowed to do anything strenuous for a while until Nui clears me for duty, but I can still train you."

Sasuke jumped up and yelled as he ran out of the room, "Yay! I'll do everything you tell me to do!"

"Whoa!" Fugaku grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders and lifted him out of the way, setting him back on the ground.

"Hi dad! Gotta go to bed so I can get up in the morning and train. Bye!" Sasuke ran off down the hall at full speed.

Itachi smirked, "That's what you get for standing in the doorway."

"True." Fugaku agreed. "I was coming back to tell you something and didn't want to interrupt." He paused for a moment and turned serious, "They know nothing of Akatsuki, and only know of Madara from the Kyuubi invasion eight years ago. We must keep it that way, Itachi."

"Understood."

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Two weeks passed and the village was still in a state of unrest. Danzou's underlings, or "renegades" as they had finally been nicknamed, continued to attack patrols or anyone else coming and going from Konoha. There was also a fair number of attacks still occurring inside of the Leaf village. Most of Konoha disagreed with Sarutobi's decision to make Fugaku the Fifth Hokage and some were expressing their displeasure with violence. In fact, when they found out how easily Danzou had tricked Sarutobi, they didn't want him as Hokage either. It was a delicate situation and both Fugaku and Sarutobi understood how easily a mistake now could shove the village over the edge. However, it wasn't the internal situation so much that lead Sarutobi to his decision as it was the external ones that perched like vultures on the horizon. He hoped Fugaku would be Hokage for only a few years; ten at the most. In the meantime the Uchiha lord was a brilliant strategist as well as ruthless. Sarutobi believed that Konoha needed that right now. Especially if Itachi failed to kill his target.

Sarutobi had been in the hospital for almost a week. He had been poisoned, it turned out, but the medical staff was able to neutralize most of it. Some had already worked its way into his metabolism and done some minor damage to a few internal organs. He would have to recuperate for a few months before he was completely healed. Toshiro and Kisa offered to look after Konohamaru for a few weeks, until Sarutobi was well enough to keep up with the toddler himself. He quickly took them up on it, knowing that if he didn't he would have to hire a bodyguard/nanny for the boy. It was easier if someone he trusted offered. Besides, Konohamaru was excited about having playmates since he would be living with Hinata and Hanabi as well.

The civilians were returned to the village and the task of providing temporary housing for those who were now homeless, as well as the many orphans was keeping most of the people busy. Winter was coming and Fugaku wanted everyone in solid, heated buildings instead of cold, drafty tents. He had even put off bringing to Konoha the dependants of the rogue clans that had helped with the coup. They were currently sequestered in the Uchiha Hideout; a large stone structure that was housing them comfortably and would continue to do so until spring. They had been promised a home in Konoha and while disappointed about having to wait, they were given a choice and preferred their current situation to a winter spent in Konoha shivering in tents.

Danzou "lounged" in a cell, hidden and kept under heavy guard. Neither Itachi nor Fugaku inflicted Tsukuyomi more than a couple times each. It was a traumatizing jutsu that didn't require a lot of repetition and they wanted his mind to remain "mostly" intact. Besides, they were waiting for Inoichi Yamanaka to recover from his wounds. The man was skilled at soul transfer jutsus and it was hoped that he would be able to enter Danzou's mind and peel away his secrets. However, Inoichi had been hit when a building he was standing near exploded and nearly died from the injuries. While he felt well enough to work, Dr. Yakushi felt otherwise and refused to release him from the hospital. After all, the jutsu required a lot of chakra and the patient didn't have that right now.

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A tall man in a white robe walked into the sitting room of his mansion and gazed intently at the sixteen-year-old girl sitting on the couch knitting. She wore an emerald green quilted silk kimono with lilies embroidered on the lower half. Her waist length black hair was pulled back in a ponytail revealing a round, olive-colored face and deep black eyes. She placed the knitting on her lap and looked up.

"So. Lord Madara. You're still alive." Her voice was tired.

"My little troublemaker, how have you been? It appears you have taken up a new hobby. Are you practicing knitting baby clothes? I must say, you are a few years early, Aya." Madara replied sarcastically.

Aya looked at him curiously. "You sound like you're in a bad mood."

"The coup was successful. Fugaku is now Hokage. However… Danzou…" Madara sat next to Aya and placed an arm around her, pulling her against his side.

"Humph. Well, you said you didn't like him. What did he do?" Aya adjusted herself so that she could rest her head on Madara's chest.

"Made an ass of himself. Nothing I couldn't handle." He looked curiously at the girl curled up at his side. "What gives? You never let me hold you before."

Aya blushed, "I… there's no one to talk to here. The coup is over… can I go home?"

"You are home, my dear. This is your home. I do apologize that I can't allow you leave the mansion, and the servants have been told not to talk to you, but I won't give you the chance to escape." He sighed, "I will think about it, but perhaps Sheeta and Itachi can come visit you."

"Really?" Aya perked up, smiling broadly.

"We'll see."

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**Next week Itachi returns to active duty and he and Sheeta run into trouble during a patrol. Also… A mysterious white haired stranger makes an appearance.**

**I'm not too happy with this chapter. It's meant to be transitional, and that makes it hard to write because it feels like there is too much talking and nothing happening. The next chapter is much more interesting, though. I thought about skipping this chapter and going straight to more action, but there was a lot in this chapter that needed to be explained. Especially the meeting with the Uchiha elders and the conversation between Itachi and Sasuke. And I stuck in some Madara x Aya at the end. If she seems a little too subservient, just wait. There's a reason he calls her a "troublemaker".**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays**


	10. Chapter 10 Watch What You Say

**Last week Itachi was read the riot act by the Uchiha elder council and had a heart-to-heart talk with Sasuke.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, you all are great**

**I've been watching Gintama (the funniest anime ever) and when I was trying to think up a title for this chapter, well, Gintama came to mind and I used the type of title they would use. It really fits. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 10 – Adults Should Watch What They Say In Front of Children**

Autumn had taken a firm hold on the forest as November started. The golds, reds and browns of the leaves were offset by a few that had clung hopefully to summer and still remained green. Blue sky could be seen through the canopy and here and there brilliant beams of hazy sunlight filtered down to the forest floor. It was cold, though winter was still but a whisper in the air voiced by the rustling of the branches, blown about by a northeast wind.

Two people made their way through the forest, walking down a narrow path that wound its way up and down the rocky terrain, around boulders and under giant trees. Their senses were in overload with all there was to experience, the sound of ducks and geese flying overhead, chickadees chirping happily amongst the branches, the scent of moldy leaves and fresh earth from the forest floor and the sight of a beautiful fall day. Having spent so much time in Konoha hiding in a subterranean prison and then confined to the Uchiha compound it felt good to get out, and Itachi and Sheeta were taking full advantage of it. They spoke occasionally, but mostly, they just walked silent next to each other. It was companionable, but after a while, one of the pair had finally had enough.

"I thought these woods were supposed to be full of Danzou's people." Sheeta pouted. She was accompanying Itachi on his first day back to active duty. It was supposed to be a solitary patrol, but he asked her come with him anyway. Six hours into a ten hour shift and nothing had happened. They had seen a few small signs of human activity, but whether it was from the renegades or not was debatable. However, everything, no matter how trivial, was logged in a small notebook with Itachi's fine, precision calligraphy.

"We are hiding our chakra, they are hiding their chakra. To tell the truth, we could have been close to them several times today and never known it." Itachi replied calmly.

Sheeta huffed, "Not with you here. Don't tell me you wouldn't have sensed them."

"True. I would have." Itachi admitted.

It was silent for a couple minutes, during which Sheeta looked intently, expectantly, into her friend's eyes. Itachi gazed back emotionlessly.

"So what is it?" Sheeta finally yelled. "Are they here or aren't they?"

"Hn." Itachi smirked and started walking away.

"Jerk." Sheeta muttered as she followed him down the narrow trail. After a couple minutes she caught up and changed the subject, "So how are you getting along with Naruto living in your house?"

"Can't wait for him to leave." Itachi said truthfully.

"It can't be that bad, can it?"

"He and Sasuke have become pretty good friends and do everything together, but they _argue_ about _everything_. Mother finally put her foot down last night and threatened to beat them both black and blue if she heard so much as a whisper out of them for the rest of the night. And it was only five o'clock. It's a good thing that father spends all his time at work. He _would_ have beaten them."

"What were they doing? I mean, Aya and I would argue all the time…" Sheeta was interrupted.

"Yeah, true. But when Nui told you to shut up you guys would stop. Sasuke and Naruto stop for three seconds then start up all over again. He's only living with us for a few months, though. Until things settle down and a permanent foster home can be found." Itachi sighed, "On the other hand, it's nice to see Sasuke playing with another kid. I grew up with Shisui and then you guys. Sasuke has had no one. Perhaps he just doesn't know how to act around other kids. Naruto too."

"It's for the best then. I'm sure you'll live." Sheeta smiled.

"I'm thinking of moving my room upstairs. That's where we'll live anyway when we get married. It would be much quieter." Itachi continued to scan the area with his Sharingan and pretended not to notice Sheeta's blushing cheeks.

"If… if you need help moving I'll help. I'd like to see what it looks like." Sheeta replied quietly.

Itachi smiled, "There's a large bedroom with its own bathroom and balcony, three other smaller bedrooms, a large room that can be a living room and some other rooms that could be whatever we want. The house is designed to hold multiple generations so technically, if father and mother live a long time it could be them, us and then my heir and his wife and kids living all in one house."

"Sounds wonderful." Sheeta smiled wistfully. "If only we could be that happy. It's a big house, over five-thousand square feet. It should be okay."

"It's actually much bigger than that." Itachi admitted. "We don't count the meeting rooms or the clan library and storage in the square footage. Those are sort of like public facilities since the whole clan has access. But if the family got too big we could spread out into them."

"So are you moving? If you did… we could start decorating now for… when…." Sheeta blushed again.

Itachi stopped walking and gave a short laugh. "That's five years away, at least, Sheeta. But you know, I think I will move. Then Naruto can use my old bedroom instead of the guest room. It's closer to the kitchen and Mother likes to keep everything centralized. I'm not messy so she won't have to pick up after me upstairs."

"Ha! Then I'm definitely helping." Sheeta stated proudly, "But why doesn't Lady Mikoto hire a maid? Hinata was telling me her mother had tons of servants."

"Pride. She wants to say she did everything herself."

"Yeah, she and my mother have been teaching me all kinds of things about cleaning and cooking and entertaining and manners and protocol. They said it seems like a lot because I'm still a kid… but when I get older it will be easier." She paused, "I hope they're right 'cause I want to be like Lady Mikoto and do everything myself too."

Itachi smiled his approval and continued to lead them along the path. His Sharingan looked closely into the shadows cast by the trees, looking, searching… and tracking. He glanced down at the girl walking beside him and she nodded at him, a serious expression crossing her face for the briefest of moments before her smile returned. There were at least twenty-three shinobi following them now. Their conversation, while seemingly idle, was meant to put their pursuers' off-guard. To make them think they hadn't been detected. In the meantime, Itachi was leading them toward the main road that lead to Konoha. It was wide and would be much easier to fight there. Also… Itachi was feeling a little lazy and leaving the renegade's heads on the main road would make it easier to return them to Konoha.

"I've been training with Sasuke and Naruto for the last few days." Itachi said almost cheerfully. "Sasuke has a lot of potential, but Naruto needs a lot of work on his basics."

"Is it because he was living alone?" Sheeta asked.

"Probably. He had no one to help him or push him. Sasuke… father wasn't pushing him, but Sasuke still felt a strong desire to please him and worked as hard as he could. Also, mother would help him with his training and he would practice a lot on his own. And… he's driven by a desire to surpass me. Everyone compares him to me and I know it hurts his feelings."

"Hmm. When is the school opening again?" Sheeta ran a hand through her hair and readjusted the clip that was holding it away from her face.

"Don't know yet. Right now all the new orphans are living there. In the meantime, mother is tutoring Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata. Konohamaru is staying with Kisa and Toshiro until Sarutobi feels better." Itachi stretched out his chakra and sensed a faint chakra signature ahead of them, but it disappeared quickly. 'Twenty-four', he said to himself.

"So are you going over to Lady Kisa's house tonight?"

Itachi sighed, "Yeah. She put Hinata in Shisui's old room and when she was clearing it out she found some things she wanted to give me." He was actually dreading going over there. He still missed his cousin and didn't feel up to reminiscing. He suddenly remembered the night of the fight... when he had heard… or thought he heard… Shisui's voice in his head.

"_Don't close your eyes."_

Had he gotten a message from his dead cousin that Danzou was going to make an appearance? If so, how was that possible? He suspected it was nothing more than an overactive imagination, severe exhaustion and, as Nui had phrased it, "malnutrition". Surely those three factors could easily cause hallucinations. Of course, part of him wanted the incident to have really happened. He missed Shisui terribly and the chance to talk to him again would be very comforting.

Another chakra signature joined the others and pulled Itachi out of his thoughts. "Twenty-five." He said under his breath.

Sheeta whispered without moving her mouth, "I take it you were trying to make it to the road? Should we stop here instead? They might be herding us."

"It's okay," Itachi reassured her, "the road is just ahead. I don't know why they haven't attacked yet, so we need to wait and see if we can find out. It might tell us more about what's going on with these guys."

Sheeta smirked, "Sounds good to me. I've been wanting a fight for a long time."

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The narrow path ended suddenly at a wide, poorly maintained road. The afternoon sun sat low in the sky, filtering its pale light through the autumnal-colored leaves and bare branches that lined either side of the heavily travelled dirt road. Mud was still caked on the ground where a wagon wheel had run through the many deep puddles during the rains that had, until a couple days ago, fallen steadily since the coup. Because the village was supposed to be a secret, the road was not kept repaired. Most people who stumbled upon it would think it was a minor thoroughfare and turn back, seeking a better travelled path to follow.

About ten shinobi were standing in a semi-circle in the middle of the road and as Itachi and Sheeta stepped off the trail their twenty-five stalkers jumped down behind them to close the circle. Dark, ankle-length robes fluttered in the wind as the thirty-five shinobi adjusted their positions. Dressed completely in black, they wore ankle length pants, long sleeve shirts and traditional woven sandals with black tabi socks. Gloves covered their hands and their necks and heads were wrapped with black cloth. The porcelain masks that covered their faces had a smooth black surface with no discernable eyeholes. The only way to tell one person apart from another was by height and build.

Itachi focused on about seven of the ninjas who were roughly Sasuke's height. 'They must be some of the children we collected a couple years ago for ROOT.' He suppressed the urge to shudder as he remembered that on two separate occasions Danzou had tried to get his hands on Sasuke. The first time he asked Fugaku to hand over his useless second son, who, as a part of the side branch, was not important. The second time he had informed Itachi that he could spare his little brother from the massacre if he gave him to ROOT. The children were being raised to be emotionless, moldable shinobi who could be shaped as the mission dictated. Itachi had watched as the two children he and Yuri had given to Danzou changed over the years. It was creepy, yet he had never questioned it. Now as he looked into their anonymous masks he wondered if he was going to have to kill them. And he wondered… if they even remembered who he was… or who they were. If they didn't… it would be easier.

"Itachi Uchiha, traitor of Konoha." A tall man stepped forward, speaking with a strong voice. "Traitor of ROOT, and betrayer of our leader Lord Danzou."

"Hn." Itachi activated his Sharingan and stared at the man.

"Sentence has been passed and you are to be executed for your treason."

"Hn."

"Is that all you have to say before we rip you apart?" The man stated emotionlessly.

"Hn." Itachi smirked. "Danzou is as good as dead, why do you still follow him?"

The man laughed, as did many of the others. "That's _Lord_ Danzou to you, kid. And…" He laughed again. "No point in telling you everything, you're going to die anyway."

"I have no respect or tolerance left for your supercilious ideals. Again, why do you still follow him? I awoke from his nightmare, why are you still moving forward with your eyes closed?" Itachi stood motionless and spoke in a calm, patient voice.

"Humph. You were given a simple mission. Exterminate the Uchiha clan." The faceless renegade smirked behind his mask when Sheeta gasped at his words. "Yet you let yourself be captured and then brainwashed by Fugaku Uchiha. In Root there are no emotions. There are no attachments. There is only the mission. Failure means death."

"What are you? The Shinsengumi?" Itachi asked curiously. He referred to a group that had existed a long time ago in the old empire. Its members adhered to a strict code of honor that called for ritual suicide if one broke a rule.

The black-clad man laughed, "You could say that, boy. Like them, our purpose is to protect our leader and our homeland. And you deserted our ranks."

"So… my only crime is failing to kill my clan. Attacking and incapacitating your leader doesn't count?" Something wasn't adding up. Itachi scanned the area with his Sharingan. The shinobi were continuing to hide their chakra, but of course he could see it perfectly, and they had to know that, too. Was there someone else nearby they were hiding from?

The man laughed again, "Like I said a minute ago, there is no need for you to know everything." He pulled a sword and stood up straight. "You have the option to commit ritual suicide. Will you take the honorable way and uphold the traditions of our organization or will you be a coward and fight?"

Itachi looked at Sheeta. She was staring at him with her Sharingan, but he couldn't read her expressionless face. He imagined she was shocked to hear about his mission. While Danzou had blurted out the information during the fight, Sheeta hadn't been there and no one had told her.

"The girl will be executed. The order to kill the Uchiha clan still stands and she is an Uchiha." The man incorrectly guessed that Itachi was worried about the safety of his companion.

"Request refused." Itachi stated plainly. His Sharingan bled into its Mangekyou form and he spoke in a firm voice, "Amaterasu."

Ten shinobi screamed in agony as they and the trees behind them were caught in a conflagration of black flames. As they fell to the ground the flames continued to burn without stopping. An intense heat many times hotter than a regular flame covered the area, causing the renegades to back off a few steps. They made no effort to rescue their fallen comrades.

"Why aren't you doing anything to help them?" Sheeta yelled.

"Your comrade made a statement earlier, comparing us to the legendary Shinsengumi. I believe it was one of their rules that if you were attacked and the enemy escaped you would be forced to commit ritual suicide. Also, another of their rules states that only the corpse of the commander of a battalion would be removed from the battlefield. The rest would be left behind." The man laughed, "Be careful what you wish for Itachi, the Shinsengumi were defeated only through their own squabbling and political in-fighting. To their enemies they were merciless."

"How dare you compare yourself to them?" Sheeta was getting mad and was tired of all the talk.

"How dare I? It was Itachi's idea, you heard him. Maybe we'll take that as our name. But then again, Root is so much more descriptive."

Sheeta glared at Itachi. "Are we going to just stand around and talk?"

"Hn."

"Quit saying that, you moron." Sheeta snapped.

"Ah! So the little girl barks, but frankly, I doubt she has much of a bite." Another man spoke up, amused. He noticed that the girl wasn't wearing a forehead protector and figured she probably hadn't graduated from the Academy yet. Or had failed the exam and dropped out.

"Sheeta," Itachi said calmly, "Take him out first." He was looking forward to this. He had heard her fighting style described as "dancing" several months earlier, and had wanted to see it for himself. However, the opportunity never presented itself as he attempted to distance himself from his friends and family.

The teen threw off her jacket, revealing a long-sleeve dark blue shirt with a "V" neck collar and Uchiha symbols embroidered on each shoulder. Her shiny black hair swung out behind her in one long pony-tail as she launched herself at the ninja who had just insulted her. Her Sharingan eyes were opened wide and her mouth set in a wide grin. The ninja side-stepped to avoid the attacking female, but Sheeta effortlessly corrected her trajectory by twisting her spine and kicked him in the lower back. Landing back on her feet she ducked, turned around on one foot and stood up, swinging her free foot around to kick the man squarely in the stomach. He bent over, and spit up blood. The teen had done something to his abdomen with her kick.

"Medical jutsu…" He gasped. "You're putting medical jutsus into your kicks…"

Sheeta didn't answer him, but continued to twirl about and kick the man. Each blow disabled him further and further. Rupturing his liver, bruising his spine, cracking several ribs and finally dropping him to ground with the snap of a broken neck. Instead of stopping she immediately turned on the nearest Shinobi and attacked again. This time it was a woman skilled in earth jutsus. She disappeared into the ground before Sheeta could land the first blow and reappeared a moment later behind the teen, knocking her to the ground with a well-placed kick. Immediately the woman found herself knocked across the road and into a tree when the "Sheeta" that had been knocked to the ground turned out to be a tree stump from a substitution jutsu and the real Sheeta appeared behind her.

The woman didn't get a chance to pick herself up before Sheeta was on her again, kicking her stomach and ribs. Disappearing into the ground she reached up and grabbed Sheeta's foot, pulling it into the loosed dirt. The teen immediately did a transportation jutsu and moved three feet away, then quickly jumped up into the air. Using her Sharingan she searched the area for chakra. She could see it as colors, just below the ground. The woman was planting explosives. She glanced over at Itachi and saw that the others had not attacked him for some reason. Well, they were probably thinking they would kill her first.

The black flames were still burning and heating up the area. Sheeta brushed sweat away from her face as she landed in between two explosives. She figured they were probably chakra tags since the signature was very weak. However, a second later her Sharingan saw the signature strengthen slightly and she jumped up into the air a half second before they went off. She was engulfed in a cloud of smoke and fire as she rose higher into the air, partially propelled by the force of the explosion.

Landing on a branch the teen wiped her face again and noticed her hand had come back with blood. A sharp pain registered on her forehead and she reached up to rub it, feeling a sticky substance. It was a deep cut and the blood quickly started to drip into her left eye. Using a medical jutsu she was able to stop the bleeding, but it was only temporary and would likely re-open if she was hit in the head again.

Searching the area as the smoke cleared she saw her adversary glaring up at her. Sheeta put her hands up and formed a few handsigns, disappearing from view. The renegade woman looked around, trying to sense the teen. However, the jutsu the girl used was a complete cloaking technique that disguised both her appearance and her chakra. It was very chakra intensive when used to this level (usually she just hid her appearance and left her chakra at its normal levels since her work on the police force usually put her against civilians). The renegade suddenly found herself propelled into another tree as Sheeta re-appeared behind her. Trying to stand up, the woman cursed as her legs refused to obey.

"I've cracked your vertebrae. You are helpless until you get medical attention." Sheeta smiled.

"Humph." The woman pulled out a small canister, moved her mask aside and swallowed the contents. She smiled as she fell over sideways onto the ground.

"What… Did she… Did she kill herself?" Sheeta's eyes went wide in shock. "But… that injury was completely capable of healing. She would have been out of the hospital in a week at the most…"

"Me next, little girl." A man pulled a kunai and ran at the distracted female. She bent over backwards as he swiped the weapon forward, aiming for her neck. Righting herself she pulled her own kunai and put it in her mouth, then grabbed two more kunai; one for each hand. The pair fought with the knives as Sheeta dodged in an out of the man's swings, bending her back at impossible angles and twirling on her feet to add momentum to her own attacks. She held back on her kicks, preferring to match the ninja's kunai strikes instead. After three minutes he had multiple cuts and she had one cut across her left shoulder.

One of the shinobi who had been standing on the side watching suddenly looked intently into the forest. She raised her hand and then turned it forty-five degrees; then she and the children disappeared. The remaining six Shinobi also looked out into the forest. Sheeta used the distraction to swipe her kunai across her adversary's neck, killing him instantly. The remaining renegades used transportation jutsus to disappear.

Sheeta started to send her chakra out to try to figure out what was going on, but instead found herself shoved up against a tree. She dropped her kunais and put her hands up to push back when she saw Itachi looking down at her. His Sharingan eyes were a deep red and blazed fiercely into her own. Suddenly shy she turned her head and stared at the ground, not sure what to say or do. Itachi had never looked at her like that before and it was a little intimidating. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back up at him and bent down, capturing her lips with his own. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Itachi moved closer and wrapped one arm around her back and placed a hand at the back of her neck, burying his fingers in her ponytail.

"God that was amazing…" Itachi whispered as he broke the kiss. "I could watch you all day…" he lowered his head again, deepening the kiss. Sheeta sighed as she ran her hands slowly across his back and wished he wasn't wearing his jacket… or his shirt… or…

"Well, well, well. You two were doing this the last time I saw you. Do you ever stop?" A strong, male voice interrupted the teens.

Itachi lifted his lips a millimeter and spoke in an annoyed voice, "Go away, Jiraiya, I'm busy." He lowered his lips again and tilted his head to get a better angle.

"Hmm. Is that any way to greet a friend?"

"Friends don't interrupt friends when they're making out with their girls." Itachi pulled away from Sheeta and stood beside her. "And when exactly did we become friends?"

"Hmm. That could possible explain a few things… but…" he turned to Sheeta, who was blushing a brilliant red, both from the intensity of Itachi's kiss and being discovered in an intimate position by the famous Sannin. "Young lady that was quite a battle. I was beginning to think you were part cat, the way you were moving."

"Th…thank-you." Sheeta stuttered, overwhelmed by the praise.

"You know what they say about flexible women, Itachi. You got lucky there, my boy!" Jiraiya laughed and Itachi looked at him with a blank expression. He had no idea what "they" said about flexible women, but decided he would find out later.

"So… I take it you are here to see my father." Itachi changed the subject.

"Yeah. I was on my way here to beat some sense into that man when I got some rather disturbing information. Why don't you fill me in while we walk to the village? You need to turn in these heads and the little lady here needs to get that cut looked at." Jiraiya had turned serious and stared curiously at the still-burning black flames. "Those weren't ANBU level shinobi, yet they were following Danzou. It makes no sense."

Itachi nodded in agreement. While he couldn't speak for the children, not having seen them fight recently, he had estimated that none of the others could fight above a Chuunin level. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed his girlfriend to fight them alone. As skilled as Sheeta was, she had very little experience with actual combat. Even her work on the police force was kept simple. It wasn't that no one believed her capable enough to handle a fight – quite the contrary. They knew she had a lot of potential. The problem was that there were so few children in the clan that Sheeta was considered too precious to risk. They needed her to bear children; and she couldn't do that if she ended up injured or dead before she grew up.

"I'll put those flames out first, Sheeta, start cutting off their heads." Itachi said quietly. Twenty minutes later the three Shinobi made their way back to the village carrying thirteen heads. Itachi was sure it would have been more if Jiraiya hadn't shown up. After all, he was no doubt the reason the renegades had run off. There was probably no one who could go up against the Sannin and survive. Except, maybe, another Sannin.

Itachi smirked as his imagination kicked in, 'I bet father can't even beat him. Maybe Jiraiya will punch him. That would be something to see.'

Jiraiya creased his brow and squinted, suddenly curious, "Huh? What are you thinking about, Itachi? You're smiling."

The teen gave a short laugh, "Oh… nothing."

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"Excuse me for interrupting father, but you have a guest." Itachi spoke politely as he walked through the open door into the Hokage's office. Fugaku and Sarutobi were sitting on opposite couches drinking tea and talking. Several file folders were spread out on the coffee table between them. The teen noted that his father still wasn't wearing the traditional Hokage robes. Several people, including Sarutobi and Mikoto were urging him to follow tradition and put them on, but he preferred to wear something that he could fight in. Itachi found he agreed with his father in this case. There were still random attacks in the village and being able to fight at a moments notice was certainly more desirable.

"Huh? Who…" Fugaku and Sarutobi stood up, shocked, as Jiraiya strode into the room. The tall man with his knee length white hair, broad shoulders and grim expression stood resolutely behind Itachi.

"Still causing trouble, Fugaku?" Jiraiya asked in a stern voice. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you for getting me arrested thirty years ago. Then you go and pull all this. Humph."

Fugaku frowned. "For the record, _you_ got _yourself_ arrested. Peeking in at the women in the hotsprings. It was only a matter of time, after all. If I remember right they also threatened to charge you with corruption of a minor. Lucky thing you were only thirteen and they decided to drop _that_ charge."

"Well at least I wasn't dumb enough to ask the manager for a stool so I could see through the hole." Jiraiya gave him a big smile.

"I was eight. I had no idea what was on the other side of the hole. I just wanted to see what you were laughing about and you wouldn't lift me up to look. Of course I went and asked for a stool." Fugaku smirked. He remembered how upset the hot springs manager had been when he saw the teenage Jiraiya peeking in at the ladies. He also remembered being disappointed because he didn't get to look in through the hole, as well as grateful that he hadn't been caught.

"Ha!" Sarutobi laughed, "One-hundred hours community service, if I remember correctly."

"And here you are, still causing trouble on the backs of others." Jiraiya said seriously. "That Danzou… I never trusted him, but I never thought he would go this far. He knew just what buttons to press to get to you two…" He glanced down at the boy still standing next to him and corrected himself, "you three… to move in his direction. He is very dangerous."

"Tell us something we don't know." Fugaku replied sarcastically.

"Has he been interrogated yet?" Jiraiya asked.

Fugaku sat back down and motioned for Jiraiya to sit as well, "Inoichi Yamanaka is still recovering. The doctor says he should be able to return to work in three or four days. Danzou is at the top of his list. His teammate's wife and son were killed by some of Danzou's ROOT operatives."

Jiraiya frowned, "Who?"

"Chouza." Fugaku answered quietly. Sasuke had told him about finding Choji's body, as well as the corpses of other kids. The boy was worried about his other classmates. Some Genin had been rounded up and were currently conducting a census so that some sort of tally could be determined of who was alive and who was dead. It was difficult work because people were still moving around and ended up being counted multiple times. Plus, some people had left the village during the coup or after they were allowed back in the village. A final count of deceased would probably never be accurate under the circumstances.

Fugaku sighed and looked up at his son, who was still standing. A curious expression crossed his face and he creased his brow, "Itachi… when, exactly, did you start wearing pink lipstick?"

"Approximately forty-five minutes ago, father." Itachi replied calmly.

"A normal kid would have been embarrassed by that." Fugaku sighed again.

Itachi smirked, "A normal kid wouldn't have had a girlfriend to help him put it on." He could still feel the rush he had felt from watching Sheeta fight those three renegades, not to mention the kiss they had shared afterward.

All three men looked up at the teen, shocked. It wasn't really something they would have expected to hear him to say. Of course, Itachi _was_ embarrassed, but he had no intention of showing it in front of his father or any adult for that matter, so he decided to be a smart aleck instead. It was working very well. "If you don't need me I will return to my patrol."

"Yes, of course. Off you go then." Fugaku replied, distracted.

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The formal dining room in Toshiro and Kisa's modest home was traditional in construction, but held a western style table and chairs made of a beautifully varnished cherry wood. It didn't really go with the room construction from a design standpoint, but for some reason, the combination of "old" and "new" made the room comfortable to be in, and it was a relaxing place to sit and talk. Dinner had ended a few minutes earlier and the kids had run off to the living room to play while Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi remained to gossip with their hosts. Candle-light brightened the room as Toshiro filled four glasses with sake for the adults and one with orange juice for Itachi.

Itachi found it difficult to be in Shisui's house. Everywhere he looked reminded him of his cousin. Memories of the past played over and over in his mind and he had an overwhelming feeling that any minute now Shisui would walk into the room. In fact, the feeling was so strong that he suddenly turned his head to the doorway. The sharp intake of breath that followed caused everyone to stop talking and look at the teen who was staring intently at nothing.

"Do… do you feel it?" Kisa asked quietly.

"I just... I don't believe in ghosts… but… I thought... I felt…" Itachi was suddenly very uncomfortable. Only little kids believed in ghosts and he was thirteen. Way too old for such things. But why had he gotten such a strong feeling that Shisui was about to walk into the room? And why did it shock him when it didn't happen?

Kisa continued speaking, "When I was cleaning out Shisui's room and packing his things, Hinata was helping me and Hanabi and Konohamaru were sitting on the floor…"

"_Just throw the clothes in the laundry basket, Hinata. I want to wash them before I donate them. The school is asking for clothes for the orphans." Kisa said, trying to sound cheerful._

"_Okay." Hinata opened the dresser and started to carefully place the folded shirts and pants in the basket. Kisa went back to the armoire and pulled out a box. Opening it, she discovered it was full of toys._

"_Looky here, Hanabi and Konohamaru. Toys!" Kisa placed the box in front of the toddlers._

"_Yay! I like this one!" Hanabi pulled out a brightly colored post that had seven thick plastic rings stacked on it._

"_I like this one!" Konohamaru pulled out a wooden duck with wheels._

_Kisa turned back to the armoire and bent down to grab the next box when she had a sudden, overwhelming feeling that someone was standing behind her. She stood up quick and turned around, just in to time to witness Hanabi speaking._

"_You like that one? I'll get it for you." Hanabi reached into the box and moved things around until a puzzle with twelve large, thick wooden pieces was revealed. It was a picture of a cat wearing a jacket, hat and boots. Kisa watched as the little girl held it above her head, as if showing it to someone taller than herself. She glanced over at Hinata and saw that the girl had activated her Byakugan and was staring intently in the direction of her little sister._

"_What do you see?" Kisa was forced to whisper when her voice refused to speak at a louder level._

_Hinata shook her head, "Nothing. But… I thought I felt something."_

"_Me too." Kisa admitted, "Hanabi, who are you talking to?"_

"_My friend!" The girl said cheerfully._

"I tried to get her to tell me more, but it could have just been an overactive imagination. Young children have imaginary friends and, well, going through my son's belongings was... I guess I also was wishing rather strongly that I could see him again." Kisa spoke softly. "But… I still keep getting this feeling…" She suddenly smiled and turned cheerful. "That reminds me, I have some things I wanted to give you, Itachi." She stood up and left the room, returning a couple minutes later with a medium sized box.

Kisa pulled out three magazines. "You can't have these, though. Can you believe a thirteen-year-old boy was hiding porn under his mattress? Where do kids that age get this stuff?"

Toshiro averted his eyes and yawned to hide his smile. He suspected Shisui's teammate, a boy a few years older than him, had been passing down his old magazines. Itachi watched as Kisa laid the magazines on the table next to the box. The cover of the top magazine was a blonde woman wearing a very scanty swim suit and hanging off a bar. He suddenly looked up at the clock.

"Kakashi wanted our squad to meet with him at nine. I need to leave now so I can change out of my formal clothes." Itachi tugged slightly on the hem of his dark blue yukata for emphasis.

"Of course. Thank-you for coming Itachi. I have missed having you over. Perhaps you can come more often." Kisa stood up with the intention of showing him out.

Itachi bowed politely, "Don't get up. I can let myself out. And thank-you for having me over. I enjoyed it. Father, Mother, I will see you later." He picked up the box and walked quietly out of the house.

Fifteen minutes later Mikoto stopped talking in the middle of a sentence and stared at the end of the table. "Where are the magazines?"

Mikoto and Kisa stared in shock and Fugaku and Toshiro broke out in fits of laughter. _They_ knew where the magazines were. After all, they also knew that Kakashi was busy on a long-range patrol and wouldn't be back for two days.

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Itachi growled in frustration as he closed the third magazine and glared at the candle on his desk. "There wasn't _anything_ in there about flexible women. What the hell was Jiraiya talking about?" He leaned back in his chair and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. "I wonder if Kakashi's apartment survived? He's got all of Jiraiya's books."

An hour later Itachi returned to his room. Kakashi's apartment hadn't survived, and neither had any of the bookstores. He stared at the magazines, still sitting on his desk, but was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard his father walk past his room. He sighed in resignation and opened his door.

"Father? I have a question." Itachi watched as the man turned around and looked at him with his usual serious expression. "Jiraiya said I was lucky because Sheeta is flexible. What did he mean by that?"

"Fugaku Uchiha! If you answer that you will regret it for the remaining thirty seconds of your life!" Mikoto yelled from behind Itachi, making both father and son jump.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Sasuke was now inside of Itachi's room, laughing. Naruto was standing next to him with a big smile on his face. "Itachi has pictures of naked people on his desk!"

"Itachi Uchiha! Explain yourself!" Mikoto was getting very angry and Sasuke and Naruto quickly decided that discretion was the better part of valor and ran off.

"I wanted to find out what Jiraiya was talking about. It's obvious it has something to do with sex." Itachi said defensively.

"And that is all you need to know." Mikoto grabbed the magazines off the desk and stalked off down the hall.

"That went well." Itachi said sarcastically.

"Humph. It could have been worse." Fugaku smirked and walked away.

Walking back into his room Itachi closed his door and stared at the candle for a minute before a big smile crossed his face. "Kisame will know the answer." Fishing his Akatsuki ring out of the secret compartment in the floor he slipped it on and concentrated on calling his blue-skinned companion.

"_Hey Itachi, what's going on?" _Kisame's voice projected into Itachi's mind.

"I have a question that I'm having trouble getting the answer to. I'm sure you probably know the answer, though."

"_Hmm."_ Kisame's voice sounded suspicious, making Itachi wonder if the man had already guessed the subject matter.

Itachi spoke in a serious voice, "What does the following statement mean, 'You know what they say about flexible women'?"

"_Any reason you can't ask your father?"_ Kisame said, suddenly sounding exhausted.

"Mother threatened to kill him if he answered."

"_Ah! Well. Yeah, wives are like that."_ He paused, _"Okay, I probably shouldn't tell you, but… what the hell. Someone's gotta teach you this stuff. Look for a book with the title 'Karma Sutra'. It has pictures. A flexible woman can do all the positions in that book."_

"Oh… my father has that book… I've seen it somewhere…" Itachi said quietly.

"_And if you get caught, I've never met you before."_ Kisame laughed before cutting the connection.

Itachi sighed and laid down on his bed. Chances were the book was no longer where he last saw it. His mother wasn't that stupid. It could take days to find it again. However, Kisame did answer his question so there really wasn't a reason to look for it. "That was sure a lot of work, though." He glanced at the clock. It was 11:15. Smirking, he stood up and opened the secret compartment and slid the ring back where it belonged, then pulled out three magazines. "I wonder how long until she realizes the ones she took are fakes?"

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Next week, Inoichi Yamanaka is healed up enough to interrogate Danzou. The results are quite surprising.

Okay, I had to write Itachi being a teenager. And really, I don't think it's too OOC because if someone said something to him that he didn't understand, I can easily see him going to great lengths to get the answer.

In "Itachi: The early years" Itachi had decided that for his birthday he wanted to kiss Sheeta. Unfortunately, a couple minutes later Jiraiya showed up and interrupted them. So, that's what Jiraiya meant when he ran caught them kissing again in this chapter.

Please review

Updates on Fridays


	11. Chapter 11 That Boy's Determination

**Last week Itachi and Sheeta spent the day in the woods looking for renegades.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story.**

**This chapter is a bit more serious than last week – okay a lot more serious. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto still owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 11 – That Young Boy's Determination**

"Sasuke! Pay attention! Naruto! That move may have worked on an Academy student, but I guarantee it will not work anyone Genin level or above!" Itachi yelled across the soccer field at his little brother, who had just been knocked flat on his back when Naruto overextended his leg and kicked him. "Get back over here! Hinata, you too!" The young girl had been practice-kicking a straw dummy about twenty feet away at the edge of the picnic area.

The children quickly ran over to where Itachi was sitting at a picnic table and gazed expectantly at him. Sheeta was also there, wearing a heavy coat with a wool blanket across her legs and a thick wool hat covering her head. The temperature was in the low twenties and despite it being early November, a snowstorm was expected. Heavy clouds hung close to the ground painting the small lake in the center of Uchiha compound a dull steel gray. A cold wind had been picking up steadily all morning and it blew briskly across the small soccer field and out over the water. Waves lapped loudly against the shore, but even when combined with the construction noises in the distance it was still relaxing.

"Naruto, when you kick like that you over-extend your joints. That makes it harder for you to keep control of your muscles. Stick to the basics right now. Sasuke, when you see someone pulling a stunt like that, back off and let them hurt themselves, then go in for the kill when they're too tired to continue. Hinata, the dummy isn't going to hurt you, quit being afraid of it and hit it. If it breaks we'll get a new one. If you break, we'll fix you and you can go back to training." Itachi explained patiently.

"But I saw Hinata kicking like that." Naruto complained.

Sheeta interrupted, "Her moves are different than what other people use. They wouldn't work for you because you don't have her Kekkei Genkai. She is building up her muscles to move in a way different from what the two of you will use so don't copy her, it'll just confuse you."

"Oh." Naruto chewed on his lip, concentrating on that new bit of information. "So how would we fight her?"

Itachi gave a short laugh.

Naruto shivered, "Can we go inside now?"

Itachi looked at him and shook his head. It was cold out, and they had been practicing for two hours, and he was expected to join his father at Danzou's interrogation soon, but… An evil smile played across the teen's lips as he thought up a particularly devilish form of training. Small flakes of pure white snow had started drifting down from the sky and Itachi watched as one melted quickly on his hand.

"This training exercise is for all three of you." He waited a minute until he had the attention of all three children. "You can't go back inside until you capture twenty snowflakes in your bare hand."

"What?" Sasuke asked, skeptically. "Is that even possible? I mean… our hands are warm."

"Big brother, I finished." Hinata held her hand out to show everyone, palm down. Twenty delicate snowflakes perched on the back of her bare hand.

"Very good. You may leave." Itachi smiled as Hinata gave everyone a big smile and ran off.

"How?" Sasuke and Naruto stared in disbelief as Hinata ran by the lake and onto the path that lead to her house.

"Go on, try." Itachi smirked.

The tiny snowflakes were falling heavily and beginning to stick to the ground and picnic table. Sasuke and Naruto held their hands out, palms up and tried to catch the snowflakes. However, they could only get four or five before the rest melted. The two boys kept moving around the area, trying different strategies. Finally, after ten minutes they stopped and stood close to each other whispering.

Sasuke looked over at his brother, "So all we have to do is catch twenty flakes? Can it be more than twenty?"

Itachi raised one eyebrow, "Yes."

"Hn." Sasuke snorted. He and Naruto walked over to the picnic table and scraped their hands across the top, collecting the small amount of snow that had accumulated. Careful not to squish the frosty substance they each tossed their prize in the air a few inches and caught it. Holding out their hands they showed it to Itachi.

"And that, boys, is the answer to the question, 'How can I fight a Hyuuga'." Itachi smiled proudly.

"So…" Naruto didn't get it.

Sasuke smiled happily, "So Hinata used her chakra to keep the snow from freezing, but because we aren't skilled enough to that yet we had to find another way to do the same thing."

"Correct. Ingenuity, or 'tactics', is an important part of being a Chuunin or Jounin. Sometimes you have to plan around difficult or even impossible situations. Most problems have multiple solutions and finding the best one is important. In this case, chakra control was best for Hinata, and snow clumps was best for you two. What works well for one person, may not work for another. Tactics is not only about finding a solution, but about knowing when and how to apply that solution." Itachi smiled, "You can go in now."

"Yay! Thanks big brother!" Sasuke and Naruto yelled simultaneously as they took off at full speed.

"Do you suppose there was a reason Hinata used the back of her hand instead of her palm?" Sheeta asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." Itachi admitted. "Personal preference?"

"Catching snowflakes is actually one of the training methods Hyuugas use for small children. She most likely mastered it by the time she was five." Jiraiya walked into view, smiling as broadly as ever.

"Humph. And here I thought I was being original." Itachi smirked.

"You were. Just because one person thinks something up, doesn't mean someone else can't do the same." He sat down at the table, opposite the two teens, and gave them a broad smile, "So… you aren't kissing yet? Well, don't let me interrupt!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Sheeta spoke sarcastically as her cheeks blushed a pale pink.

"No lipstick today?" Jiraiya continued to tease.

"No." Sheeta pouted, "My mom… um… mother saw me wearing it after I returned from patrolling with Itachi and read me the riot act about not wearing makeup until I'm fifteen. The other girls in the village get to wear it so I think she's being mean."

"Yeah. Father wasn't too happy when he saw me wearing lipstick either." Itachi deadpanned.

Jiraiya dropped his head into his hands and shook his head as Sheeta blinked her eyes several times in shock.

"After we were kissing, some of your lipstick transferred to my lips." Itachi finally explained, much to the relief of his girlfriend who closed her eyes and gave a short laugh.

"You are in a very weird mood lately, Itachi." Sheeta finally said.

"I guess." Itachi admitted. He actually felt sort of… happy. Although he wasn't sure how long that mood would last. Now that he was healthy he was going to have to contact Leader and go out on Akatsuki missions again. Plus, Konoha was in bad shape; empty lots where buildings used to be and a lot of homeless families and orphans. It all weighed heavily on his mind as he continually berated himself for his duplicity. If he had been more observant, less obsessed with his "mission", or even, perhaps, told his father what Danzou had wanted him to do they could have detected that demon's plan earlier. But it was too late for "what-if's" now. And the worst part was that even if he had done things differently, there was no way to know how or even if the events would have changed.

Itachi changed the subject in an attempt to break himself out of his dark thoughts, "So are you going to stay here with Naruto?"

Jiraiya sighed, "No. I told you before. I can't raise a kid. I'm not sure I'm all that happy about him staying with Fugaku either, knowing how he's treated you in the past, but… it's better than being left on his own. Mikoto and you are here to look after him and Sasuke is like a brother. As for 'that'…"

Itachi closed his eyes and dropped his head, he knew Jiraiya was talking about his Akatsuki mission to take the Kyuubi. "Yeah, well… I'll be working on that."

"Hmm? What?" Sheeta asked, concerned.

"It's okay." Itachi said quietly. "It's nothing."

"Okay." Sheeta replied cautiously as she looked curiously at the two people in front of her. There was something odd going on with Naruto. Every time his name came up it was followed by tension, whispered conversations, and lots of secrets. Not to mention the fact that a lot of the villagers seemed to outright hate the cheerful child. It was starting to piss her off.

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"Inoichi Yamanaka. Are you ready for this?" Fugaku strode impatiently into the interrogation room and, as usual, skipped the small talk and got right to the point. A generator had been hooked up and the fluorescent lights blazed brightly in the large room in contrast to the darkness that most had gotten used to living and working in the last few weeks.

Inoichi looked up from the document he was reading. His face was pale and his bent-over stance made him look frail. Leaning on a pair of crutches his pale blue eyes were hollow and ringed with dark circles. The man had been cleared for duty, but still appeared to be very ill; yet he spoke in a strong voice and with determination. "I have my full chakra reserves. My injuries have not healed completely, but I don't need my body for this so that isn't a concern. And I'm not putting it off any longer."

"We have your chair ready, Inoichi." Ibiki pointed to a reclining chair and watched with trepidation as Inoichi slowly made his way to the center of the room. A grimace covered the injured man's face in a failed attempt to mask the pain radiating up from his legs. They had been crushed in the explosion and even though the healers were using chakra therapy on them, the damage was so extensive it was still going to take several months to a year to fully heal. When he reached the chair Ibiki and Kakashi, who had been standing nearby, helped him sit. Usually Inoichi would stand, but that was not possible in his current condition.

Itachi walked into the room a few minutes later followed by two Jounin carrying a stretcher. The man on the stretcher glanced around the room; his face set in a stony expression of anger. However, no words left his lips as he was lifted up and secured in a chair surrounded by a circular console. When the console was closed only his head was exposed. Another console was a few feet away, and while there would usually be three other people standing there to assist Inoichi, today there were none. The interrogation was being kept as secret as possible, and as a consequence only a few people were in attendance.

Standing next to his father, Itachi watched as Inoichi's chair was carefully lifted up to make it easier for him to place his hand on the prisoner's head. Kakashi stood back and one of the Jounin who had come in with Itachi moved to stand next to him. Maito Gai was a strange man that the teen had rarely communicated with, and therefore only knew him on a professional level. However, the green outfit he wore was a little creepy and his bowler haircut was even worse. On the other hand, he was a capable ninja who had made Jounin at an early age. The other Jounin was a woman Itachi had seen around, but never met; she always wore a scarf over her head covering her hair and kept her hands in gloves. She moved to the door and prepared to close it when it was pushed open.

"Not starting without us, are you?" Jiraiya asked sternly. He was followed by Sarutobi who was walking slower than usual; recovery from the poison was going to take a few more weeks and he had been feeling very ill.

Fugaku grunted, "Wouldn't think of it." He turned to the other people in the room, "Someone bring Sarutobi a chair. Don't leave your elders waiting."

Itachi stepped forward and grabbed a chair from the vacant console and placed it a couple feet from where Fugaku was standing. Sarutobi nodded in thanks as he sat down and sighed deeply. He looked up and glared at the prisoner. The man returned his gaze with defiance, strength and blatant undisguised hatred. There was no hint of suffering at all despite the loss of his tongue, hands and eye.

"You may begin, Inoichi. Tell us what Danzou has planned." Fugaku finally said.

Reaching out with one hand, Inoichi placed his palm flat on Danzou's head. He closed his eyes and concentrated, pushing his chakra into the man's mind. Slowly, the jutsu produced an extra-dimensional room with a huge brain suspended in the middle of it. Inoichi was perched in front of it watching as scrolls appeared and unraveled, revealing Danzou's thoughts. However… something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Damn it!" Inoichi yelled angrily.

"What's wrong?" Ibiki stepped forward and stood closer to the chair.

"There's extensive brain damage." Inoichi continued to look at the scrolls and cursed as, instead of writing, they contained nothing but blank parchment, or were solid black. He had seen this before… or rather something similar… in shinobi who had suffered brain trauma. Looking over the brain he floated around it but could see no visible damage.

Inoichi spoke again, "Correction… no brain damage. But… his memories have been tampered with… it's like they've been erased. But that's not possible… You can overwrite memories… convince a person that something didn't happen… but there's no way to actually remove the original memory without damaging the brain."

Itachi clenched his fists and growled as he glanced up at his father and then down at Sarutobi. There was one possible way it could happen, and the three of them knew what it was.

Fugaku spoke up, "Is there anything you can salvage?"

"I'll keep looking, but there are more black spots than memories. I just found one where he was speaking with Itachi. He said he was going to give him his final mission, then the rest is black. The next thing he remembers is several months later, having tea with Sarutobi and the elders. It skips again a few weeks… let's see…" He paused for a couple minutes, "He's in the forest… a deep, male voice is speaking, 'Found you, Danzou, you've caused me a lot of trouble. However, I know a way to make you useful.' Then…" Again he paused for a few more minutes, "Then he's jumping onto the roof and interrupting Fugaku and Sarutobi… and you all know the rest." Inoichi pulled his hand back and dropped it onto the armrest, sighing deeply in frustration.

"Hmmm." Fugaku leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. Closing his eyes he thought about what he had just heard. Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get worse, they did. "Ibiki, return Danzou to his cell. Tomorrow at noon schedule a public execution. There are too many people who want this demon's head to do this in private."

Ibiki smiled, pleased with the request, "Yes, Lord Hokage, right away."

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"I have no idea how he accomplished such a thing." Itachi spoke up as the door of the interrogation closed, leaving him, Fugaku, Sarutobi and Jiraiya alone.

"Nor do I. This is certainly an ability beyond what I have studied." Fugaku replied.

"There are no other jutsus in the village that I know of that could accomplish this either." Sarutobi added. "It must somehow be part of Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Obviously." Itachi said, annoyed that the documentation Madara had given him was incomplete. Of course, it made sense for the man to withhold information. Especially with the genius prodigy Itachi breathing down his back.

"What?" Jiraiya asked, "Is there an Uchiha running about we don't know about? A missing-nin?"

Fugaku looked the sanin in the eye. "What do you think?"

"Ha! Yeah, I knew the Kyuubi invasion wasn't your guys' doing, but it was obvious it was an Uchiha, nonetheless." Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, "I truly have no idea who it is though, so if you do, let me in on it."

"Madara." Fugaku said quietly. "Madara Uchiha is alive. We haven't a clue how or why. But keep this under your hat, the last thing we need is for people to panic."

"So how are we…" Jiraiya was interrupted.

"He is my concern." Itachi said firmly. "Only I can gain the power to kill him."

"Itachi… no… you need help. Don't let your father send you on a suicide mission…" Jiraiya was interrupted again.

"It's not like that. I don't want to loose my son like that. But he is truly the most powerful ninja since Madara and the only person who could go up against him." Fugaku explained.

"But surely there are others who can help." Jiraiya was close to pleading. He dislike the way Itachi had been raised, having seen him through the years become more and more withdrawn and violent; but that morning the teen had seemed happy, and for some reason, that made him happy as well.

"There is." Fugaku admitted.

Sarutobi spoke up, his voice weak, "Who? Fugaku, if Itachi can get help…"

Fugaku interrupted him, sighing he closed his eyes, "I don't want to loose both sons to that man."

"Sasuke?" Sarutobi asked.

"He is every bit Itachi's equal… or could be with training. It would probably be more correct to state that he is equal in potential to his elder brother. I have held him back though, raised him differently. There was no need for him to grow up like Itachi did. Plus, he has a different personality, it will make him more difficult to mold."

"And I won't let him help. He doesn't need to know about any of this." Itachi said angrily. "I promised to protect him and I will. No matter what the cost is. I will kill that man without anyone's help."

"You will leave Sheeta behind? Alone?" Jiraiya wanted to make sure Itachi understood the implications of what he was saying, but Itachi threw him a curve ball.

"She won't be alone."

Fugaku stood away from the wall and looked at his son, "Itachi, don't do anything rash. You're still a kid."

"Don't worry. It will be years before I'm strong enough to face that man. But before I do… I promise I won't leave Sheeta alone."

Sarutobi shook his head, "Itachi, I have been widowed twice, leaving me with two sons to raise. I do believe you need to think this through some more."

"Yes, I do. I know that." Itachi conceded, "There are a lot of things about this whole situation I need to think about. It's definitely a difficult mission." That seemed to placate the three men and they dropped the subject. However, he knew that the only way to protect Sasuke from becoming the clan lord and to keep Sheeta from missing him after he died was to have a baby. He couldn't see any other alternative, and yet Sarutobi did have a good point. He had thought that Sheeta would be happy with a child to remind her of him after he was gone… but what if it was just a painful reminder of what she had lost and instead drifted into depression? Re-marrying would be difficult; all the other men in the clan were much older than her and the only other Uchihas were in Mist. Of course, there was Sasuke. He was five years younger, but then again his father was five years older than his wife. The real solution to all of this uncertainty was to not die. Much simpler said than done.

However, as they exited room Itachi missed the look Jiraiya gave him. A mix of pity and determination crossed the sanin's face as he connected the dots and realized just how deep Itachi was in his troubles. 'I am going to help you, kid, whether you want me to or not. I'm not letting you die that easily.' Jiraiya silently vowed. 'Besides, if you fail, Naruto will die, and so will Konoha.'

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The next morning was somber as everyone prepared for the day. Sasuke and Naruto had been told the night before they would be attending an execution and while they seemed happy at the time, now they were nervous and very quiet; tip-toeing around the kitchen and living room. Normally it would have been a nice change of pace but instead Itachi found it annoying and when Sheeta came by he drafted her into helping him move his belongings to the upstairs bedroom. It didn't take long, of course, and they spent the rest of the morning sitting in the upstairs living room, resting.

"Do you need to go home first?" Itachi finally asked after several minutes of quiet.

"Home? Oh you mean before the execution? No. I'm going with you. Lady Mikoto told me that from now on I should be seen with you at public events and that I'll be helping her when Fugaku entertains. The bag I brought has a kimono in it that I have to change into before we go. She's going to order some formal kimono's for me as well." Sheeta looked around the dusty room as she spoke.

"I guess that makes sense. You need to learn how to take over Mikoto's job after all." Itachi stated. He watched as Sheeta ran her finger across a dusty end-table.

Sheeta sighed, "I'll come back after the execution and clean. They won't let me return to work at the police station yet because it's 'too dangerous' and I'm getting really bored. No electricity means no TV either, and I think I've read about ten thousand books in the last few weeks."

"Hmm." Itachi wondered if Mikoto had left the upstairs area purposely dirty after he had told her he was moving. Usually his mother would have been digging out buckets, mops and rags, cleaning and scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. But this time she had done nothing. Perhaps she wanted Sheeta to do it, but instead of giving her an order she wanted to see if she would volunteer first. "Thank-you. I will have to train the kids this afternoon since we didn't do it this morning. And… if you would like different furniture in here we can get new stuff. This is all old, mother moved it up here a few years ago when we got new furniture downstairs. Even though the house was made for multiple generations to live in, that never actually happened so this is more of a storeroom for extra furniture than a living room."

"Oh… well…" Sheeta blushed. This was too real, sitting in a living room alone with her future husband and discussing kids and furnishings like a married couple. She suddenly felt like a little kid herself and started fidgeting as she answered him in a small voice, "We can wait for that. This is fine for now."

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Itachi and his family were accompanied by the entire Uchiha clan as they walked to the stadium, which was, remarkably enough, still standing. The area was crowded; it appeared the entire village was in attendance. He looked around and noted the increased security and morose atmosphere. The last time he had been near the stadium had been several years earlier during the Chuunin exams. How different things were now. Back then his father had just announced his planned coup, and now it was fact.

They separated from the rest of the clan and the crowd and made their way to the participant entrance. Fugaku wanted Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto next to him and the Hyuuga's had requested that Hinata stand forefront for them. Mikoto and Sheeta stood next to the children and Itachi stood between them and his father. He remembered what had happened after the Kyuubi invasion, which, ironically, was the last time he had attended an execution. The Uchiha traitors who had helped Madara unseal the Kyuubi had been killed, but one woman had been dear to Itachi. Almost like a grandmother and he had cried when she died. Fugaku had been embarrassed by his son's weakness and hit him, knocking him to the floor in front of everyone. That evening he had been beaten severely by both his father and mother. It was a scene he didn't like to remember and didn't want to see repeated with Sasuke, or Naruto or Hinata for that matter.

Fugaku was distracted, speaking with Toshiro and Sarutobi, so Itachi turned around and waved for the three kids to come to him. He bent his head down as Sheeta joined them. "I'm going to tell you something I should have told you earlier." He looked at each of them, including Sheeta, to make sure he had their attention. Mikoto was looking at him curiously, but made no attempt to interrupt. "Under no circumstances are you to react to anything you are about to see. No emotion. No tears, no loud gulps, intakes of breath or sobbing. Lord Fugaku has a quick temper and will beat you if you do. Understand? He does not accept weakness in shinobi, or shinobi in training. And frankly, this man, Danzou, doesn't deserve your pity. I will also be disappointed in you if you show any."

Four pairs of eyes opened wide in shock as four heads nodded in understanding. Itachi smirked inwardly at the irony of his last sentence. On that day, many years ago, Shisui had also been embarrassed and angered by Itachi's outburst and had lectured him the next day about it. It had hurt worse than his parents' beatings.

Itachi turned his attention back to his father and noticed that the man had been listening. He had a stern look in his eye and appeared to be very angry. "Itachi, I see you brought your katana."

"Of course, Lord Fugaku. I take it everywhere with me now-a-days." Itachi responded clearly.

Fugaku nodded in approval and watched as a large double door was opened about a hundred feet away. Itachi stared at his father's back for a minute, wondering what that comment was about. He knew he had been carrying his sword with him, why mention it now?

The murmur of conversation that had permeated the stadium suddenly hushed, causing Itachi to look up. Behind him, in the first row he saw a row of children, and easily picked out a pink-haired girl. He caught Sasuke's attention and looked up with his eyes, silently telling the boy to look behind him. Sasuke and Naruto turned around.

"Sakura… she's okay." Sasuke whispered as a smile crossed his lips.

"Those are the orphans, dear." Mikoto whispered. She noticed the caretakers standing nearby. Fugaku had specifically requested that they be given a front row seat so they could watch the execution of the man that made them orphans. Of course, the fact that some of them were now homeless because of the Uchihas was conveniently ignored. Politically, it was a good move. If Fugaku could transfer their need for revenge onto Danzou then they would support the new Hokage and grow into ninjas who would protect the village instead of fighting against it.

"And there's Ino and Shikamaru." Naruto added, looking across the stadium, opposite where the orphans sat. Their families also had front row seats.

"Good." Sasuke was relieved. Ever since he had seen the lifeless bodies of Ami and Choji he had worried about his classmates. Of course, he realized as he quickly scanned the rest of the stadium, that there were way too many people to pick out anyone else.

"Follow me." Fugaku said sternly as he started walking out to middle of the field. The reason the crowd had gone silent was quickly clarified when the small group saw a heavily guarded man walking out onto the field. They stopped about twenty feet away and Fugaku signaled for them to stay as he walked closer. Several other men and women walked over as well and Itachi recognized them as leaders of some of the other clans as well. Apparently everyone was sending a representative. An old man, a Hyuuga, walked over to Hinata and stood behind her. He wondered if the elder was a survivor of the massacre that killed off most of the main branch or just a relative who was there as a guardian to support their young clan lord. Either way, Hinata seemed pleased to see him and Mikoto greeted him with a smile that seemed real.

Everyone settled down as Fugaku approached Danzou, who was now sitting on the ground on his knees. Sarutobi was standing about five feet from him looking very upset and angry. If they were alone, Itachi had no doubt the Third would have strangled him himself.

Fugaku's voice rang clear across the stadium and everyone paid close attention. "As is traditional, you will be given the option to commit ritual suicide. Failing that, you will be beheaded." Toshiro walked up and placed a knife on a stand in front of Danzou. It was situated so that the man could pick it up with the stumps of his arms and stab upward. He had no hands, of course, as Itachi had cut them off earlier after defeating him.

Growling, Danzou swung his arm out and knocked the knife over. Glaring in defiance he gazed straight into Fugaku's eyes, as if daring him to react. The stadium went deathly still as killing intent began to emanate from different parts of the field and audience. Anger was rising and a few small children and babies started to cry. Itachi felt his hands clench in anger and a rustle of fabric made him glance sideways at Sheeta. She wore a black kimono with a gold and red dragon snaking around the front and back. It was very similar to the yukata and hakama pants he was wearing, that also had a dragon design in the same colors, albeit a different shade. Despite the situation he wondered if Mikoto had picked it out for her. However, he quickly returned to reality when he saw her hands clenching the silk tightly. Hands that would have been dead and lifeless, rotting underground if he had followed Danzou's orders, hands with slender, delicate fingers that would never have run through his hair, or caressed his cheek, or held their baby.

Itachi was suddenly aware that everyone was watching him and he looked up at his father. The man was despicable in so many ways, but he realized he didn't hate him. When he had found out what Itachi was planning, he had stopped him and taken steps to keep him out of harms way. His mother had even placed items in the jail cell to make his stay more comfortable. And Sasuke had forgiven him. If he had succeeded in killing the clan, Sasuke's life would have been a nightmare for the rest of his days. He didn't deserve that forgiveness. He suddenly had a strong desire to have someone, anyone, from his family yell at him, make him pay for his weaknesses and his crimes. The guilt washed over him like a tidal wave on a low-lying beach, engulfing him and pulling him out into a sea of despair.

Turning his gaze to Danzou, Itachi reached around to the sword hanging on his back and slowly pulled it out as he walked forward. The high-pitched metallic sound it made rang in his ears and comforted his heart. The sharp blade would speak for his family; it would become the punisher. He glared at Danzou as he slowly approached him. That was the man who had started all this. The man who had made his life a living hell for the last two years. Rage – the same rage that had shown itself a few weeks earlier when he had seen the ROOT commander appear on the roof during the battle between Fugaku and Sarutobi – overtook him and he stopped directly in front of Danzou. He saw the knife laying on the ground a couple feet away, the sun reflecting off the highly polished, razor-sharp blade.

Stabbing forward, Itachi plunged his blade into Danzou's stomach, then his chest, then his arm, then his neck. He kept stabbing him until he heard it; a voice in his head.

"That's enough, Itachi. Kill him."

"Shisui..." Itachi replied in shock. Danzou was now lying on the ground writing in pain. He swung his sword forward one last time, through the man's neck and burying it into the ground. There was dead silence for about five seconds before a loud cheer rose up from the audience. A man picked the head up and held it aloft for the villagers to see. Itachi pulled the sword out of the ground and dropped it as he fell to his knees and picked up the knife. Holding it he gazed at his reflection in the blade for a few seconds before turning it around pulling it towards his own stomach.

"Stop him!" Multiple voices called out as Itachi found himself face down on the ground, the knife knocked out of his hand and resting about forty feet away.

'No…' Itachi thought in anguish, 'I don't deserve to live. I was going to kill you. All of you.' He felt his father cover his eyes with a big hand and lift him up.

"Itachi, I'm sorry." Fugaku's voice was sad, "You aren't emotionally stable, I have always known that, yet you are so good at hiding it that I keep forgetting." Itachi realized his father was whispering and he relaxed against the man's chest before passing out.

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"What's wrong with big brother?" Sasuke stood in the hallway outside of Itachi's new room, gazing worriedly up at his father. He couldn't wrap his head around what he had seen earlier, no matter how hard he tried. It was like three different people lived inside his brother. A caring person who looked out for his family, a demon full of rage that killed ruthlessly and finally, a person depressed and seeking a release from the complexities of the world.

It had been several hours since the incident and Itachi was still unconscious. After he had been brought back to the house Dr. Yakushi had come by and said it was hard to say what was wrong until he regained consciousness. He suspected it might be a nervous breakdown and said that based on the rumors going around, that Itachi was ordered by Danzou to kill his clan, it would be understandable.

"Sasuke." Fugaku sighed. He was still in shock himself over what his eldest son had tried to do. About twenty people had jumped forward to restrain the teen when he pulled the knife up, including Sarutobi and himself. Sheeta had then run up, but Itachi was already unconscious when she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing and pulling up his yukata to make sure he was okay. Fugaku's first instinct had been to be angry, but it quickly faded when he saw that everyone genuinely cared about Itachi's welfare. He had known that Itachi would be the one to execute Danzou. He knew his son too well to think otherwise, and he had told the others what would happen. However, he had not expected Itachi to react the way he did. He had thought the teen had worked out everything during his confinement. How wrong he had been.

"Father?" Fugaku was pulled out of his thoughts by Sasuke, who had addressed him formally. He rarely did that and it told him just how upset the boy was.

"Itachi has problems, Sasuke. He always has. You know some of them now… others… I won't speak of yet." Fugaku wasn't sure exactly how to explain this to the boy. The people on the field at the stadium had heard the rumors and understood Itachi's intent and were sympathetic and supportive. But they only knew part of the truth and were satisfied with that. "He's not to be left alone for a few days. Even when he uses the bathroom. That's why Toshiro is in with him right now. Several people will be taking turns watching him."

Sasuke was getting angry, "How come you won't tell me anything? I can help! I know I can! Please tell me what's wrong!"

Fugaku pulled Sasuke into the living room where Sheeta was still cleaning. She had been very nervous and unwilling to leave since Itachi had collapsed and busied herself by cleaning. She noticed the serious look on the man's face and excused herself to clean a different room.

"Itachi has always had trouble showing emotion, or perhaps I should say, knowing when to show emotion." He sat down on the blue couch and Sasuke sat on an orange chair nearby. "He would either be an emotionless shell, or suddenly burst into tears or fly into an uncontrollable rage. I think he was five when he tried to kill another boy a few years older than him. If I hadn't stopped him… he would have succeeded. He was even hospitalized at one point when he started crying and couldn't stop. However, as he got older I thought he was getting better. I thought he could understand the world better and adapt to its expectations… but… Sasuke, Itachi has been through a lot and some things aren't worked out that easily."

"Oh." Sasuke didn't know what to think about this new information. It was a side of his brother he never suspected existed.

"I pushed him hard… too hard I've been told… but I needed him. I still do. He has to work this out." Fugaku's voice become firm, but was still friendly.

"But… if it's too hard… maybe I could help. I can help!" Sasuke stood up and clenched his fists, "He's sick, too! Remember? He's going to… he might die!"

"Sasuke, no." Fugaku sighed again, then realized he had been doing a lot of that lately and quietly berated himself for it. "Sasuke, a lot of what your big brother is doing is so you aren't dragged into this mess. He wants you safe."

That was too much and Sasuke yelled in frustration, "What's the point of being safe if the people around you are suffering! I won't stand back and let this happen! I'm going to help him no matter what! Even if you won't tell me, or anyone else, what he needs help with, I'm still going to be there!"

Fugaku stared in shock, his eyes opening wide. He had never considered that. How would Sasuke feel if Itachi died while fighting Madara? The boy had tremendous potential, and could easily provide his brother with much needed support. But… if both his boys died… He dropped his head down into his hands and shook it back and forth.

"You can't stop me, father. I will train. I will do everything I can to become as good as Itachi. Then, when he fights, I will be with him and he won't suffer anymore." Sasuke's voice was full of determination and Fugaku slowly raised his head to look at the boy. He had his Sharingan on and the expression on his face was full of determination and resolve.

"Sasuke… I don't want you to grow up to be like your brother. That is why I am having him train you instead of me. He is better with children and much more patient than I was. I don't want you to walk down the same road he does." Fugaku became stern.

"Too bad, father. I'm going to help whether you guys want me to or not. No matter what it takes." Sasuke stormed out of the room and down the hall to the stairs, stomping his feet as he descended.

Fugaku frowned in anger. "Stubborn. Just like his father."

"Both of them." Mikoto said quietly as she walked into the room; referring to Madara and Fugaku.

Fugaku looked up and sighed. Again. "I guess, when we make out plans for our children, we should have remembered that they have their own personalities and ideas."

Mikoto smiled, "It's hard though, Fugaku, we have to reign them in so they don't run amuck, yet at the same time we have to know when to release the reigns and let them fly." She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Do you suppose any parent gets it right?"

"When you put it like that… no. It seems impossible." Fugaku admitted.

Mikoto gave a short laugh. "He'll be okay, dear. He has to be."

"You sound so sure."

"I have to be, Fugaku, if I'm not… I might fall apart myself." Mikoto stood up and quickly left the room.

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**Next week, Itachi gets a mission outside of Konoha.**

**Yes, Sakura is an orphan. You'll learn more when Sasuke goes back to school. And Sasuke has realized his life goal, but really, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	12. Chapter 12 Another Perspective

**Last week Danzou was executed by Itachi, who then attempted to turn the blade on himself in a sudden surge of regret.**

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 12 – Another Perspective**

Aya walked silently through the halls of the Mitzukage mansion. It was a large structure consisting of traditional construction that linked several one and two story buildings with covered walkways and wide, dark hallways lined endlessly with doors. On the whole it was cold and unwelcoming, but there were a few rooms that were pleasant. And the garden that surrounded the mansion was spectacular, even in the fall. A small river wound its way through the property ending in a large pond that hosted beautifully colored ducks and koi. At least a couple dozen different varieties of trees shaded the garden in summer and there was even a small area set aside for bonsai. A courtyard and swimming pool were near the living room, which was where Aya spent most of her time, either inside reading, or outside training.

Today, Aya had practiced taijutsu for almost five hours. Not just to keep in shape but also because there was nothing else to do. The servants only spoke to her when they required and never in a friendly manner. There was never any small talk. The women were especially cold for some reason. Loneliness plagued her days as she fought hard to find distractions to help pass the days.

As she walked down the long hall she realized she had taken a wrong turn and was in a part of the mansion she had been warned to keep out of. Madara's private quarters. Gasping slightly in self-reproach she started to turn around so she could re-trace her steps when she heard voices. A man and a woman. Madara and … it sounded like one of the maids.

Aya thought hard and finally placed the voice. The new girl, Keiko. An image of a mid-twenties, well-dressed woman with shoulder length blue hair and blue eyes came to mind. The woman was just an inch taller than herself and very confident of herself. Aya remembered that she had instantly disliked her for some reason. She pressed herself against the wall so she could listen. After all, she reasoned to herself, what else was there to do? However, the conversation was not one she wanted to hear. In fact, it was very disturbing.

"That was quite amazing Keiko. You definitely live up to your reputation." Madara's voice was pleasant.

Keiko gave a coy laugh, "Why thank-you my Lord, but you… I've never seen anyone with such a gorgeous body, and what stamina! I might have to take a nap before I return to work."

Madara laughed, "Ha! We were in there for almost two hours after all." Aya covered her mouth when she thought she heard them kissing, suddenly realizing what they were talking about.

"Mmm… Madara…" Keiko sighed.

There was a rustling of fabric and a masculine gasp.

"Ah! Grab me there and we'll be another two hours. I've got work to do, Keiko." Madara replied in a low voice.

"Bye bye, Lord Madara." Keiko started walking down the hall and Aya ducked into a closet so she wouldn't be seen. A minute later she slid the door open and stepped out, looking the direction the other woman had walked off in. Turning around she bumped into Madara's chest. He grabbed her roughly by the throat and shoved her against the wall. His black silk yukata had a gold falcon than wound its way around the fabric and was tied loosely, revealing a muscular chest and broad shoulders. It was short, only dropping to mid-thigh.

"The little mouse forgot to hide her chakra." Madara bent his face close to hers, until his lips were only a inch from hers, "Little girls shouldn't spy on things they aren't ready for yet."

Aya struggled to release herself, but Madara gripped her neck harder, making it difficult to breath. "I'm not a kid!" Aya defended herself. "I'm sixteen!"

"Ha! Sixteen." Madara laughed at her.

Aya was getting angry, "And what are you up to? You tell me we are getting married, but you are having sex with the maids? Hypocrite."

"Humph. It will be years before you are experienced enough to please me, princess, and therefore I will take my pleasure where I find it. And you will be the obedient little wife who looks the other way. Be grateful I am allowing you to remain inexperienced. I had considered selling you off on a three-year contract. Brothels pay very well, you know. I could still change my mind." Madara bent down and kissed her roughly.

Pushing against his chest, Aya tried to break away as tears stung at her eyes, flowing freely down her cheeks.

Madara broke away from her and stood back, "A child. As I thought. Consider that your punishment for disobeying me. You are not to enter my quarters again. When the time comes, I will come to you. Not the other way around. Understood, princess?"

Aya was completely at a loss. She stood against the wall as more tears continued to fall and she fell into deep, wracking sobs. "I… want to… go home." She finally managed to speak, but the words came out broken and barely audible. "I want Shisui… I want to be with Shisui."

"Shisui is dead, and you aren't ever leaving this place." Madara spoke without emotion. He watched as the girl crumpled onto the floor and buried her face in her hands. Smiling, he bent over and placed a hand on her head, a moment later she was unconscious. "Finally, it took long enough. You have a strong spirit Aya, but finally you are starting to break."

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A soft rustling sound was the first thing Aya heard as consciousness returned. Opening her eyes she winced at the bright light that streamed through the floor to ceiling window that stretched across one side of the large bedroom. It was still daylight.

"Why was I asleep?" Aya rubbed her eyes in an attempt to adjust to the light. She looked out of the window and saw snow drifting down from the sky in large delicate flakes. The sliding door attached to the window was open part-way, allowing her to hear them as they landed on the ground. Sitting up she watched the snow fall in the courtyard for a couple minutes before the events that precluded her current condition returned to her. "That bastard. How dare he do something like that?" She said angrily as she shivered.

Standing up she closed the door so the space heater would actually heat the room instead of blowing around cold air. "But why did he get so mad? If he wants to play around, and he wants me to look the other way, then why would he care if I caught him at it? And why did I react that way? It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything. Why do I care who he's with?"

"My Lady? Princess Aya, I have brought you some tea and cake. Lord Mitzukage said you would be awake by now, I see he was correct, as usual." Keiko entered the room without knocking and placed a silver tray on the kotetsu. She removed a tea pot, cup and a plate holding a large piece of white cake with coconut frosting. "You should really sit over here under the kotetsu and keep warm. Young girls are prone to illness and we wouldn't want _anything_ to happen to you." Her syrupy over-sweet voice grated through Aya's mind like finger nails on a black board.

"Then explain why the outside door was open when I woke up." Aya asked angrily. She didn't like to be treated like a kid, and her throat was sore from breathing in the cold air.

"You must be mistaken, Princess Aya. The door was closed when Lord Mitzukage carried you in here." Keiko gave the younger woman a smile that was more of a sneer.

Aya was feeling argumentative, "And you opened it after he left. What are you, two-years-old? I would think you would realize that being jealous of me is pointless."

"Humph. Come eat your snack, Princess Aya. You're still a growing girl." Keiko walked to the door and paused with her back to Aya before speaking again in a menacing tone, "And don't worry, it isn't poisoned. That would be too easy for the Master to detect." She exited the room, silently sliding the door closed after her.

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An explosion broke the stillness of the early morning as bright flames shot up into the sky with an ear-splitting "boom". Another one followed seconds later, and then another. Itachi shot straight up in his bed, and jumped out only to be stopped when someone grabbed him. He turned around to strike but pulled back when he realized it was Toshiro.

"What's going on?" Itachi yelled as Toshiro pushed him back onto the bed.

"Lie down and get a grip. You've been through a lot in the last day." Toshiro walked over to the sliding glass door and pulled open the curtains. From the second story bedroom part of the village could be seen over the tops of the roofs, and in the distance seven separate fires could be were burning brightly.

Memories flooded into Itachi's mind as the events of the previous day washed over him. He had tried to kill himself. His eyes shot open in shock and he stood up, placing a hand over his stomach. He was dressed only in a pair of white shorts and he could feel no cuts or scratches. 'So I was stopped.' He thought to himself. Another explosion brought him out of his thoughts and he walked over to the door.

"What's going on?" Itachi asked, a little sheepishly. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but embarrassment was certainly at the top of the list. Perhaps even frustration or fear.

"The renegades started up again a couple hours ago. I'm surprised you didn't wake up earlier with all the noise they've been making." Toshiro replied calmly. "How are you feeling, Itachi? You really scared everyone."

"I, umm…" Itachi looked down at the floor. "I don't know."

Toshiro sighed and ran his hand through the teen's hair and patted him on the back. "You always were a curiosity to me. Although…" He was silent for a couple minutes before he spoke again, "I always hated the Mangekyou. My… father had it and he went blind. This was when your father was still a little boy. I don't think Fugaku remembers much about him, if anything. He was already dead by the time we became friends. My father killed his best friend in a battle that was setup by the elders. It weighed on his mind for the rest of his life and he… ended up killing himself. He said…" Toshiro stopped and closed his eyes, "He said he could hear his friend's voice talking to him."

Itachi gasped and turned to look at the older man, grabbing Toshiro's arm in shock. "He what?"

"Fugaku told me that the eyes could be obtained through strong emotion. I hadn't known that before. I thought you had to kill first. He showed me the scroll… the one that was kept secret from all but the clan leader and elders. You and he are the only ones who have the Mangekyou right now. You two… and Madara of course. He's still out there, somewhere. I'm sure we didn't scare him off permanently eight years ago. That would be too good to be true."

Looking around the room Itachi saw his robe lying across the end of the bed and put it on. The dark room was chilled even though the oil heater was running. "Toshiro… why are you telling me this?"

Smiling, Toshiro looked at Itachi as he leaned against the door jam, "Because, it needed to be said. And… I heard you say Shisui's name right before you stopped attacking Danzou. What happened, Itachi? Did you hear him?"

Itachi frowned, not knowing what to say. But… he was Shisui's father. "I…" he paused, wishing he could vanish instead of answering the question, "I did hear something. It said to kill him. It sounded like… like Shisui. But that's not possible! There's no such thing as ghosts!"

"It's not a ghost. It's the chakra of the person you absorbed. That is how the Mangekyou works. My father told me about it. He said that the Mangekyou is the result of two complimentary chakra systems working together. Kind of like having a double Sharingan, only more powerful. Because they are complimentary, it is undetectable to everyone except the person who carries it. He was unable to control when his friend would speak, but it seemed to happen during periods of great duress and indecision."

"So… Shisui is… alive in my… eyes? Mind?" Itachi was getting confused. It really sounded too bizarre to be true. Especially for someone who had just woken up. The burning village, dark room, Toshiro speaking to him; it reminded him of a dream he had years earlier in which he had run into the older man at the front gate of the Uchiha compound in the middle of the night. Toshiro had then killed him out of pity, to put him out of his misery. In the dream, Itachi had thanked him as he dropped to ground dying.

"He's alive as chakra inside your body. But at the same time, it isn't him." Toshiro explained quietly.

"Oh. I guess… As long as I'm not hearing voices because I'm going insane I guess I can deal with it. Thank-you for telling me." Itachi smiled with relief. "I wonder… I wonder if there is a way to actually communicate with that chakra."

"Father tried. Especially after he went blind and could no longer work. He would meditate for hours calling his dead friend, but it never worked. However, that's no reason for you not to try. You are the Uchiha prodigy and where others failed, you may succeed." Toshiro's voice was encouraging.

"And… you want to talk to him as well." Itachi replied calmly.

"Yeah. I'm his father. Of course I do."

"Hmm." Itachi released a ragged breath, unsure of Toshiro's agenda. His explanation was logical, to a degree, but on the other hand it sounded more like the grief-stricken ramblings of a half-insane father. He decided to change the subject, "So why are you here instead of outside fighting?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on you." Toshiro said truthfully, "Everyone is very worried. And not many people can overpower you if you decide to break down again so the list of babysitters is pretty short."

Itachi closed his eyes and he remembered the overwhelming guilt that suddenly engulfed him as he picked up Danzou's discarded knife. "I was going to… kill… you all."

"Itachi, that's been sorted out already. Don't let it weigh so heavily on your mind."

"Yes, you're right." Itachi admitted halfheartedly, more to end the conversation than because he believed it.

"Also… I need to stay here and keep an eye on Naruto. Last time he was almost killed." Toshiro admitted. "We can't afford to let that happen."

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Bluish-gray clouds hung low over the village as dawn brightened the sky. A light flurry of snow fell lazily, occasionally blown horizontal by a strong north wind. The early-season snow storm made fighting difficult and the renegades pulled back as their cover of darkness disappeared. Casualties were low, thanks in part to Fugaku pulling all available shinobi into service after the execution. Even so, after the fighting died down a lot of people felt the attack was nothing more than a token effort – a show of force simply because they were slightly pissed off over the death of their leader. The passion evidenced in the faces of the enemy seemed to be fueled by something else.

There were many things going though Fugaku's mind as he walked into the meeting room at the interrogation facilities. Like everyone else he was wet and cold from an evening of fighting in the snow, but that was clearly at the back of his mind as he gazed over the faces of the interrogation squad.

"Lord Hokage." Ibiki addressed Fugaku as he, and the others in attendance sat down at the table. "We captured twenty-three renegades. However, only four were from Konoha. The rest were missing-nins from Stone and Waterfall, and I think one of the Waterfall nins may actually be from Grass – we're rechecking his identity right now. One of the Chuunin thinks he recognizes him from a mission a couple years ago."

"Humph. It would be completely out of character for Danzou to hire foreign shinobi. This certainly complicates things." Fugaku answered. "Obviously someone else was pulling the strings. The question is when did they get involved - before the coup or after?"

"We are attempting to ascertain that right now." Ibiki assured him however, as he continued his voice became hesitant, "Two of the Konoha ninjas we captured were not connected with Danzou, but acting on their own against the... new government."

Fugaku scowled, "That makes seventy-seven in the last few weeks. Time to start making an example of them."

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"Itachi? Big brother?" Sasuke spoke worriedly as he slid open the door and poked his head through the gap. "Are you awake?"

"Is he awake?" Naruto was standing behind him, whispering.

"M… maybe we shouldn't bother him." Hinata said nervously.

"What do you want?" Itachi spoke softly. He and Toshiro were sitting in mismatched upholstered chairs watching the snow fall. A small end-table sat between them with two tea cups and a thermos.

"Umm… I know I'm not supposed to bother you… but… maybe you could tell me… umm… us… what kind of training we could do on our… own…" Sasuke's voice dropped to nothing when he noticed that Itachi had made no attempt to turn around and look at him. He started to fidget and fumbled nervously with the hem of his sweater.

"You should stay inside." Itachi replied calmly. "There might still be renegades around." He was silent for a minute, but when the kids made no motion to leave he closed his eyes. Toshiro had refused to leave and being under continuous observation was beginning to eat on Itachi's nerves. He wasn't used to such close contact. Toshiro, of course, realized this and had promised to leave once the doctor said it was okay.

"Okay." Sasuke continued to fidget.

"Hinata, you didn't walk over here alone did you?" Toshiro asked.

The girl opened her eyes wide, "No. Kisa and Hanabi and Konohamaru are downstairs. And… umm… Lady Mikoto wanted to know if you want to eat in you room or downstairs."

"Itachi, I believe it would be good to eat with everyone." Toshiro replied kindly.

"Yes, of course." Itachi said blandly, "Sasuke, you three can practice hiding and sensing chakra. One of you will hide your chakra, and the other two must try to sense it."

Sasuke was suspicious, "That sounds like hide-and-seek."

"Funny how that works out, isn't it?" Itachi smirked. "However, it will save your life someday, nonetheless."

"Oh!" Sasuke's eyes opened wide, "Okay! Come on guys!" The three children ran out of the room, eager to begin their new training.

"That was…" Toshiro laughed.

"Yeah, well, it'll keep them occupied for a while. Naruto especially needs to work on his chakra control but Sasuke could use the practice as well. Hinata will probably win." Itachi smiled as he explained.

"Itachi." Fugaku walked into the room and appraised his son, "You look better."

Itachi stared at his father for minute then down at his hands. He felt ashamed, so much so that he could feel his face turning red with embarrassment. Although exactly what shamed him was a little harder to understand. Was it his failure to kill himself, or the fact that he had even tried in the first place? Nevertheless he rose from his chair, dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead on the floor. "I apologize for my conduct yesterday and the embarrassment it caused you, my family, and my clan."

Fugaku gave him a weak smile, "Surprisingly enough, you are now a hero Itachi. Your willingness to accept your punishment after Danzou knocked away the knife was seen as the act of a responsible, loyal ninja of Konoha."

Itachi sat back on the balls of his feet and stared at his father in disbelief before looking back down at the floor. "But how do you feel, father."

Sitting down on the edge of the bed Fugaku sighed as he shook his head. "Angry… worried…" He gazed intently at his still kneeling son, "But none of that concerns you. Toshiro, could you leave us?"

"Sure thing. I'll go see if lunch is ready." Toshiro stood up and left, closing the door silently.

Fugaku waited a minute before speaking again, "Itachi, I have a mission for you. I want you to travel in Akatsuki for a while and try to ascertain the current threat level to Konoha."

"What do you mean? Can't the Shinobi teams already here do that?" Itachi was confused. It sounded like something an advanced Genin team should be doing. Simple recognizance.

"It's not as simple as it sounds. Several of the renegades captured last night were missing nins from other villages. We know Madara got a hold of Danzou and probably was responsible for him showing up that night, but is that his only involvement? Whether it is or isn't, you, as Akatsuki, could find out more than a regular Konoha ninja could. Plus – we don't have many shinobi to spare. We have to keep a certain number here to protect the village from the renegades, and it's entirely possible we may be attacked in our weakened state by another village. Stone and Cloud have traditionally been the first to pound on our gates. The clans that I pulled in to help with the coup will need to be trained to work together before they can be sent away on missions so they aren't completely useful yet either." Fugaku was matter-of-fact in his explanation.

"Ah. I understand. I'll contact Leader and let him know right away. But I need to be alone to do it."

Fugaku stood up, "Then I'll wait in the hallway for you."

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Three days later Itachi was packed and ready to head out. His backpack held his cloak, weapons, a few personal effects and on his back was strapped a precision katana. Sasuke, of course, was very upset to see his brother leaving, but was mollified somewhat when Itachi wrote out a detailed training schedule with goals and deadlines.

Before he left he visited Shisui's grave. There were no flowers in the village – the Yamanaka's florist shop was still standing, but had been damaged by looters and wouldn't open again until spring or maybe summer. Instead, Itachi brought some potato chips and scattered them on the ground in front of the grave stone; it had been Shisui's favorite food. He stayed for about ten minutes, staring at his friend's name, not really thinking. A few weeks ago he had wanted to apologize for failing, but now he wanted to apologize for not seeing through Danzou's treachery. If he had known what was going on… Shisui would still be alive. As far as Itachi was concerned, Shisui had been Danzou's first victim.

As he finally made his way out of the village he saw a small crowd gathered at the front gate. They were standing in small groups whispering. Itachi approached and stopped in shock when he saw the focus of their attention - heads. The heads were stuck onto pikes and under each one was sign with a name and the word "traitor". Danzou's head was there, of course. That didn't surprise or alarm Itachi; his hatred for the man would probably never diminish. What did bother him was the inclusion of the heads of villagers who had risen up against Fugaku since he had taken power. He saw a woman sobbing quietly underneath one head, there were two small children clutching her legs. The three looked like they were dressed in rags. They had blankets wrapped around their bodies and the children had towels tied to their legs to protect them from the snow.

Turning from the sight Itachi walked through the small opening in the large village gate and started down the road. It was still very cold out and the gray sky promised more snow before the day was out. Possibly before noon. Itachi had been in fairly high spirits when he had awoken that morning, but they were quickly fading. He had wanted to leave the village for a while, but now he wasn't so sure that he was doing the right thing.

An hour later he was dressed in his Akatsuki robe, hat and ring. He was going to have to travel a few hours to meet up with Kisame since he had been on the southern tip of Wind country conducting his "personal business". He was about to jump up into the trees when he sensed a familiar presence. He stood still and waited as his chest tightening in apprehension. He didn't want those two to see him dressed in the black and red garment and considered pulling it off as their chakra came closer. But they already knew what he was so instead he closed his eyes and waited.

Sarutobi and Jiraiya jumped down, landing ten feet away from the teen. They stared at him expressionlessly, as if sizing him up. Time passed slowly as Itachi held their attention, making no attempt to leave.

Finally Sarutobi spoke, his voice sounded strong and sure, but strangely neutral, "Itachi, I wish you luck on your mission. Hopefully you will find out who is hiring those missing nin."

"You are sounding well." Itachi stated it as a fact.

"Yes. I am feeling much better now."

"Is this a chance encounter or did you intercept me for a reason?" Itachi asked, suddenly on guard. The two men in front of him seemed aloof and serious.

Jiraiya spoke up, his words tinged with anger, "I take it you saw that pretty little display at the front gate?"

"Yes."

"Fugaku has quite a temper." He continued.

"Yes." Itachi wondered why the Sanin was wasting time stating the obvious.

"So what is next?" Jiraiya asked.

"Don't push him and you won't find out. Or run away like you always do. Why _are_ you still in Konoha anyway?" Itachi was suddenly angry. He wasn't defending his father, but if these two men came all this way just to complain; as far as was concerned they could take a long walk off a short pier.

Jiraiya growled and Sarutobi placed a hand on his arm, silently telling him to calm down.

"I'll be sending frogs to you on a regular basis. Return them with information. No one is getting in the way of Naruto's safety. Even you." Jiraiya's voice was full of menace as he glared at the boy in front of him.

"Naruto is safe for now. Despite what you think of him, Fugaku would give his life to protect him. Perhaps for different reasons than you, but it does still ensure he is safe. Now, unless you have something useful to say, I do have someplace I need to get to." Itachi spoke calmly and firmly.

"When are you returning?" Sarutobi finally asked.

"I'm not sure. It could take a few months to trace down the source of the missing nins. Remember, I have to do this in addition to being Akatsuki, which means I'll be doing this in bits and pieces." He suddenly got the gist of what was bothering the two men and sighed, "If you are worried about my father going on a killing spree then take out the rebels in the village yourself first. Fugaku has never been one to put up with any form of defiance and the longer they defy him the worse things will get. He isn't squeamish at all about torture, and now that he has the Hyuuga side-branch supporting him you really won't be able to do much to stop him."

Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed, "I have heard stories… A long time ago one of the Uchiha Lords would impale his enemies on stakes and watch them die…"

"Yes. That is true." Itachi stated calmly. "It was hundreds of years ago, but it is in our histories still. It really happened."

"At an interrogation yesterday Fugaku threatened a rebel with the same punishment." Sarutobi opened his eyes and locked onto Itachi's expressionless face.

"If he threatened then he will go through with it. I suggest you get to work as soon as possible instead of standing here gossiping with me." Itachi was careful not put any inflection in his voice. He was horrified, however, that his father would even consider such a thing, yet the man never made idle threats. "I apologize that I am not going to be here to help you."

"You have helped, Itachi. I believe I understand the situation better, and you do have something important to do now. The security of the village, inside and outside, is always important." Jiraiya finally smiled, albeit it didn't reach his eyes.

Itachi's expression broke and he closed his eyes as he frowned.

"Itachi… I am beginning an investigation to find Tsunade. It will take a while… the last I heard she was on another continent. However, she may be able to do something about your illness…" Jiraiya was interrupted by Itachi who opened his eyes in anger.

"Don't find her for me. I'm not worth it. Do it because the village needs healers. Dr. Yakushi was not well when he visited me the other day. He is overworked, and if he dies because of that…"

"There is no one to fill his shoes. He is second only to Tsunade. The other healers are competent, but none are at their level." Sarutobi filled in the blanks. "Very well. We will see you when we see you, then." The two men disappeared and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back in the direction of the village he wondered what it would be like when he returned.

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**Next week – Itachi searches for the source of the Renegades missing nin and the Academy re-opens.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	13. Chapter 13 The Impasse

**Thanks for reviewing everyone! It's great to read them!**

**I know I left some loose ends in the last story (Itachi – the early years) and I'll get to them eventually. It just seemed like if I took care of them all at once it would seem contrived, so they'll come up at different places in the story.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

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**Chapter 13 – The Impasse**

"We need to find out more about Root." Madara was reclining in a white, egg-shaped chair in Rain. Nearby Pein sat with his legs crossed and Konan stood leaning against the back of her chair with her chin resting in her hands. The whole building was like a giant battery and one could feel the energy surging through the walls and floors and hear the humming of machinery from every direction. Madara occasionally wondered if being inside Pein's building would be anything like being inside a living being.

Pein sat calmly as he took a few minutes to consider Madara's words. "Don't you trust your kinsman to destroy them?"

"Hmm. Fugaku is competent in that regard. However, he is rather heavy-handed and there are rebels fighting back inside the village. Stone is preparing an offensive against the village and Waterfall would love to join them. Cloud is, for some reason, standing by and so far showing no intention of attacking."

"So he has his hands full and you want to help. Akatsuki has better things to do than run your personal errands, Madara." Konan spoke bitterly.

Madara scowled, "This is no personal errand. Root is too large and too organized to be operating below the radar of any village. They are hiring a lot of missing nin. We need to find out what their plans are and who their leaders are."

"Then assign Itachi. He should be able to find out quickly enough." Konan stated simply. "What's the big deal?"

Madara breathed out in frustration, "We can't trust Itachi to completely follow our instructions anymore. In fact I'm wracking my brains to think of a way to keep him from betraying us. If he would have wiped out the clan he would have had no where else to go, as well as two or three other reasons to stay. Now… I'm not so sure."

"Kill him then. Kidnap Sasuke and bring him here. We can raise him to be loyal to us." Pein added. His voice held a hint of impatience.

"I don't think that would work as well as you think it would. Sasuke is rather devoted to his big brother and would probably spend that time trying to figure out a way to kill _you_ instead. However, I do want Sasuke eventually." Madara leaned back and closed his eyes. "When the time comes, Fugaku will be more than willing to give me Naruto, of that I am certain. Itachi, however, had no intention of handing the Jinchuuriki over."

"Your thoughts are all over the place Madara." Konan sat down in exasperation and stretched as her black and red robe fell back at the seam revealing two shapely legs.

"Hmm." Madara sighed in agreement as he glanced appraisingly at Konan's legs through half-opened eyelids. "Pein, are you almost ready for your coup?"

"Yes. Give me two weeks and everything will be set."

"Then I believe when you attack Hanzou's clan's village I will have a few people in attendance. When Itachi and… Deidara for that matter… see what you are capable of it should inspire some increased level of loyalty. Besides… _he's_ been sniffing around a lot lately, hasn't he?" Madara turned his gaze back to Pein as the thrumming in the background increased for a minute, as if a heart was pounding.

"Hanzou is suspicious of this building, that is true. It is in the middle of his capital city after all. We have killed many spies in the last few months, twice as many as the same time last year. It would definitely be better if we didn't have to hide." Pein paused in contemplation before turning to gaze at Madara with a determined stare, "Give the word and I will take control of Rain."

Madara gave a short laugh, "Rain is yours, Pein."

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Sasuke walked hesitantly into the classroom. The room looked the same as it had last fall, so much so that for a moment the young boy had a sudden feeling that time hadn't passed at all and the coup had never happened. The early spring sunshine brightened the room and a cherry tree bloomed pink outside the window as birds chirped and chased each other around its branches. That feeling was quickly abandoned though when Sasuke looked closely at his classmates as he walked up the risers to his desk. He sat in the back and tried to keep a low profile. Fugaku had told him the night before that there could be trouble from the other students, children often struck out at the first thing that they believed caused them pain, whether it actually did or not, and Sasuke might become the source of their pain. It was a disturbing thought. While he had never sought popularity, he didn't particularly want to be hated either.

A couple rows down from him he saw Shikamaru Nara refuse to allow another kid to sit next to him. He was protecting the spot quite diligently and after a couple minutes Sasuke remembered why. Shikamaru was Choji's best friend. He was saving the seat for him. For a ghost.

"He knows Choji's dead, right Sasuke?" Naruto whispered as he sat down. He had stopped off at the restroom before coming to class.

"Yeah. I'm sure he does. He's just… I don't know…" Sasuke's voice faded, unable to give words to his feelings.

"There's a lot of new kids here." Naruto said in his normal voice.

"They're from the clans dad brought in to help. Their families moved into the village last week from the hideout. They're the ones living in the tents, remember?" Sasuke watched as ten kids looked hesitantly around the room muttering to each other, as if they didn't know what to do.

Sasuke stood up and walked down to the group, "Hi."

"Hi… um…" A boy with white hair and blue eyes spoke in a confused voice. He was about the same height as Sasuke and wore what appeared to be a semi-formal yukata and hakama pants. In fact, all the kids were dressed up.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My father wanted me to help if you needed it." Sasuke smiled and tried to speak cheerfully, but he saw a couple girls in the front row glaring at him and cringed.

The boy sighed in relief, "My name is Ji Kim." He looked back at the kids standing around him, "We've never been in a school before. Our parents or grandparents would teach us instead. So… what… do we do?"

"Oh!" Sasuke was surprised by that and several people in the room turned around to watch. "I guess… find a place to sit and wait for the teacher. He'll talk to us and stuff and then give us homework. I guess I never thought about it."

"Must be easy then." The stragglers found seats and Ji decided to sit next to Sasuke.

"Why did you guys dress up?" Naruto asked, smiling broadly.

"Even though we are all from different clans, our mothers got together and decided we should make a good impression. The girls liked dressing up, I guess, but if I get dirty my mom'll kill me. This really sucks." Ji was very honest about his feelings and seemed relieved to have someone to talk to. Sasuke found himself relaxing a little bit as well.

Class started when Iruka walked hurriedly into the room and slammed the door to get the students attention. Everyone jumped in alarm and then relaxed when he gave them a warm smile. "I am relieved to see you all here." He paused and continued to look around the room, "And grieved over those who will never return. We have been through a lot, but with the death of Danzou, we have been given an opportunity to build a new, stronger village."

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Sasuke and Naruto carried their boxed lunches out of the building and onto the school grounds. The sun was warm but a brisk wind kept everyone in their jackets. The two boys saw Hinata sitting under the cherry tree with Ino, Shikamaru and Sakura and Naruto insisted on joining them.

"You're being sociable today, Sasuke. What gives?" Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"My dad told me to be." Sasuke muttered, "He isn't the kind of person you say 'no' to."

"That's for sure. Have you seen all the heads at the front gate?" Ino added. Everyone nodded, being careful not to make eye contact with each other.

"Sakura, my mom made you these." Ino passed a couple riceballs to the pink haired girl. "She was worried you might not get enough to eat."

"Thank-you Ino." Sakura said quietly, "We get enough, I think. I'm not hungry. It's not as good as your mom's food though… or… mine…" She sniffed a couple times as she busied herself with eating. Her own lunch was in a cardboard box and consisted of some rice, carrots and boiled eggs.

"So what happened to your parents?" Naruto asked, then ducked as Ino hit him over the head.

"That's mean! Don't ask!" Ino yelled.

Sakura ignored her friend, "We got separated into different tunnels and theirs fell down on them. I live here at the school now with the other…orphans." She said the last word in a whisper so quiet the others barely heard her.

"Why don't you live with Ino?" Naruto scrunched his face up in concern.

Shikamaru answered, "Ino and her family and Choji's dad are staying with us because Inoichi needs help moving around and dad didn't want Chouza to be by himself. He's still really depressed about his wife and Choji dying."

"But I come over here everyday to see her." Ino added.

"I'm glad you do." Sakura smiled, then spoke in a stronger voice, "We've been training, Sasuke. Ino and me. We're not going to stand around and watch you anymore. We're going to be good Kunoichi's and protect Konoha so this doesn't happen again."

"That's right!" Ino gave a big smile as she raised her arm in the air to show her resolve. "We were dumb to stand around staring at you. We could have been training and when they attacked we could have helped instead of hiding! But we're not going to do that anymore!"

"That's right! Me too!" Hinata added firmly.

"And me!" Naruto gave everyone a big grin.

"I've been training everyday too. I'm going to help my brother so he doesn't fight alone and protect his kids…when he has some." Sasuke added.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru smirked, "I've been training hard too. I got a lot to learn if I'm going to be as good as my dad. And… I've got to live for Choji."

"And Ami." Sakura added. "I hated her, she always made fun of me, but I cried when I found out she died. I guess I didn't hate her as much as I thought."

"Yeah, me too." Ino and Hinata said at the same time.

"Hey let's sit with Shikamaru and them!" Kiba ran over and plopped down next to the small group. Shino walked over at a more leisurely pace and quietly sat next to him. The two boys appeared to be complete opposites. Kiba was outgoing and boisterous with wild, shaggy brown hair and red "fang" tattoos running from each side of his face below his eyes to his chin. Shino, on the other hand, was quiet, kept to himself and always wore a long coat and sun glasses. The other kids often referred to him as "creepy".

Sasuke sighed at the new arrivals. He was started to feel uncomfortable around so many other people. As the youngest son of a clan that had no other children he wasn't used to being around other kids. He turned to look away and saw Ji watching them uncertainly. He waved him over, "Come on Ji, might as well join us."

Ji ran over. "Thanks!" He sat down next to Sakura.

"Not eating with your friends?" Shikamaru asked, curiously.

"Nah. Not my friends. My clan is from the other continent and we speak a different language, have a different culture. We aren't very well liked because of that and when we came here none of the hidden villages would let us join. We tried seven of them over the years." Ji explained quickly as he bit into his riceball.

"That sucks." Kiba said, "But you're here now!"

"Yeah!" Ji gave everyone a big smile that was eagerly returned. "I really love it here!"

"Hey! You want to train with us after school?" Naruto asked.

"Sure do! But… right now I have to help my clan build our houses so I don't have free time. I'll ask though… if it's training maybe they'll let me stay for a couple hours."

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Sasuke had to smile as he walked down the road on his way home; his first day back to school hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be. Of course there were quite a lot of kids staring… or was that glaring… at him. Naruto walked beside him, also smiling. No one had teased him and today had possibly been the best day of his school career. Neither boy was on guard as they walked down the dark street, oblivious of their surroundings.

Two sharp "crack's" were heard as two thin sticks hit the boy's heads and split. Both Sasuke and Naruto stumbled to the ground and turned around to see what was going on, rubbing their heads to ease the pain. The street lights brightened the road, illuminating six older boys who appeared to be from their school.

"Where do you think you're going?" One of them spoke harshly.

"Home. Where else?" Sasuke replied sarcastically as he stared up angrily at them. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to beat your ass." A different boy said. It was too dark to make out any distinguishing features, but Sasuke didn't care. He could recognize them from their voices. The two boys who had spoken were a couple years ahead of him and known throughout the school as bullies.

Standing up, Sasuke and Naruto held their ground. They were both smaller than the others and outnumbered; but their chances of running away successfully seemed slim to none. The older boys closed in around them in a circle and began punching and kicking. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and got a few kicks in of his own, but there were too many for him to fight off. He wasn't that experienced yet and he didn't dare use his fireball jutsu – as upsetting and painful as the whole situation was he knew that killing them would not work out very well in the end.

After about five minutes the boys backed off, leaving Naruto and Sasuke on the ground, bruised and bleeding. "Huh. Too easy! See you here again tomorrow kiddies!" They wandered away, laughing.

Sasuke wiped his face with the back of his hand and found that he was crying. He sniffed loudly and buried his face in his knees as the tears continued to fall. Next to him Naruto was also crying.

"They… they won't get away with that…" Naruto sniffed. "We… we'll tell your dad and he… he'll beat them up!"

"No." Sasuke sniffed and sat up, "We'll take care of it ourselves."

"Why? Lord Fugaku could fix them…"

Sasuke interrupted him, whispering, "What if he kills them. You saw all those heads, Naruto. I mean, I don't like them for hitting us… but… I… I don't know. I don't want to get them in trouble. Dad is… different lately. I'm kind of afraid of him now."

"Yeah. Okay." Naruto agreed quietly. "Me too."

"Boys? Sasuke, Naruto? What have you been doing?" Both boys cringed as they recognized the voice of Fugaku Uchiha not ten feet in front of them.

"Training." Sasuke replied.

"Looks more like you got beat up." Fugaku added. "Who did this?"

"We'll take care of it, father." Sasuke said politely, and bowed forward a couple inches to show his sincerity. "And I… we apologize for loosing and hope it does not cause any embarrassment."

"Hn. See that you do take care of it son." Fugaku spoke sternly as he motioned for the boys to walk in front of him. "Itachi would never have lost of fight like that."

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger. Despite his vow to help his brother, it still pained him greatly to be compared to him. And, of course, he was also embarrassed that his father was the one to find them. As hard as he tried to appear strong and capable in front of the man, he always felt like a failure. Sasuke hardened his resolve and silently vowed to reduce those boys into six piles of quivering flesh, torn, broken and bleeding. They were not going to get away with this.

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The medium-sized village lay sprawled out along the banks of a marshy lake. Very little planning had gone into the design and the residents had built houses wherever they felt like it. The result was a very confusing system of roads that wove their way randomly between a mixture of run-down shacks, middle-class dwellings, market areas and a swampy field that was probably supposed to be a playground. It was cold and old looking, and every house – no matter the income of the family that lived within its walls – had a dilapidated feel to it. The rocky, mud strewn road was littered with puddles and stones.

The assembled group watched silently as an ox cart slowly made its way into the village. It bounced into one puddle, then bounced out in a steady rhythm that both the ox and the driver seemed to accept without second thought. Silent to the hardships of their existence because they no longer had the will to change them.

"This is where Leader told us to wait." Itachi said calmly as he stepped onto a bluff that overlooked the village. He leaned up against a blooming cherry tree and closed his eyes as Kisame, Sasori and Deidara joined him. The four men wore hats to keep the rain out of their faces, and while their black and red cloaks were waterproof, but their feet and legs were wet and muddy.

"This is where Hanzou's clan is from, un?" Deidara wrinkled his nose in disgust as a fetid smell wafted up the hill from the village. "Figures he'd choose to have us wait in a graveyard. Aren't they supposed to cremate or something? Or at least bury them?" Deidara and Itachi walked about twenty feet to an open grave. Inside appeared to be five people in various stages of decomposition.

Deidara's eye (the one not covered by his scope) opened wide in shock, "There's children in there!"

"Probably all died of a virus of some kind and the villagers were too scared to stick around long enough to cover the grave. Or they are expecting more people to die and want to fill the grave up before covering it." Itachi stated solemnly as he covered his nose with his arm. He watched as Deidara tried to disguise the look of sorrow that covered his face. The blond turned around and walked to the edge of the cliff and stood silently looking over the village. He kept wiping his arm across his face.

"There aren't any people out on the streets, un." Deidara finally remarked.

"Might be a plague then." Itachi added as he joined him.

"Pathetic. Hanzou prospers as his village dies." Kisame was angry. "Reminds me of Water country. What _are_ we doing here anyway?"

"You are here to witness a God's retribution." A tall, orange haired main with multiple facial piercings walked onto the bluff, followed closely by an elegant blue-haired woman with cold eyes and porcelain skin. They stood side by side looking sternly at the four Akatsuki assembled before them. "What you will see here today is among the ultimate of my jutsus, the pinnacle of punishment rained down on the sinners of the world."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Deidara fumed.

Itachi had activated his Sharingan as soon as Pein and Konan had appeared, instantly on guard. The Rinnegan user was not someone to be taken lightly, the chakra that emanated from him was filled with such power and intensity as to make one feel as if it _was_ a god that stood there and not a man.

Moving forward with confident strides Pein approached the two teens. Deidara took a step back, moving to the side in an unconscious attempt to stand behind Itachi. He stopped himself quickly, though, not wanting to appear weak. His action did not go unnoticed by either Pein or Itachi, though neither showed any indication that they saw it.

Reaching the edge of the bluff Pein stopped and looked down at the teens. They were the same age, but both were small with Deidara being a couple inches shorter than Itachi. Pein bent down and placed an arm around each boy's shoulder. He then whispered so only they could here, "What you see here today… consider it a warning. Both your loyalties are in question for reasons each of you understand without me having to explain any further." He stood up straight again and patted each boy on the shoulder before moving his hands in a series of signs that lifted him up off the ground.

Both Itachi and Deidara gulped as they watched Pein drift out over the village. Subconsciously, Deidara reached out and grabbed Itachi's arm, forgetting for the moment that he hated the teen and had secretly sworn to kill him one day. Itachi made no move to disengage the wayward hand as he concentrated on Pein's body, now hanging motionless in the air. He had gotten the message, whatever he was about to do to Hanzou's village, Konoha would suffer the same fate if Itachi failed to serve Akatsuki. He could feel his heart drop down into his stomach as he watched the village, drenched in rain and sorrow.

Looking around Itachi tried to sense Madara's chakra. He had to be around here somewhere; no doubt this whole thing had been set up by the elder Uchiha. He had wondered over the last few months how Madara was going to keep him in Akatsuki. As a functioning member of the Konoha shinobi he was passing information to his father. Madara knew this. Now that Fugaku was Hokage it would have to be a concern of some level. The new Hokage might be in a position to act against Akatsuki, using Itachi as an inside source.

'He's probably hiding his chakra.' Itachi thought to himself, 'But he has to be here somewhere. Gloating.' He felt Deidara's grip on his arm get tighter. He wondered what the boy had been doing that would cause Pein to give him a warning as well. Whatever it was, Deidara was obviously terrified. He considered pulling his arm away, but, even though he hated the other teen, he suddenly felt a small measure of companionability toward him and stood still.

Pein raised his arms in the air; his cloak billowed out behind him as his motionless, stoic form was held aloft over the village. He suddenly called out his jutsu in a strong voice that seemed to echo from the heavens, "Shinra Tensei!"

A ball of white light suddenly appeared and exploded several feet off the ground; quickly growing to engulf the entire village in less than five seconds. Building were blown outward from the epicenter, falling over into rubble only to be covered by soil and rocks as a deep crater appeared directly under where Pein still hung in the air.

As the dust and smoke cleared all that remained was a large crater. The lake began draining into the hole, first as a trickle then growing quickly to a deluge. A few people crawled out from under rubble at the edge of the crater and stared helplessly at the destruction and the man who had caused it.

That was when Itachi felt it. Madara's chakra. He looked to the east and saw the masked Uchiha sitting in a tree a few hundred feet away. He looked relaxed, one leg hung over a branch while the other was bent in front of him with his elbow resting on his knee. He turned his gaze from the destruction to look directly into Itachi's eyes, capturing him instantly in a Tsukiyomi.

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A black and red world opened up before the two Uchihas as they stood in a bare clearing staring at each other. There was no wind, no sound, no scent. Madara had created this world and he had failed to include those senses.

"Itachi, you now see what will happen to Konoha if you fail to follow my orders." Madara's deep voice was all business and left no room for discussion.

"Yes." Itachi stated simply.

Madara waited a couple minutes, obviously expecting the teen to say more. When nothing appeared to be forthcoming he continued speaking, "You and I, Itachi. We do not need to be enemies. I did not raise you just to see you die by my hand, but I will not hold back if that is the only option you give me. Remember that."

"Yes."

"You have nothing more to say?"

"Our agreement…" Itachi started to speak but was interrupted quickly by Madara.

"Was void the moment you failed to kill the Uchiha clan in Konoha. If you had succeeded there would have been no reason to threaten Konoha like this to keep your loyalty."

Itachi stared up at the man in front of him and smiled. "Are you afraid of me Madara?"

The man straightened up as if he had been slapped in the face.

"Because… you should be. Everyday I get stronger. I learn more and more about my gifts. You attempt to threaten me, but at the same time you forget that I know who and what you are. So does Fugaku. And someday, so will Sasuke. You love Sasuke don't you? He is your son and you must, on some level, want him to remain safe. But who does Sasuke love? If he had to choose between you… and me… I believe I would win." Itachi was silent for a few minutes as he watched Madara silently seething behind his mask, "I believe this is what they call an 'impasse'. Neither of us can move forward while the other is alive, nor can we kill each other."

"You think I cannot kill you, Itachi? I could do so right now with no effort." Madara snapped.

"Yes, but the fact that you haven't tells me loud and clear that there is a reason you don't do it. A reason that you can't throw away. For now, you and I are stuck together facing each other on a one-lane bridge. One day, one of us will be able to push the other off. One day…" Itachi's voiced faded.

"Humph. You are perceptive. If only you had been alive eighty years ago to stand by my side when Izuna and I lead the Uchiha. Things would have been very different." Madara's forced his voice to sound wistful, but Itachi could tell and gave the man a small smile.

"As a matter of curiosity," Itachi asked quietly, "what is Deidara so afraid of?"

"Huh? Oh… um… he's kind of like you when it comes to killing civilians. Wants to blow things up, but at the same time he wants to be the good guy so everyone will compliment him on his 'art'. He thinks that if he evacuates a building before he blows it up they will tell him how great the explosion was because they are alive to see it. Or that's the story he gave Sasori. You saw his reaction when he saw that grave a few minutes ago though. In reality, he doesn't want to see innocent people get hurt. His art is at odds with his conscience. Frankly, it's going to drive him insane one of these days." Madara suddenly laughed, an odd sound in the otherwise silent world, "But then all good artists have gone insane. Maybe he'll cut off an ear or two?"

Suddenly Itachi was back in the real world; only a second had passed. Deidara was now gripping his arm with both hands. And it hurt. He moved it a little and Deidara stepped back in shock.

"Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to…" Deidara's face turned bright red. That was the problem with fair skin, it showed blushes so much easier than darker skin.

"It's okay." Itachi gave him a half-hearted smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I probably have a nice bruise now. You should feel lucky, it's probably the closest you'll ever get to hurting me."

Deidara nodded, silently relieved that Itachi wasn't going to use his Sharingan on him again. The memory of his indoctrination was still clear and right now he didn't feel like a repeat performance.

Pein drifted back to the bluff and landed next to Konan. "You four may leave now. I do not need Akatsuki's help for what is to follow." He turned around and walked off. Konan looked over the now-extinct village and Itachi could swear he saw a look of remorse pass over her features before she also turned around to follow Pein.

"I don't think I want to hang around for this coup anyway." Kisame broke the silence.

"Nor me." Sasori added in his gravelly voice. "Something about this… my puppets are destructive. I have killed tens of thousands of people… but this… somehow it's different."

"It's exactly the same." Deidara muttered. "Dead is dead in case you hadn't realized."

Itachi nodded once before he caught himself. He really hadn't wanted to get in the middle of this conversation.

Sasori groaned in frustration. "True… true… that is the first thing we are taught when we are born as ninjas. And it's the last thing that goes through our heads when we die as ninjas." He turned around, "Come on Deidara. Let's go someplace warm."

Itachi couldn't take his eyes off the village and continued to gaze down at the destruction. Kisame walked forward to stand next to him, then squatted down in a relaxed position.

"You okay Itachi?"

"On the surface, it looks like Pein just wiped out an entire village. However… if there was some sort of plague here they would have died anyway." Itachi said quietly. "Pein's way… the death was quick instead of lingering. Does that make it right?"

"Itachi… you are a strange sort. I think the real issue here one of Hanzou ignoring his own people's pain. They needed him today. They needed his protection, they needed medication, they needed food. But what will Hanzou do when he sees this? Frankly, I don't think he'll give a damn. What a waste."

"Let's get out of here." Itachi grabbed a branch of the cherry tree as he passed and yanked it off. He gazed at it as he sniffed its flowery fragrance. The blossoms lasted for a short time, but a branch placed in a vase would last just as long as if it had been left on the tree. Sometimes, the branches would even sprout roots while in the water. Yet people weren't like that. When placed in confinement, whether prison, or the shackles of poverty, they always faded and died before their time.

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**Okay, it's a little shorter than usual, but I found a stopping point and… stopped. A good thing too, I just realized it's dark out and according to a popular book there are vampires living a few hours from here so I should probably close the curtains. That'll stop 'em! You know, I suspected something when I went to Starbucks at 5am and the servers were all cheerful and awake. I mean, **_**no one**_** is happy and alert at 5am. They had to be vampires, right? o_O**

**Itachi is a little more tolerant of Deidara because he doesn't have his dead clan hanging over his head. Also, this is a scene I see happening only because Itachi didn't kill his clan. It gave him a small introspection into Deidara's character. I'm not trying to show Deidara as a good guy, he does love to blow things up and wouldn't necessarily feel too much remorse over "collateral damage" but another author on fanfiction wrote a perspective of Deidara that made me think – when he dropped his bomb on Sand he didn't worry about anyone dying because he knew Gaara would catch it. Of course, we'll never know for sure, which makes writing Deidara's character difficult.**

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14 Darkness Rising

**Last week – Sasuke had a run-in with some bullies and Pein gave a demonstration of what he would do to Konoha if Itachi betrayed him by destroying Hanzou's clan's village.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Wow, everyone likes Madara. Yeah- he's a cool villain. He's easier to write than Itachi, actually, because he's so laid back. There isn't much that is out of character for him because he'll do anything to get what he wants. There will definitely be more of him as the story progresses. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 14 – Darkness Rising**

"Everyone check in." A voice crackled over a wireless radio and was soon followed by several other voices.

"Agent 1 in position."

"Agent 2 in position."

"Agent 3 in alternate position. Primary was occupied by an old man."

"Agent 4 in position."

"Agents 5 and 6 in position."

"Agent 7 in position."

"Decoy is in position and is going to kill you if this doesn't work."

The first voice came over the radio, "It'll work; it can't fail."

"Just because it works in a movie doesn't mean it'll work now." The decoy complained.

"But you were really excited about it before."

"That was before I found out I was the decoy, Sasuke."

"Quit complaining Naruto. As soon as those guys show up we'll all descend on them and take them out. You'll be fine." Sasuke peeked through the binoculars he had "borrowed" from the police station. "Just don't anyone break the radios. I'm not supposed to have them."

"Yeah, yeah, you've told us that fifty times already." Shikamaru complained.

"Agent 3 checking in. Targets spotted and heading towards decoy. Ahhh! There's a cockroach!"

Sasuke groaned, "Ino, be quiet, they'll hear you!"

"But it's a cockroach! Icky!" Ino yelled into the transmitter. "Ow! Stop that! Get it away…" The radio went dead for a minute before a boy's voice commandeered the airwaves.

"Hey! Asshole! I've got a hostage! What are you going to do about it?"

"Ino's now the decoy! Everyone move in!" Sasuke yelled into the transmitter as he stood up and ran towards Ino's position. Streetlights lit the way as he bolted through the early evening darkness, Sharingan blazing. There weren't very many people out since most stores now closed around five o'clock due to merchandise shortages - but those that were gave him curious stares as he passed them.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru caught up to him and matched his pace. "We sorta lost the element of surprise here. You know that right?"

"Oh yeah. I know." Sasuke replied grumpily. The two boys burst into the alley where the bullies they had been stalking – unsuccessfully – were holding Ino. Sakura, Hinata and Ji were already there. Shino and Kiba ran up behind them only to fall forward when Naruto failed to stop in time and bowled everyone over.

Eight bodies, sixteen arms and sixteen legs tangled together as everyone tried to get up at the same time. The boys holding Ino started to laugh hysterically and Ino, who was sitting on a wooden box between two boys, began crying in frustration.

"What the hell is going on here?" A woman's voice silenced the children and everyone looked up fearfully as a bright light illuminated the dark alleyway. They strained to get a look at her but all they could see was a black shape standing in front of a brilliant yellow glow. "We told you to hold the two boys for us, not create a spectacle of yourselves. And what's with all the witnesses?"

One of the boys sitting next to Ino spoke up in very respectful tone, "We didn't know they would be launching a sneak attack on us tonight, Sensei. They brought all their little friends. You can take all of them, right?"

"Well, we can't leave them here. But we should just kill them. All we need are Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. Those were our orders." The woman sounded put-out and groaned as the eight children on the ground managed to disentangle themselves and stand up. "You! Sit back down on the ground!" She ordered. The kids promptly dropped down and looked up fearfully.

"They are the kids of some prominent Konoha clans. You have Hinata, chief of the Hyuuga clan for one. This here," He pointed to Ino who was busy wiping tears off her face, "is the only child of Inoichi Yamanaka. The others are Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, and that is Ji Kim the nephew of the Kim clan's chief who has no children of his own. That makes him the next in line to succeed his uncle."

"Humph. Quite the jackpot. We _will_ take them all then. However, your little 'friends' we don't need." The woman looked at the accused bullies with an emotionless gaze and then, as if it were an afterthought, issued a command. "Kill them."

The silence that followed was absolute. No one spoke, no one breathed, no one moved. fifteen seconds later all hell broke loose as the nine friends and six bullies yelled out protests and stood up to defend themselves. The woman and her two charges took defensive positions as they prepared to fight.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and started to form the hand signs for a fireball jutsu the same time Hinata activated her Byakugan and got into a defensive stance. However, before the boy could complete his jutsu a man used a transportation jutsu to appear behind him and knock him unconscious. Hinata met the same fate when a second man, this one with a Byakugan, was able to avoid the girl's thrusts and shut off her chakra system. She collapsed onto the ground, feeling very weak and nauseous. The man kicked her in the head once and she also fell into unconsciousness.

"Cover their eyes." The woman ordered.

The six bullies went down next as the two boys who had been sitting besides Ino each pulled a kunai and attacked. The boys didn't even get the chance to scream as their throats were slashed open and they collapsed to the ground to suffocate on their own blood. The entire attack took only a few seconds.

The rest of the kids were so freaked out by the efficiency of their captors that they stopped struggling and bunched together, clutching at each other's clothing and arms. Ino was shoved roughly in their direction and collapsed against Sakura who grabbed onto her tightly. Both girls were too shell-shocked to cry.

The woman looked over the group appraisingly, then pointed at Sakura. "Who is this?"

One of the boys answered as he walked forward into the light. He was a little taller than them, probably only a year older, with black hair, a thin face, and empty black eyes. His voice held no emotion. "Captain, she is Sakura Haruno. Orphan. No clan. Rated highly by the Academy because of her near-perfect chakra control and excellent memory. Expected to become a top kunoichi."

"Hmmm." The captain gave the young girl an appraising stare. "We can't get anything for her from Konoha. She is a cute little girl though. We might be able to indoctrinate her into Root, or sell her to a brothel for some money. Bring her along." She turned around and flipped off the flashlight as she re-entered the street.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I won't let them hurt you." Ino mumbled. Sakura was shaking so bad all she could do was nod her head once as she followed everyone down the street. Even though she was nine she understood completely what the implications of the captain's words were. Her mother had explained it very well in an attempt to scare her away from being a kunoichi; telling her that female shinobi would sometimes be made to work in places like that. Tears started falling, but she stifled her sobs, instead she rested her head on Ino's shoulder and silently cried.

Shikamaru nervously reached into his pocket and fingered the dials on the radio. Their captors hadn't removed them yet. He knew he wouldn't be able to use it - they would most likely kill him the moment he tried. Things had gone beyond wrong, they were now in the "disastrous" category. Obviously these people were part of Danzou's Root. He could certainly guess why they would want Sasuke – his father was the Hokage and his brother had killed Danzou – but why was Naruto included? True, he was living in Fugaku's household, but wouldn't kidnapping Sasuke have a bigger impact than adding an extra body?

Naruto had always been a curiosity to the youngest of the Nara clan. Everyone hated him – even the adults - but there didn't seem to be a good reason for it and when he asked he was told to mind his own business. Shikamaru hated it when he couldn't solve a puzzle and this was going to bug him until he had the answer.

He continued to absent-mindedly run his hand across the radio, before he settled on twisting the volume dial between his fingers, 'Sasuke's going to get in a lot of trouble when he doesn't return this stuff tonight.' Shikamaru's mouth formed a lopsided grin as he thought of the implications of the theft. 'That means… if I drop this…' He pulled the dial off the radio and let it fall to the ground, 'they'll know he was here. This isn't hopeless yet.'

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"Fugaku?" Mikoto called out as she walked down the hallway to greet her husband who had just entered the house. "The boys haven't come home yet. It's almost nine-thirty."

"What?" Fugaku asked sternly. "They know they aren't supposed to stay out after nine-o'clock. What could they be doing?"

"Lady Mikoto?" Toshiro's voice called out from the porch and entered the house, "Is Hinata here? She said she was going to play with Sasuke and Naruto, but its getting late and there's school tomorrow…" His voice trailed off when he saw the look of panic on Mikoto's face and the annoyed glare from Fugaku. He got the message. The kids were missing. "I'll go check the schoolyard."

"I'll alert the police and have them start looking. Mikoto, stay here in case they come back. Sasuke and Naruto may push the envelope occasionally, but if Hinata isn't back yet something must have happened." Fugaku quickly slipped his sandals back on and ran out of the house at full speed, followed closely by Toshiro.

Reaching the police station he started walking toward the open office area where the night shift worked but was stopped by the officer on duty, "Fugaku, are you here to return the radios?"

"Huh? Radios?" Fugaku was pretty sure he hadn't borrowed anything recently.

"Sasuke was here earlier asking about them. I told him they weren't toys and he couldn't borrow them. Oddly enough they took a walk the same time he did. I figured he just wanted to play with his friends so I didn't go after him. I expected him to have them back by now though." The man leaned back against a wooden desk and looked curiously the clan lord.

"How many did he take?" Fugaku asked hurriedly.

"Nine. And one flashlight."

"Damn it." Fugaku cursed, "Assemble everyone to search for Sasuke and bring him to the station, as well as any other children you find. He, Naruto and Hinata haven't come home yet and if he took nine radios the other kids he's been hanging out with are probably missing as well."

"They are." Toshiro called out as he rushed into the room, followed by Iruka Umino. "I ran into some of their parents who were also out looking."

Iruka spoke up, "I took roll call a few minutes ago of all the orphans and we're missing Sakura, who has being playing with Sasuke lately, and six older boys, aged eleven to thirteen, who hang out together."

"Sasuke and Naruto have been having problems with some bullies. I wonder if they did something stupid and are now…" Fugaku was interrupted when the teacher shuddered.

"Please don't say it. Let's just go look for them." Without waiting to hear anything else Iruka turned around, "I'll notify the other instructors about what is going on and have them go around question their classmates. They may have heard something."

"Good idea. Tune your wireless to band 3 and let us know what you find out." Fugaku walked out of the building and stood in the street staring up at the stars. Toshiro joined him a minute later. "I should have known Root would pull something like this."

"What makes you think its Root? They could have just gotten in over their heads with some older kids and lost track of time." Toshiro stuck his hands in his pockets and frowned.

"Fifteen kids, all late coming home. If it were an eight-year-old Itachi I would be worrying that he'd killed them all and was lying behind a bush somewhere having a nervous breakdown. However, eight-year-old Sasuke isn't like that. He is powerful enough with his Sharingan and fire jutsus to beat those boys, but he's the type that would refuse to harm them. If Root had recruited them then Sasuke might not realize that deadly force was called for and hold back. Otherwise – I'm betting he and the others would have been home by now."

Toshiro sighed, "I suppose at this point thinking positive and hoping they're just sitting in the park drinking beer, smoking and passing around porn _is_ too much to hope for."

"Let's hope they live long enough for us to actually worry about such things."

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Within an hour all of Konoha had been alerted about the missing children. Several of Sasuke's classmates had overheard him and his friends talking about some bullies they were going to beat up but no one had heard the actual plan itself so the police and volunteers spread out over village looking for leads.

Kiba's mother and sister, Tsume and Hana, had their dogs out sniffing around the schoolyard. They found the kids' scents pretty quick, but it became complicated when the dogs reported that all nine had split up and gone off in different directions. Kakashi joined them and summoned his dogs to split up and follow each trail.

The dark night seemed to close in around the villagers, suffocating them with anxiety and despair as they tirelessly searched the village. The childrens' scents had been tracked to seven locations where they had suddenly vanished – no doubt the work of Root. However, it did narrow the search to one corner of the village, near the business district. The area was practically shut down after five pm; perfect for a showdown between school children. Unfortunately, that also meant there were no witnesses.

One and a half hours later Kakashi's dogs made a disturbing discovery and he quickly activated his radio, "Six bodies, Kabuki district. Children. Request identification." He moved in closer to the corpses and played his flashlight across their faces.

"Do you recognize any of them?" A voice Kakashi didn't recognize came over the transmitter, causing him to scowl. There were too many people running around and he was afraid things were getting out of hand.

Another voice quickly spoke, this time it was Fugaku, "Don't answer that, Kakashi. We'll be right there."

"Acknowledged." Kakashi breathed a small sigh of relief. He had no intention of announcing the names of six dead children over the radio; the panic it could cause would be traumatic for their families. He leaned up against the wall and sighed sorrowfully as he closed his eyes.

"Where are they?" Fugaku strode into the alley a few short minutes later.

Kakashi pulled himself together and pointed. "Over there. Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata aren't with them. I don't know any of the others by sight."

"Humph. Iruka? Are these the six boys you were missing?" Fugaku called out.

Iruka moved closer and looked closely at the bodies, then sank to his knees beside the closest one. "Yeah. This is… all of them."

Fugaku couldn't help but feel relieved that Sasuke wasn't one of the corpses, but that relief was short-lived. Just because he was alive when these six were killed didn't mean they wouldn't kill him later. And Hinata was just as valuable a pawn as Sasuke. He was going to have to move carefully in order to ensure their safety. If he messed up, both his own clan and the Hyuuga clan – whom he had worked so hard with to cultivate a friendly relationship – would have his head.

As if reading his mind, Kakashi asked why the renegades, after capturing an Uchiha and a Hyuuga, would bother with the rest of the children.

"Good question." Was all Fugaku could answer. They needed more information about what Root's current goals were before he could answer that question.

Kakashi suddenly stiffened, "Do they know about Naruto?" Iruka looked up at the silver-haired man with a thinly disguised expression of loathing. Kakashi ignored him, he understood the man's sentiments – both his mother and father had been killed when the nine-tails had attacked Konoha eight years ago.

Fugaku answered in a quiet voice, "Danzou knew, certainly. A lot of people know."

"This is turning messy. Pakkun?" Kakashi ran his hand through his hair as he turned around, looking for the small pug who, up until a moment ago was sitting on ground next to him.

"Over here!" Pakkun called out. "The cat found something, I think."

"It's a knob off of a radio. It doesn't smell like Sasuke though." The all-white cat responded in a feminine voice as she sniffed at a small silver piece of metal lying discarded in the dirt.

"Iruka, stay here and wait for the police." Fugaku ordered as he followed Kakashi back onto the road. He looked at the item in the road as he spoke to the cat, "I should have had you learn the scents of all Sasuke's classmates. Anyway, can you track whoever it was that dropped this?"

"Yes." Both the cat and dog responded simultaneously as they trotted down the road. Completely professional, both animals quickly teamed up to search for the scent they had detected. Three blocks later another knob was found about three feet down a side street.

"He or she was dropping breadcrumbs. I guess this means they turned right." Kakashi mumbled and he and Fugaku continued to trail behind the two animals for another block before the trail led them into another alley.

"I'll bet there's a secret entrance here." Fugaku made some hand signs and slammed his palm onto a wall. Nothing happened. He tried the opposite wall with the same results.

"Try the ground. It looks like there was some kind of disturbance over here." Kakashi suggested as he knelt down to look closer at the dirt. Whoever had been here last had done a very good job of erasing any marks on the ground, including those of the shopkeepers that had deposited the four bags of garbage sitting against the wall. The ground was too perfect. "Actually…" He brushed the dirt away, revealing a trap door. "How anti-climatic. It's just a regular door."

Fugaku sighed, "Well that's a bit of good news anyway. However, going down a rabbit hole before checking for snakes would be unwise. I take it you weren't aware of this particular tunnel?"

"Correct. Itachi or perhaps Yuri might know." Kakashi stood up as he spoke and looked around the dark alley. The renegades had gone to great lengths to kidnap the children, knocking out streetlights, covering their tracks, even infiltrating a third-rate gang of bullies. This was definitely not something that would be solved in a few hours.

"Call Yuri out here and have her check it out. If this is a hostage situation they may try to make contact with me so I'm going to check in at the Hokage tower. Let me know what you guys find out."

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Sasuke's head was pounding as he slowly opened his eyes. A flickering light caught his attention and he wondered why there was a lantern in his room even though the electricity had been turned back on weeks ago. A hand brushed across his forehead, smoothing his bangs away from his face.

"Are you awake?" A young girl's voice asked hesitantly. He looked up and saw pink hair and vivid green eyes looking down at him.

"My head hurts."

"They hit you really hard. Do you have to throw up? Hinata did when she woke up."

"I don't think so. Where are we?" Sasuke realized he was lying on a futon and as he looked around he saw they were in a large room that had the windows boarded up. Chairs and old plastic toys were scattered around the periphery. Old posters hung half rotted and forgotten from the walls. Several futons were spread out on the floor and a rusted metal screen with a blanket thrown over it was hiding something in one of the corners.

Lifting his arms Sasuke saw wide silver bands encircling his wrists. The same type of bands that Itachi had worn when they had found him imprisoned in the secret level of the police station. "Why is my chakra being blocked?"

Naruto scooted over as he answered, "After they hit you we went through a tunnel that lead outside of the village and they covered our heads with fabric and carried us through the trees for a long time. When they uncovered us it was daylight. Then they took us into a huge building that Shikamaru says is an abandoned hospital and put us all in this room. It's night time again."

"You were asleep for a long time." Shikamaru added, "We were afraid you were really injured bad but a man who said he was a medic-nin said you would be fine. Hinata woke up a few hours ago. They put those chakra inhibiting bracelets on all of us." He lifted his own arm in demonstration.

"You should drink and eat something." Ino walked over as Sasuke sat up. She handed him a nutrition bar and an unopened bottle of water.

"Have they said why we're here?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru answered in a worried voice, "We're hostages but I don't know if they want to ransom us or kill us. They were happy to find out who our fathers were, anyway. Except Sakura. They want to make her a Root member or sell her because her parents were civilians. They think she might be useful 'cause she's cute."

Sasuke looked at his classmate and watched as her face turned a light red and tears started dripping from her eyes. He remembered the dream he had while he had been in the prison – in the dream Sakura and Naruto died. There was no way he was going to allow that to become reality. Slamming down the now-empty water bottle the boy stood up and clenched his fists in anger.

"We've got to get her out of here. We've got to get all of us out of here." Sasuke growled, "How dare they do this? What's wrong with them? We're just kids!"

"Kids who are being trained to become assassins. You know that makes us something other than 'kids'." Shino spoke in his usual monotone. "And you're not saying anything we haven't already realized hours ago, so sit down and get a grip."

"Well, I was asleep." Sasuke mumbled as he dropped back down onto his futon. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"I was dropping pieces of my radio as we moved so a rescue party should be here soon." Shikamaru gave Shino a dirty look as he tried to reassure Sasuke in an attempt to keep him from doing something rash. "We're all cranky, though, so try not to pick a fight."

"Okay." Sasuke was quiet for a minute, "_You did_ _what_ to the radio?"

"I took it apart and dropped pieces of it as we travelled."

"Oh god… dad's gonna kill me…"

"Better him than these guys." Kiba added.

Ji nodded in agreement, "Yeah, they looked like the sort that would go for slow and painful."

Sasuke smiled, "Okay, but when my dad cuts off my head and sticks on a pike, promise me you'll come visit." He was actually relieved that Shikamaru had been clever enough to do something to help.

Shikamaru smirked, "Sure thing. We'll even bring flowers."

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"Is there a good reason why we have to stop at _every single_ _dango shop_ in Grass country?" Deidara groused as he stuffed a round confection into his mouth.

"It's bad for you if your sugar levels drop below a certain level." Itachi responded, completely serious. He and Kisame were working with Sasori and Deidara to track the movements of Root and collect information. They had been together for about a week and things were getting a little tense between Itachi and Deidara.

"If I made a clay bomb in the shape of a dango and covered it with that brown sticky sauce stuff would you eat it?" Deidara picked up a second stick and continued to stuff his mouth.

"Probably." Itachi responded sarcastically. "Of course, I would then stand next to you and make you blow it up. We would both die of course, but at least I wouldn't have to listen to you complaining all the time."

"Are you going to eat that one?" Deidara pointed at the remaining stick on Itachi's plate.

"If you eat more dango than I do then why do you complain so much about stopping? And yes, I am going to eat it."

"I'm a growing boy. I need lots of food."

"Are you two finished arguing?" Sasori was getting annoyed and wanted to continue their search.

"Yeah." Itachi reached for his tea but paused when a high-pitched "clink" was heard. Staring in disbelief he picked the cup up and looked at the crack that now stretched from the lip to the base.

Deidara gloated, "You're gonna have bad luck now."

"Sasuke…" He whispered as he stared at the broken cup. He had no idea why, but his little brother suddenly entered his thoughts, quickly followed by a surge of apprehension.

"Who's that?"

"Your worst nightmare." Kisame volunteered.

"Huh?"

"Another Uchiha kid." Kisame gave a short laugh at the look of disgust that crossed the blond boy's face.

Deidara fished out some money to pay for his food and slapped it on the table, "Great," He mumbled, "They're breeding."

"What about you, you got a brother?" Kisame asked as he set his money down.

Deidara gave a non-committal shrug, "Don't know. Probably. My dad kicked me out of the house when I was a toddler so he could remarry. He probably had other kids after that. Doesn't matter though. I did okay without him."

Kisame looked at the boy for a few seconds, then shook his head, "That's for sure."

The conversation was interrupted when the four companions felt their rings grow warm and glow. Pein's voice called out to them, utilizing the psychic link created by the rings, ordering them to contact him as soon as possible.

"Let's go." Itachi started walking down the road, "There was an area a half mile back that should hide us."

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"You have got to be out of your mind!" Itachi yelled angrily at the Akatsuki leader. Pein and Konan's holograms stood next to each other, glowing white with a faint rainbow of colors pulsating at the edges. Everyone turned to look at the teen's uncharacteristic outburst with varying degrees of concern and amusement.

"I most certainly am not." Pein answered in a deep voice. "I do not trust Danzou and a stunt like this would be completely within his power to execute."

"But I killed him myself! I cut off his head! It's hanging on a pike next to the Konoha front gate."

"I realize that, Itachi, and I understand your feelings in this. But I still want you to return to Konoha and sample his DNA. Make sure it's him. Every Konoha shinobi has a DNA record for identification of corpses." Pein finished in a kinder voice. "The way Root is moving – it's as if the man never left them. He was a dictator who shared very little information with his subordinates. The fact that they would continue to operate without any diminished capacity is very suspicious. We must look at all options. You four have been unable to dig up much information about Root and that also disturbs me. I believe there is no reason to doubt any of your loyalties so I choose to believe that none of you are withholding information."

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly before conceding to Pein's wishes. "I understand now. I will check it out and report my findings. But…" He wanted to ask if Madara had any contact with Danzou, but while Kisame and Sasori knew of the man's attachments to Akatsuki, Deidara did not. "When Danzou was interrogated large portions of his memory had been erased. Not many people can do that." He hoped Pein could read between the lines and know who he was talking about.

"That's true. I did look into that, but it was inconclusive."

"Ah." Itachi scowled, then thought to himself, 'So that's how it is. Madara is playing games with Pein. Just what is Pein's link to Danzou anyway?'

"Shall we continue the search or wait for Itachi's report?" Sasori interrupted. He was becoming impatient and wanted to leave.

"Continue to search. Itachi can catch up to you later. Depending on what he finds in Konoha I may have him stick around and dig for more information there." Pein's piercing Rinnegan eyes looked over the four men appraisingly before speaking again, "This takes priority. We cannot allow Root to exist. You are dismissed."

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As soon as Pein's communication jutsu dispelled Itachi shuddered and wrapped his arms around his chest. The idea that Danzou was still alive was so abhorrent that he couldn't bring himself to even remotely accept it. He had almost killed himself over that man.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked curiously as he watched his partner. "Will you be leaving right away?"

Itachi remembered the broken cup and his earlier apprehension over his brother's safety returned. He stood up and verified his pack was secured under his cloak. "Yes. Right now."

Kisame, Sasori and Deidara watched as Itachi ran around the tall rocks and shrubs they had used to conceal themselves during the meeting.

"I find it hard to believe…" Deidara paused, as if debating whether he should continue speaking or not, "but he almost looked scared. Just who is this Danzou guy, Kisame? You said he had staged a coup against Konoha and Itachi's dad was now Hokage, but really, that doesn't seem like something Leader would be interested in."

"That's all I know, Deidara. And you're right - this sounds more like a grudge. Leader is still fighting his own civil war in Rain so I would think going after a criminal from another country would be stretching things too thin." Kisame scratched his chin absent-mindedly.

"Hanzou is no pushover. Pein is having trouble. He himself is very powerful, but his ninjas are average at best. Soon he will have to face Hanzou himself." Sasori stated calmly.

"What does that have to do with Danzou?" Kisame snapped. He had been rather pleased when Itachi had reported the Root leader's demise, but the chance, no matter how slim, that the man had somehow cheated death was angering him.

Sasori laughed – it was a gravelly sound that, no matter how many times they heard it always sounded ominous. "Pein does have a grudge against Danzou. And Hanzou. The two are linked together, supporting each other. If Danzou is alive and running around with his ronin Root he could very well be in Rain right now helping Hanzou. That could

be why Pein's ninjas are having so much trouble."

"Ronin?" Deidara asked.

"Ronin were originally masterless Samurai. It can be used loosely to apply to any person without a master. The word isn't used much anymore." Sasori explained patiently.

"Oh. Um… shouldn't you have told Itachi this instead of letting him run away so quick?"

"Concerned about your buddy?" Kisame teased.

"What? No! But if he gets himself killed then I won't get to kill him. Do the math fishface!" Kisame hit him over the head with the flat of his hand and Deidara fell down on his rear. "Ow!"

"Mind your manners kid. I don't care what fight you want to pick with Itachi, but you will show respect to your elders in this organization." Kisame stated angrily.

Deidara scowled and wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them up to his chest. Resting his forehead on his knees he closed his eyes.

"How hard did you hit him?" Sasori asked, amused.

"He'll have a headache for a couple hours."

"Serves him right."

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Itachi stepped away from the large boulder and closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his head. He had intended on leaving but decided at the last moment to hide his chakra and rest for five or ten minutes so he could digest what Leader had told him. Then Sasori had started talking.

Danzou was connected somehow to Hanzou. Could it be that Root was a bigger organization than anyone had previously suspected? When he had joined he had been told that the group he had joined with were the first members of Root. Was that true?

He remembered a few months ago when he and Sheeta had run into some renegades in the woods outside of Konoha. They had laughed at him when he had asked why there were still following Danzou. At the time he had thought it was nothing more than arrogance on their part. But what if it had been something else?

Standing up Itachi took off running through the six-foot tall grass toward the road. A slight drizzle had started up and the cool water felt good on his face as he picked up his pace. It would take two days of running to reach Konoha, but until then he would have a lot to think about.

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**Next week – Demands are made by Root and Itachi arrives in Konoha.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	15. Chapter 15 Konohas Woes

**Last week the pre-rookie 9 were kidnapped by Root. Leader became suspicious of Roots ability to operate without a leader and ordered Itachi back to Konoha to verify the identity of Danzou's corpse.**

**By the way, with this story I'm going to put Itachi's birthday back in June, where it's supposed to be. In the "Itachi the Early Years" I gave his the wrong b-day and when I found out the real date it was too late to change it. However, I think its okay to go back to June here.**

**Thanks for all reviews and favs, I love to read them.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 15 – Konoha's Woes**

Sunlight filtered through the wide cracks in the plywood that covered the windows bathing the cold, dilapidated room in warm sunlight. In the daylight the room in the abandoned hospital was even more forlorn that it had been at night. It had probably, at one time, been a cheerful place. Brightly colored orange and yellow paint was peeling off the walls around a large molded plastic clown face that stared ominously over the room, its perfect face not yet feeling the effects of time.

The Konoha Academy students conjectured that their prison had probably once been a playroom for children staying at the hospital. There were still some toys and child-sized furniture scattered about and the cupboards still held games in rotted cardboard boxes.

Kiba, Ji and Naruto were half-heartedly stacking blocks and then throwing toys at them to knock them over. It was a game composed of random rules that seemed to have no other purpose than to the mark the passage of time. There was none of the usual teasing or boisterous laughter that both Kiba and Naruto were known for – the boys were unusually subdued. Ji was still feeling a little self-conscious around the other kids – he was the new kid after all and being in a stressful situation like this was making him feel a little shy.

Shino had pulled a book out of his pocket and pretended to read, but when Shikamaru found a Shogi set in a cupboard the two of them began to play. Sasuke watched the game, offering to play the winner. Hinata was busy teaching Ino how to play Go with a set that was found in the same cupboard.

And Sakura… no one knew where she was. That morning, their second day in captivity, when they had awoken she was gone – her futon stone cold. It had been such a shock to realize that their captors could waltz into the room while they slept and pluck one of them away that even hours later the fear and apprehension they had felt was still fresh in their minds. Worse, was the knowledge that even if they had seen it happen there was nothing they could have done, even if the chakra limiting bracelets on their wrists had been gone it wouldn't have made a bit of difference.

For eight Shinobi-in-training, that last fact was the hardest to bear. There was no strength in numbers when dealing with experienced ninja nor was there was a reset button if you didn't like how the game was going.

As Sasuke watched the Shogi pieces move across the board he couldn't help but think about his older brother. Itachi was never far from his mind and he kept imagining ways the teen would swoop in and save them. In his fantasies he would rise up to help and the two brothers would stand side by side, stopping Root in their tracks and defeating them. But Sasuke was too much of a realist to spend too much time lost in those fantasies. He knew he was no match for his brother, and it would take years of practice before he could even approach him.

"Itachi had already graduated by the time he was our age." Sasuke finally said.

"Yeah." Shino replied half-heatedly. "Too bad he's off on a mission."

"I think even if he did graduate when he was eight, he still would have been a Genin." Shikamaru added, "I think he would have been in the same situation wer'e in now."

Sasuke lay down on his belly and put his chin on his hands and continued to watch the game. Soon Shino and Shikamaru copied him.

"It's sure taking them a long time to find us. I wonder what's going on?" Sasuke said after several minutes, "You know, I think we should come up with another plan to escape."

"You don't think your father will come for you?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke frowned, "He will be very mad at those guys for kidnapping me. I think… I think he will also be disappointed because I let myself be caught. Because I talked you guys into helping Naruto and me attack those bullies. That makes me team leader, I guess."

"Sasuke, it's not your fault." Shino said quietly, "We wanted to help. Your plan sounded like fun."

"Are you really that afraid of your dad?" Shikamaru asked.

"If he isn't he should be." Naruto dropped down onto the ground next to Sasuke. "He's pretty scary. I mean he hit Sasuke the other day and he didn't even deserve it."

"I did deserve it." Sasuke mumbled, blushing. "Itachi drew up a training schedule for me and I missed one of the deadlines. Dad wants me to be able to take Itachi's place if something happens to him because I'm the second son or something stupid like that."

"Dude… he was wailing on you." Naruto added.

Sasuke blushed harder, "It wasn't that bad, _Naruto_."

"You're back was black and blue. You had to sleep on your stomach for a week."

"Would you _shut-up_!" Sasuke yelled. "He hit me across the shoulders once and I fell on my knee and scraped it. That's all. It was scary because I didn't expect it and he was yelling at me about how disappointed he was. He had this really scary look in his eyes. Besides… he'll come after you too if you keep getting bad grades like you always do. Report cards for our first quarter back are due in July."

"Ha, ha, ha. You and Naruto fight just like brothers." Kiba laughed. "But my mom does the same thing. She said she's afraid I won't be able to protect myself and get killed because I goof off too much. I think I get knocked on my ass three or four times a week. My big sister is better than me, too. Mom's always, 'Hana this' or 'Hana that'."

"So… anyway… An escape plan…" Sasuke muttered, changing the subject. He didn't want to think about how much of a failure he always felt next to Itachi and this conversation wasn't helping.

"We're on an upper floor in a locked room with no chakra. Explain to me how we're going to escape?" Ino asked sarcastically.

Sasuke gave her a dirty look, "We can't escape from this room unless the wall has a weak spot somewhere and we can break though into another room. However, we would be caught pretty quick if we did that and without chakra we can't sense them coming. I think all we can do is run if we get a chance. And… um… if we get split up… I guess… um… head south?"

"I'm not leaving Sakura." Ino said belligerently.

"We're not leaving her." Sasuke sighed, "But it sounds like they want her alive."

"Good point, Sasuke." Shikamaru added, "I see what you mean. We all might end up dead but it sounded like they had a use for Sakura. So at the worst, we can always go after her later."

"But…" Ino and Hinata started to protest but were interrupted by Shikamaru.

"If my plan to have Konoha find us failed, and we die, then who will save Sakura? No one will know where she is. They won't even know where to look."

Ino sighed and Hinata nodded her head, silently agreeing. The room grew quiet as everyone thought about the events of the last two days. But for some reason, having a plan, no matter how lame, made them feel a little bit better.

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"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Lord Hokage, but Lord Itachi is here and has stated unequivocally that he needs to converse with you immediately." The Chuunin that was on guard duty outside of Fugaku's office spoke calmly as he held the door open only wide enough to poke his head through.

Fugaku didn't get the chance to respond as the door and the Chuunin were roughly pushed to the side and a very calm-to-the-point-of-being-scary Itachi strode purposefully into the room. It was unexpected since his last update had indicated he probably wouldn't be returning until July, and it was still April.

"So what brings you back early?" Fugaku watched as the dark-haired boy cautiously surveyed his surroundings before closing the door and entering the room. Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Yuri were seated in chairs in front of the Hokage's large desk.

Itachi spoke without emotion as he looked at Sarutobi and Jiraiya, remembering their last conversation a few months earlier before he left for Akatsuki, "An interesting development concerning Danzou. But… I get the feeling something else is going on."

"First tell me about Danzou." Fugaku had a strange feeling his day was about to get ten times worse. Itachi stood stiffly about six feet behind the assembled group. He glanced once at Yuri and Kakashi, silently asking if it was okay to speak in front of her. "Go on Itachi. Everyone in this room is cleared. Yuri and Kakashi have been briefed about Akatsuki as well."

Nodding once in acknowledgement Itachi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I request a DNA test be run on Danzou's corpse to verify its identity." He opened his eyes and held his ground as five sets of anger filled eyes glared back at him.

"Do you know what you are insinuating Itachi?" Fugaku was speaking through clenched teeth as he fought to control his anger.

"Perfectly well."

"What brought this on?"

"Leader has had me and three other people searching for ROOT information. We have found little to nothing. He is now suspicious and has asked the question, how can Root function so well without its leader? Also, Rain is in civil war against Hanzou. Hanzou is putting up a better fight than expected. These two situations have made Leader suspicious that perhaps Danzou is still alive and we were duped. Apparently there is a long standing arrangement of some kind between Hanzou and Danzou. We have been ordered to take down Root at all costs."

"Yuri, hand Itachi the document we got yesterday." Fugaku pointed to a scroll that was on the corner of the desk closest to where the teen sat.

Picking it up gingerly she stood up and walked over to her friend. "Here. Don't get mad and destroy it though, forensics would still like to run some tests on it." She turned and addressed Fugaku, "Would you like me to pass on Itachi's request to the hospital right now?"

"Yes, tell them to keep the test and its results top secret and to report them directly to me. Then get back to that tunnel. I want you to be ready to leave in an hour."

"Yes my Lord." Yuri quickly left the room as Itachi unrolled the scroll. His eyes opened wide with anger and shock as he read the contents. Finishing, he angrily walked over and slammed it on his father's desk then turned his back on the assembled men as he fought to bring himself back under control. Fists clenched tightly at his side, eyes tightly closed he could feel the tension in the room build as they awaited his verdict.

When Itachi finally spoke it was in a quiet, well-regulated voice that brought to the surface all the loathing, isolation and depression that had been bottled up in the boy for the last two years, "If he is alive, then I am pleased because it means I get to kill that god damned bastard again. If I have to kill him a thousand times it will be one time too few."

The demand Fugaku had received from Root had been for an exchange. Sasuke Uchiha would remain with Root under protective custody to ensure Konoha's good behavior. In return the other children would be safely brought back to the village. Except for Sakura Haruno, who was an orphan and, out of the kindness of Root's heart, would be trained by them – thus eliminating the need for Konoha to care for one more homeless child. They had even had to gal to offer to take the other orphans off Fugaku's hands.

The kidnappers went on to say that if the demands were refused all the children would be killed. They would loose all eight instead of two. Apparently they weren't planning on returning the "poor orphan" at all. They had one week to decide.

The last paragraph was the clincher, Naruto Uzumaki would not be returned under any circumstances. It was deemed too dangerous to have the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki in Konoha under the control of the Uchiha. He would remain in protective custody.

"What about the memory loss detected by Inoichi?" Sarutobi asked.

"I am going to look into that." Itachi answered.

"You can do that?" Jiraiya was dubious, considering whom it was they suspected had caused the memory loss.

Itachi ignored the question, "Father, I would like to request that this matter be handled by Akatsuki. When… that man… learns Sasuke was kidnapped he will show up wherever it is that Sasuke is being held and it will be disastrous if Konoha Shinobi are present."

Fugaku groaned. "I don't trust them."

"And you shouldn't. I certainly don't. However, there are three that will assist me. And Yuri, whom I assume has already been assigned to go, will be invaluable as well."

"Would you like me to help?" Kakashi spoke up hesitantly.

"Um… that probably would be a bad idea considering who you are. My… comrades might decide to forego Root and go after you instead." Itachi spoke seriously.

Kakashi gave a small grin under his mask, "That's what I was thinking. Well then… I'll head west and help the teams out there look for enemy Shinobi."

Fugaku nodded his head, "Thank-you Kakashi."

Kakashi patted Itachi once on shoulder and gave him an indecipherable look before leaving the room. He stared at the door for a minute before he was interrupted.

"You're not going to like where they took the kids." Sarutobi spoke up.

"Huh? Where?" Itachi asked, wondering why it would matter.

"The same abandoned hospital you were held in by Dr. Motoi."

"Oh." Itachi had no desire to return to that facility. Several years earlier Madara had goaded Mikoto into sleeping with him. Itachi had confronted him, only to be teased by the elder Uchiha. The young boy, who was suffering from insomnia and the shock of seeing his mother and little brother crying didn't know how to handle the situation and

had broken down, sobbing uncontrollably. Fugaku had found him a short while later and panicked when Itachi couldn't stop crying.

After being admitted to the Konoha hospital, a psychiatrist with the desire to remove ninja children from their adverse environments and place them with normal families, used legal avenues to remove Itachi from his parents custody and take him to the abandoned hospital for "de-programming". Madara and Fugaku had found them there and forced Itachi to kill Dr. Motoi. He hadn't wanted to do it. The man was annoying and he didn't like him, but he wasn't a ninja. He had done nothing to deserve death. He remembered his thoughts back then… It took a strong person to protect the weak and a weak person to kill them. Back then… he had been weak.

And he had wondered ever since – what would it have been like to grow up normal?

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"If I asked, would you fire someone for me?" Aya dropped down across Madara's lap, forcing him to drop his book on the floor and catch her so she wouldn't fall on the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and batted her eyelashes.

"Ha, ha, the cute act doesn't suit you kid. And you need to learn to play nice with your playmates." Madara wasn't exactly amused by the teen's antics. Aya was a very good judge of character and seemed to know exactly how and when to get on a persons nerves. In fact, he hadn't realized just how good she was at it until Kyoko started playing dirty.

"Oh, but sweetie, if only you knew how much it meant to me." Aya smirked, she knew Madara saw threw her but that made the "cute act" even more amusing.

"Solve the problem yourself. You are an Uchiha and therefore better than her." Madara was eying his book, now upside down on wood deck outside of the living room. The cherry blossoms were finished blooming and for a moment he stared at the small green leaves that were beginning to bud on the long thin branches.

Aya sighed and stood up, her tone returning to normal, "Now she's complaining because I was reading a vampire book. If it wasn't so boring around here I wouldn't have to read at all."

"Then watch TV." Madara retrieved his book and began dusting it off. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, "Or go play with Kyoko some more."

"Play what?" Aya groused as she watched the small bamboo fountain "clunk" as it dumped water into the pond and returned to collect more from the pipe feeding it.

"I don't care. Whatever. You said something about vampires. Watch a movie together or something. Just… go bug someone else for a while."

"She's afraid of vampires, actually." Aya said quietly.

"Lord Madara, the betrothal papers are on your desk in your study." A man, one of the many aids that circulated throughout the Mitzukage's mansion, spoke respectfully before quickly turning around and leaving.

Aya eye's opened wide, "Betrothal?"

"Fugaku would like an Uchiha wife for his so… for Sasuke."

"And where are you going to find another girl? There aren't any, you know." Aya said sarcastically.

"There are many Uchihas in Mist village, Aya. They came here after I did and live here in secret."

"What?" Aya yelled angrily, "Then why am I forced to stay here? Can't I live with them? What are you playing at?"

"Aya, every Uchiha in this village has proven him or herself to me, proven that they are worthy to carry the clan crest. You have not proven yourself. Instead you complain and sit around feeling sorry for yourself. As you are now, you are not worthy of them." Madara looked up at the still-standing teen and laughed inwardly at the look of shock that slowly transformed her face.

At that moment Kyoko burst into the living room looking for Aya, "Princess Aya, it's time for your lunch. Be a dear and return to your room. Growing girls mustn't skip meals."

Aya's mind suddenly clicked with what she was sure would prove her worthiness and take care of her little problem. She gave Madara a broad smile, "Lord Madara, be careful you don't sit out here too long, the sun will be on this side of the house in an hour. The mists have retreated and won't provide any shade this afternoon."

Madara wondered what she was up to as he got up from his chair and followed her into the living room. He opened the scroll and looked through the list of candidates five of the nine families he had spoken to had agreed to consider a betrothal arrangement. He pulled out a brush and wiped it once across an ink stone then immediately crossed off one of the names.

"Four should be good enough. I'll wait and see how they do over the next few years and then pick the best one. This is one choice I'm not leaving to Fugaku." He moved over to the couch and laid down, lazily swinging one of his legs over the back.

"_Madara – I need to speak with you."_ Itachi's voice projected into Madara's mind, causing him to sigh with boredom.

'Probably another crisis. He never calls just to say hello.' He thought to himself.

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Returning to his house, Itachi greeted his mother who was in the formal living room conducting a training session with Sheeta on the proper way to serve a traditional meal. The girl was dressed in a formal red and white patterned Kimono and looked very disgruntled as she attempted to hold a sake bottle in one hand her sleeve in the other – and look elegant while doing it.

"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me from your mother." Sheeta asked despondently.

"Why? I've never seen her look happier." Itachi teased. "I think a daughter is just what she needed."

"Traitor. I'll remember this, you know." Sheeta frowned as she went back to practicing pouring liquid from the sake bottle.

Itachi gave a short laugh, but it was obvious from his mother's expression that this training wasn't so much for Sheeta's benefit as it was for hers. She was worried about Sasuke and was trying to make time pass so his return would come sooner.

"I'm going to get him, mother."

Mikoto closed her eyes and put her hands on her lap. "I… don't know what I would do if they…"

Itachi spoke firmly and with confidence, "He _will_ be okay. I _will_ bring him back alive."

"Please do." Mikoto replied faintly.

Entering his bedroom, Itachi locked the door and removed a small bracelet from a hidden compartment in the wall. Concentrating on the piece of jewelry he sent out his thoughts to Madara, who responded quickly, sounding rather bored.

"That you Itachi? What's up?"

"Root has kidnapped Sasuke, Naruto and six other Konoha children." Itachi got right to the point, causing Madara to break out in a string of curses that, as the saying goes, would have made a sailor blush.

"I will be there as soon as I can. Any idea where he is being kept?" Madara finally calmed down enough to talk.

"That abandoned hospital near the Uchiha hideout – the one I was held at."

"Humph. Not surprised about that I guess. Every malcontent on the continent seems to have been through that place at one time or another."

"Madara – about Danzou…" Itachi was interrupted.

"I already spoke to Pein about this, Itachi. The man I caught that night was Danzou. I am incapable of making such a mistake."

"I…" Itachi suddenly got an idea, "What if the man you caught was Danzou, but the man who broke up Fugaku and Sarutobi's fight wasn't?"

Madara was quiet for a minute. "Itachi…"

"Fugaku has ordered a DNA test to verify."

"Okay…. Yeah... I'll concede you… could have a point. I was distracted by the kids, getting them out the line of fire was a bit of priority at the time. Danzou has shown over the years to have more lives than a cat. I hate to admit it, but that scenario could be possible." Madara sounded thoughtful, and his quiet voice sent chills down Itachi's spine, even though it didn't hold any malice in it. He quickly realized it was the thought that someone could be more devious than Madara that scared him.

"Since we would like to keep you away from Konoha Shinobi, Fugaku agreed to let Akatsuki handle this. Since it fits in to our orders to take out Root I believe Leader will not mind."

"Yes it should be fine. Kisame, Sasori and Deidara, right?"

"Yes. And I will be bringing Yuri. She has some of the same spying capabilities as Zetsu." Itachi considered Zetsu to be too loyal to Pein and tried to stay out of the man's way whenever possible. While the others would keep their mouths shut and generally mind their own business, Zetsu would report everything and include a video with surround sound and popcorn if asked.

"I'll be there in two days. Don't wait for me." Madara cut the communication and Itachi sat down on his bed and sighed. He didn't like the idea of Sasuke being anywhere near that man and hoped he could rescue him before Madara showed up. Although how, exactly, he could travel from Mist village to Northern Fire country in only two days was also concerning him.

Pulling out his Akatsuki ring he slipped in on his finger and twisted it a few times before smirking. Deidara was going to be livid when he found out he was about to save an Uchiha from death. That would, certainly, be entertaining.

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"So how do you know where they are holding the kids?" Itachi asked as he ran beside Yuri through the branches of the forest. They had left two hours earlier and had maintained a discreet silence until they were well away from the village in case anyone was following them. He had changed into his Akatsuki cloak a few minutes earlier, earning a nod of approval form his companion, who, it turned out, loved red and black. Although as for her opinion of the organization itself – she wasn't too keen about it but said she would do anything to help the kidnapped children.

"I used my earth jutsus to send roots through the ground and trace the tunnel. I found where it exited the village and Kakashi used his dogs to track their scent to the hospital. When he returned he was of the opinion that after they left the village they didn't do much to hide their presence. In fact, he said the hospital had a lot of people hanging around it in plain sight."

"So why didn't Konoha just go in and get them?" Itachi pushed a branch away before it could smack him in the face.

"Rock and Waterfall are keeping the Shinobi busy. Remember – our numbers are down considerably because of the… fighting. We were in Lord Fugaku's office discussing the problem when you showed up. Also, Cloud hasn't made a move against us yet but Fugaku and Sarutobi both agreed that dropping their guard and moving the shinobi assigned to watch the border with Lightening country could be disastrous. Kakashi was trying to convince them otherwise. He wants a quarter of them brought back to Konoha. I agreed with Kakashi, but my word doesn't hold up a lot with those four. I'm a high level Chuunin and a clan leader now, but really, I'm still just one of the grunts. I was only there because I was helping Kakashi track the renegades." Yuri finally paused then stopped running, forcing Itachi to stop as well so he wouldn't leave her behind.

"What?" Itachi asked, annoyed at the delay. He jumped back to the branch the seventeen-year-old girl was standing on and looked up at her. She was still a few inches taller than him, an he had estimated earlier that she was now taller than his parents; of course his parents weren't very tall so that wasn't too surprising.

"Back then… on our last mission together. When you met the Kage of Cloud he said something to you… it was private so I never mentioned it. I'm sorry, but I was using the roots to listen to you guys." Yuri leaned back against the trunk and crossed her arms, keeping her eyes firmly locked onto Itachi's.

Sighing, Itachi broke the gaze and looked up through the branches to the little patches of blue sky. "Sarutobi wanted to make me Hokage to appease the Uchiha clan. I wasn't ready for it… but it would have worked. The Raikage somehow found out and arranged to meet me there. He said if it was me… he would form an alliance with Konoha."

"So… it's not you… but perhaps since it's your father it will still be okay. We need those shinobi to protect Konoha and run missions to bring in money to the village. Mission wages have been cut because the amount of money it is taking to rebuild is huge." Yuri sighed and turned her back on Itachi. "Even having you gone… you could take high level missions that pay the highest. We loose money when you're not here."

"I… admit I hadn't considered that." Itachi's thoughts went back to his arrival a few hours earlier. There hadn't been many people out, except for a few shoppers and lots of construction workers. It was obvious – no one had any money to spend, and those with free time, including the shopkeepers themselves probably, were busy building houses. But raw materials cost money. He instantly thought about Kakashi's friend Tenzou. He, like the First Hokage, was a wood element user. But could he build houses like the First as well? It had been a couple years since he had met him, but he remembered the man mentioning something about studying the First's techniques, so maybe he wasn't able to perform the jutsu yet. Or maybe the buildings would only last a few hours?

"Itachi?" Yuri looked back at him, worried. "You're spacing out. Do you think you can go to Cloud and negotiate a treaty of some kind?"

"Huh? Yeah… I think I should. I apologize… I should have thought of it sooner. You guys could have saved the kids by now…"

"Don't play the 'what-if' game with me Itachi." Yuri closed her eyes and shook her head in annoyance. "I'm pretty sick of it by now. Let's just go with what we have and move forward."

"I agree." He gave his friend a bittersweet smile as he took off into the trees again. Memories drifted through his mind of his Genin team and he found himself wishing, despite what he had just said to his friend, that the four of them were still together – that none of the events that had pulled them apart had happened and Konoha was the happy, welcoming village he had believed it to be back then.

Five years ago it had been himself, Yuri, Yota Hyuuga, and their sensei Yurina. But as the years passed, Yota and then Yurina had died. Even Kabuto, whom he used to spend time with, was rarely in his thoughts anymore. And of course, Shisui. But all those memories left him with was a deep feeling of regret.

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**Alternate chapter ending (because I was in a weird mood):**

"Yuri?" Itachi called back to the teen who was following a few feet behind him.

"Huh?"

"It's not really a game of 'what-if', is it?"

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked suspiciously.

"It's… more of a…"

"What?"

"Life filled with regret."

"Itachi?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like some of my Prozac? I have extra."

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**Next week Akatsuki attempts a rescue and will Fugaku really get away with forming an alliance, albeit temporary, with them?**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	16. Chapter 16 Abandoned Hospitals Hideouts

**Last week Itachi arrived in Konoha only to discover that his brother and seven other kids had been kidnapped. Meanwhile, the kidnapped kids wake up to discover that Sakura has been removed from their room.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! I love reading them.**

**I prefer Itachi x Sakura too, but for this story it wouldn't work. Clans in old Japan were very status oriented and there wouldn't be anything Sakura could bring to a marriage with the heir. If they did fall in love it would end in disaster. With Sasuke – it would be more an issue of Fugaku not wanting the bloodline "marred" so he would also be required to marry an Uchiha. **

**Disclaimer: Hinata owns Naruto so Kishimoto better keep his hands off or she'll 64-palm him.**

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**Chapter 16 - Abandoned Hospitals Make Good Hideouts **

"Dancing with the devil, Fugaku, comes with strings attached." Sarutobi warned angrily. "There should have been a way we could have handled this on our own."

Jiraiya banged his fist down on the edge of the desk and scowled, "That organization… even if Itachi is there _it is still dangerous_. What could possibly posses you to agree to this? What if they get their hands on Naruto?"

Fugaku was sitting behind the desk in his office with Sarutobi and Jiraiya sitting in front of him. It had only been a few minutes since Itachi had left to go after the children Root had kidnapped and already things were getting heated.

Fugaku gazed at them emotionlessly for a few minutes before sighing and closing his eyes. "Itachi has assured me that they do not need Naruto yet. For the moment he is safe. Since he was assigned to retrieve the Kyuubi we will know when that changes."

Sarutobi squinted his eyes angrily, "Then what _is_ the problem? It sounds like you are trying to protect Sasuke from someone. Is it Madara? What is going on?"

"What is going on…" Fugaku repeated quietly. He considered the implications of telling them the truth. He remembered the old saying, "The only secret is the one you don't tell yourself." However, he also realized that the two men in front of him had a point. Not knowing the whole story could jeopardize things if they, or, to be more precise, Jiraiya, decided to act on his own. Something he was famous for.

Realizing he didn't have much of a choice Fugaku leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "What I am about to tell you must be kept secret. It will hurt a lot of people if it got out, most of all Sasuke."

"I won't keep it a secret if it hurt's Konoha." Jiraiya growled.

"If it got to that point, I wouldn't keep it a secret either. In fact, eventually it will get out on its own. But for now… let me explain and then we'll see if you understand better what is going on."

Sarutobi's harsh voice answered, "Fine. But don't leave anything out."

Fugaku leaned forward and drained his tea cup, wishing fervently that it had been full of sake, "Nine years ago Madara entered the village several times, undetected even by me. I suspected he was there, but I had no proof. He was in contact with an elder named Kentaro, the man who raised me until I came of age. Through him, he gathered a small group of followers and told them they would be overthrowing the Konoha ruling council and killing the Fourth. This bit I knew of and played along, hoping to draw out his followers. However, Kentaro was very clever and of course, I trusted him.

"Madara had learned that the Jinchuuriki was an old man who was about to die. He needed to move the Kyuubi to a younger vessel and…" Fugaku paused, this part was the hardest to speak of. He didn't even like to think about it. "He wanted the Jinchuuriki to be an Uchiha."

"Sasuke… So he wanted to steal your son?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered.

"I already know this… we discussed it after Minato's death." Sarutobi said impatiently.

Fugaku gave a short, bitter laugh, "Yeah. That much you do know. And yes, Jiraiya, Sasuke was supposed to have been the Jinchuuriki. The Uchiha elder council ordered me to father a second son. Standard procedure, actually, for the clan chief to have spare heirs in case one dies. However… I threw a wrench in the works. I didn't want children, period. Not even Itachi. After he was born I had myself sterilized and basically stayed away from him for several years afterward."

"So… who is Sasuke's…" Jiraiya interrupted again.

"Mikoto didn't know about the procedure. When she found out Kentaro arranged to have donor sperm provided for an artificial insemination technique. Kagura – a healer in our clan – told her that the sperm would be mine, that even though I was sterile she could somehow use a procedure to get some. In reality if would be another man from the clan chosen by Kentaro. I told him I didn't want to know who. At this point Mikoto was already in the hospital…" Fugaku suppressed the urge to shudder… He had been the reason she was there. After becoming angry at the then four-year-old Itachi during a training session he had broken the boy's arm and given his wife a concussion when she tried to protect him.

The room was silent for a couple minutes as Fugaku closed his eyes and dropped his head. "I found out shortly after that… Madara had been the donor."

The color went out of Sarutobi's and Jiraiya's faces as they processed this new information. Not only had the adversary of the First Hokage somehow survived, but he was now the father of the Uchiha clan leader's youngest son.

"When his plan to use Sasuke failed he immediately made new plans. I don't know what those are, but it has something to do with him turning fifteen.

"Anyway, I hope you can appreciate better where I am coming from here. I need to keep Madara away from Sasuke."

"You think he could be planning to use him against Konoha?" Jiraiya asked.

"You would have to provide a lot of proof to convince me otherwise." Fugaku rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the headache that had suddenly sprang up. "Hopefully Sasuke can become strong enough to refuse that course, but, even now, Madara has a grip on Itachi that cannot be broken without dire consequences. Even if Sasuke refused to follow that man… ultimately he may not have a choice. That is why I want to keep them away from each other. Also… Madara has formed an emotional bond with his… son… and should Konoha Shinobi be there if Sasuke is killed he could very likely take his anger out on them. Not to mention the fact that I would like to keep his existence a secret."

Jiraiya sighed and shook his head, "If Konoha were to find out who Sasuke's real father is… You're right Fugaku. This needs to be handled discretely. I've seen how they treat Naruto… Sasuke would probably get it ten times worse. Though I am surprised you kept him. It seems to go against your personality."

Fugaku snorted, "I'm not _that_ shallow, Jiraiya. Sasuke is _my son_, for all intents and purposes. I will protect him." He paused before speaking in a quieter voice, "Itachi… probably won't live to see twenty. The clan needs Sasuke now, even more than I need him as a son. There is no one else to take over the clan's leadership. But he can't lead them and follow Madara at the same time. I won't allow it."

"You won't allow it…" Sarutobi's eyes opened wide, "You would go that far?"

"Do I have a choice?" Fugaku replied bitterly. "I have no idea what Madara's plans are, but I'm sure they don't bode well for the ninja world. I won't let him use Sasuke like that."

Sarutobi had to smile, despite the gravity of the situation, "It takes more than blood to become a father, Fugaku. I'm glad to hear you understand this."

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A heavy coating of dew covered the small shrubs and weeds, wetting the clothes of the middle-aged man who was sitting on the ground. His eyes were unfocused and his expression passive. A cool breeze blew through the small clearing just outside the periphery of the abandoned hospital but he neither shivered nor showed any discomfort.

"That's quite a Genjutsu you got going, Itachi." Yuri complimented her friend as she kept watch; gazing through the overgrown garden shrubs and weeds. The large building hadn't been used since before Konoha was founded and was said to have been built during the time of Rikodou Sennin. About twice the size of the hospital in Konoha it was overgrown with vines and the aged garden overflowed with old roses, hydrangeas, fruit trees and weeds. However, an area a couple hundred feet around the building had been cleared – no doubt to aid security.

"I don't deserve that much credit. His mind is weak." Itachi knelt down on one knee and gazed at the blond man in front of him. He was dressed in typical ninja fashion, blue pants, blue flak vest and a black shirt. However, he had no forehead protector. "Where are the children that were brought here?"

Speaking as if asleep, the man mumbled his words almost inaudibly, "The kids are put wherever we have room."

"Wherever you have room…" Itachi repeated slowly. "That sounds like there are lots of kids here. How many are there?"

"Lots. We have been bringing in orphans from all over for a couple years now. I brought in seven last week."

Itachi closed his eyes as he tried to comprehend this new bit of information. He could hear Yuri muttering curses he had never heard her use before. Opening his eyes he continued his questioning, "Do you know anything about nine children brought in from Konoha? Where were they placed?"

"Don't know." His mumbling was getting fainter as his eyes started to drift closed as he swayed slightly.

"Useless." Itachi pulled out a kunai and slit the man's throat.

"There are vines growing up the side of the building. Since they use roots to dig into the cement, wood or whatever, I can send my chakra through them to search the outer rooms. Unfortunately that means I have to get close." Yuri volunteered as she fingered an ancient rose bush. The base was about a foot in diameter and branches rose almost eight feet into the air. It was covered in bright green leaves and appeared to be flourishing with neglect.

"We'll have to wait for the others then. We'll need a diversion and Deidara has one that will work perfectly for this. There are too many people here to do a straight assault, the children could be hurt in the chaos or their captors could even use the opportunity to move them." Itachi watched as Yuri used an earth jutsu to open the ground up under the body and suck it into the ground – hiding the evidence. It would now be impossible to detect that anyone had died there.

Yuri nodded, "Hmm. Okay. Deidara… sounds familiar."

"Remember – our first mission we met a boy my age…"

"Oh! That's him? What a coincidence. I've wondered about him occasionally through the years. He was covered in bruises because his sensei was beating him. So he didn't do so well after all – I mean – if he ended up in Akatsuki."

"Don't know." Itachi admitted. "He's a cocky little bastard though. Try not to let him get on your nerves. It's a bit of a hobby with him. Missing nin don't generally like to discuss their pasts so you probably shouldn't ask."

"Okay."

Itachi was silent for a while, but ever since they had started this mission he couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed off with Yuri. It took a few more minutes to realize what it was, "You haven't mentioned Uncle in a long time…"

"He's dead." Yuri said plainly.

"Dead? How?" Itachi was shocked by the news, then remembered his manners and added an apology, "I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"

Yuri took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, "I'm not okay. Too much is going on. Uncle… I guess I can call him 'father' now since that's who he was… made an agreement with the clan. If they helped Fugaku with the coup he would step down as clan leader and I would take over the position. He would then pay for his crimes by committing ritual suicide. So… after the coup… he…"

It was quiet for a long time as Yuri took several deep breaths to calm herself down. She finally continued in a hoarse voice, "The clan… they are people I haven't seen since I was little and even then I didn't know any of them. The chief's family didn't associate with those of lower birth so they're all strangers to me. I really miss him, Itachi. The clan is nice to me, but they're too polite and very formal. I feel isolated."

"Perhaps they are afraid of you? I mean, you were raised by the man who betrayed them. Maybe they are waiting to see if you are like him?" Itachi offered his opinion.

"Yeah, that's what Fugaku said." She suddenly laughed, "He lectures me a lot on how to run a clan. I mean, I always thought he was mean but he's really gone out of his way to help."

"Well, be careful of that." Itachi said quietly, "He isn't a saint by any means."

"Don't I know it. No, I'm not planning on becoming dependant on him and I don't do everything he recommends, but… it's not like there's a college extension course on how to run a clan out their either."

"Humph. I see your point." However, Itachi couldn't help but think that Fugaku was doing nothing more than sticking his fingers into another clan's affairs for his own personal gain. Yuri was a powerful ninja, but she had obviously developed some dependency issues over the last year. He could guess how it could of happened, of course. Her father was a paranoid man who trained her everyday, drilling his clan's jutsus into her as well as keeping a firm hold of her comings and goings. In his absence, she had no one to cling to anymore. Even though she said she wasn't becoming dependant on him, he conjectured that she probably was.

Unfortunately he knew there was little he could do to stop it. "What about this cousin that's been helping you? I think I heard Fugaku mention him once back when we were in the jail a few months back."

"Oh. Yeah – he's nice. The… um… clan elders want us to get married." She was blushing now, causing Itachi to smile.

"That's good news." He leaned back onto the wet ground and stared at the little bit of light blue sky that showed through the leaves. "You need someone. I would suggest marrying as soon as possible."

"Itachi, you are so much like your father sometimes it's scary."

"No need to be insulting." Itachi scowled.

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Deidara flew over the northern part of the hospital in a series of figure eights waving at the ninja who were attempting to knock him out of the sky. A little disgruntled about not being able to drop any bombs, he nevertheless made the most of it by adding in a few flips and occasionally dive bombing his adversaries.

His job was to cause a distraction so the "plant girl", as he had nicknamed her after seeing her create a clone out of a root, could search the building for the missing kids. Another thing he wasn't too keen about. Why should he have to help an Uchiha?

Glancing discretely to the south he saw a particular cherry tree bend down about three feet. That was the signal that the others were in position. Smiling he sent a small clay bird north through the trees. As expected, a large group of the Root Shinobi took off after it. Forming a series of hand signs he activated a clay spider that he had placed near the location "plant girl" was going to use. When it moved she would know it was safe to begin.

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Itachi and Kisame stood behind Yuri as she placed her hands on the ivy-covered wall and sent her chakra through the vines. Sasori was a few feet away still hidden in the underbrush. He had pulled out two low-level puppets for back-up.

Several minutes passed before Yuri spoke, "I'm finding a lot of kids. They don't seem to be prisoners though. They're being instructed by older Shinobi. It's like, this is a school or something."

"Chances are it won't be five minutes after we leave. They'll evacuate the place before we can get any information out of 'em." Kisame complained as he dug the tip of Samehada into the weeds choking out the trimmed grass. "I'm pissed off at you Itachi… you should have thought of this place a long time ago. It's right near your clan's hideout."

"My clan's…" Itachi's eyes opened wide, "How do you know that?"

"I did fight in the last war, remember? We were up and down through here many times. That place is too big to miss after all."

"I guess." Itachi figured he had a point. It was rather large, but from a distance it looked like a small mountain overgrown with shrubs and trees. Mist must have been right up on it, perhaps even in the abandoned village surrounding it. He figured the chances that Madara had sent them were probably slim, after all he was using it himself and even had a secret apartment under the throne room.

"I found them!" Yuri hissed, "They're on the top floor… um… look up and count down twenty windows from where we are now – it's boarded up."

"Ah. I see. We can get in from the roof…"

"Itachi… I'm only counting eight kids. One is missing… it's Sakura. Should I create a clone and make contact?"

"Yes, but ask them to keep quiet. We'll be up right away…" Itachi was interrupted by Kisame who grunted in disapproval.

"We'll wait until after midnight. There's too many people around. You're being reckless Itachi, this isn't like you. I know he's your brother and all but still." Kisame scowled.

Itachi's face went blank. He was being reckless, but he had a reason. Madara was going to be arriving soon. However, if he wanted Kisame's help with this "personal errand" he was going to have to back off and play by his rules.

Turning to Yuri he amended his statement, "Tell them we'll be there after midnight."

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Itachi analyzed the situation, "They probably pulled Sakura away from the others because they aren't planning on returning her. She might be with the other children in the classrooms, or a completely different facility." It was now late evening and the forest was quiet except for the sound of the occasional owl and the wind blowing through the branches. And of course Deidara snoring lightly as he slept curled up a few feet away.

"You're going to have to leave her behind." Sasori spoke up.

"It looks like it." Itachi responded in a defeated tone.

"No way!" Yuri yelled. "She's only eight-years-old! She isn't like us Itachi, she's an innocent Academy student!"

Itachi cut her off, "Yuri! They aren't going to hurt her. Remember the note they sent, they said they were going to indoctrinate her into Root."

"But the kids said they were also thinking of selling her."

"We'll have to take that risk. But don't worry, it's not like Konoha can't come back later and get her. Right now, those eight are the ones that are in danger. Root doesn't want them."

"Arghhh!" Deidara jumped to his feet and took off into the forest, "Tobi I'm going to rip you into so many pieces…"

"_Deidara shut up_!" Sasori yelled, "You're going to give away our position."

Deidara and Tobi stepped into the small clearing from opposite sides.

"He started it." Deidara pouted. "He was throwing rocks at me."

"And I'm finishing it. Now sit down and behave yourself. Both of you."

Dropping to the ground, the blond teen vented his anger by pulling leaves off of the weeds in front of him and mumbling to himself.

"Tobi wants to help young Itachi rescue his baby brother." Tobi sat down in front of Itachi and adjusted his orange and black mask.

"No. Go away." Itachi replied grumpily.

Sasori groaned, "You can keep watch on the roof. That way Yuri can bring out the kids and Itachi and Kisame can make a search for this missing Sakura girl."

"What's Sasori doing?" Tobi asked, pleased to find out he could help after all.

"I'm staying down here with my puppets to cover their retreat. They've stepped up security since that stunt Deidara pulled this afternoon, but it seems they think he was just another missing nin checking them out. Yuri used a jutsu to listen in on them using the tree roots. Apparently they have confrontations like this a lot. They're hoping he comes back so they can ask him to join."

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Deidara cheered up considerably when one AM approached. Taking off through the forest he took off into the dark, star filled sky on his clay bird about ten minutes later, drawing the guards after him again. They were calling to him good naturedly, trying to get him to land.

Meanwhile, Itachi, Yuri, Kisame and Tobi used transportation jutsus to get to the roof of the hospital. The surface was rough and full of dirt, weeds, and trash. They quickly took out the four guards and then moved toward the stairwell as Tobi took up a defensive position nearby.

As Itachi passed him he placed a hand on the teen's should and bent down to whisper in his ear, "I stopped by to speak with Fugaku for a few minutes. Danzou's body is missing, including the head that was on display at the gate and a collection of tissue samples that were in storage. They can't do a DNA test. He believes there is a spy in his camp and he's going to operate under the supposition that Danzou's still alive."

Itachi felt his blood go cold as he listened. "How is Hanzou faring?"

"His forces are proving too difficult for Pein. That war could go on for a year or more. Unlike your father, he is taking over a country, not a village. I contacted Pein about the DNA and he is also going to operate as if Danzou were alive."

Itachi nodded once and Madara patted him on the back a couple times as Itachi entered the stairwell. Surprisingly enough, the lights were on. They hadn't noticed much light from the outside of the building. A few rooms had what looked like lanterns or candles burning in them, but no evidence of electricity. He quickly caught up to the others and silently entered the top floor. The long hallway was also lit, but not as brightly as the stairwell had been. Looking closer he could see that only about an eighth of the light bulbs were working.

Yuri signaled that she was going to get the kids and Itachi nodded as he and Kisame moved toward the row of rooms on the inside of the building. These rooms had no windows and the roots Yuri had been using couldn't reach them. They quietly entered the room of sleeping ninja and children without being detected and searched for a small pink-haired girl. She was no where to be found and they didn't have time to search the other floors.

Making their way back to the roof they saw eight disgruntled and sleepy children arguing with Yuri. Tobi was leaning casually against the wall of the stairwell listening.

"Everyone grab two kids and get back to the forest." Itachi ordered as he latched onto Sasuke and Naruto's arms.

Sasuke pulled back, "What about Sakura? You have to promise you'll come back and get her!"

"I promise I'll come back and get her. Now let's get going." Itachi said hurriedly. He watched as Yuri grabbed Hinata and Ino, Kisame grabbed Shino and Shikamaru and Tobi grabbed Kiba and Ji. A moment later they were back in the clearing. Deidara was already waiting for them, standing next to his clay bird.

Just as Itachi was about to explain to the kids the procedure for returning to Konoha, the forest suddenly came alive as dozens of Root Shinobi forced their way through the shrubs and attacked. The children were quickly pushed toward the middle of the clearing as their rescuers engaged the enemy. Kisame swung his great sword, taking out two ninjas who made the mistake of getting too close to him. Meanwhile, Itachi used a fire jutsu to take out three and Yuri strangled a couple more by pulling roots out of the ground. Tobi had jumped into the middle of the surging ninja, diverting them from the kids. Sasori's puppets suddenly appeared and used the same strategy, pulling even more ninja away from the clearing.

The fight seemed to be coming to an end when Yuri suddenly dived into the middle of the kids, yelling at them to move. Itachi turned around, Katana in his right hand and watched in horror as a sword poked through the earth heading straight for Shikamaru. Sasuke pushed his friend out of the way just as the sword reached his stomach. It pierced him at an angle, entering his chest cavity and exiting through his collar bone by his shoulder.

Sasuke stood still for a moment and stared at Yuri as she sent her roots through the ground to strangle the person who had been holding the sword. The man's hand dropped from the hilt and Sasuke stumbled back a couple feet. He wondered why he wasn't feeling any pain. Instead, he felt light, like he didn't weigh anything. But… if he didn't weigh anything why was he stumbling and falling backward. He closed his eyes as he lost consciousness.

The Root Shinobi renewed their attack forcing Itachi to turn away from his brother in order to defend himself. He saw Deidara catch Sasuke as he started to fall and jump up on his bird. He took off a second later, cradling the boy in is arms. Tobi ran off through the woods to follow him.

Cursing, Itachi renewed his attack with increased vigor. Sharingan blazing, he began to savagely rip through all of the shinobi in front of him. He decapitated them, cut off their arms, legs and ripped through their torsos. A few minutes later all of the Root Shinobi lay dead in a circle around the children and their rescuers.

"Yuri!" Itachi commanded, "Get these kids back to Konoha. Kisame, go with her. Turn back before you get to Konoha. I'm going after Deidara." He took off before anyone could protest.

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Deidara flew about ten miles to the south, along the route they were planning to use to escape with the children. He didn't know why he had grabbed Sasuke, it had been instinctive and before he realized what he was doing he was on his bird carrying an _Uchiha_ of all things to safety. Or, more likely, an early grave.

The young boy was leaking blood at a tremendous rate and the sword was still in him, making him difficult to hold. Seeing a clearing he quickly descended and laid Sasuke carefully on the ground. He hoped Tobi was following. The man was annoying, but he was also very good at healing. Or at least, he was better than anyone Deidara had ever met, which probably wasn't saying much considering who he was hanging out with. Although he quickly amended that analysis when he thought of Kakuzu; that man probably was the best healer.

Tobi appeared in the clearing, interrupting his thoughts and ran over to Sasuke's side. He spoke hurriedly and his usual high-pitched teasing tone was gone. In it's stead was a firm, deep voice of a powerful ninja, "Go help with the other children, I'll take care of Sasuke."

Deidara didn't say anything as he quickly got back on his clay bird and took off. Something about Tobi was off and was creeping him out. Of course, he didn't want to be there when the boy died. He suddenly brushed the tears out of his eyes. There was no way he was going to survive being pierced like that. He hated seeing children get hurt. It reminded him too much of himself… of the abandonment he felt when he was pushed from his father's home, of the hunger and he had endured while living on the streets and of the disappointment he had felt when his sensei had started beating him. It had all been painful.

Even if he was an Uchiha, Deidara decided he didn't want Sasuke to die. Of course, as he wiped more tears from his eyes he tried to justify his conflicted feelings. If Sasuke turned out to be like Itachi that would make him fair game and then he could kill him. That would be okay. After all how could _every_ Uchiha be like Itachi?

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Madara had felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw the sword pierce Sasuke's flesh. He quickly chased after Deidara, knowing that the teen wouldn't go far. Reaching the clearing where he had dropped back down to the ground, Madara quickly sent Deidara away so he could treat Sasuke.

He looked over his shoulder, he knew that Itachi would be along soon. If Sasuke died Itachi would loose it and need to be restrained. He would lash out at the nearest enemy and that would the Root contingent at the hospital. That would not be a good idea at the moment, for a variety of reasons.

Pulling out a blood pill he pushed it into Sasuke's mouth under his tongue. It was designed to speed up the production of blood, thus making it easier for the body to recover. Madara sent chakra into his hands and ran them over the boy's chest. Scowling, he pulled off his mask and dropped it on the ground. He needed a second pair of hands.

"Itachi… you better come soon…" Madara mumbled. He couldn't pull the sword out by himself – he needed both hands to shove chakra into Sasuke's chest in order to stop the bleeding that would result in the organs it was piercing. Instead, he focused on monitoring the blood loss and adjusting the boy's metabolism in order to keep him from loosing too much blood or suffering a drop in blood pressure. If the brain were to be deprived of oxygen – which was provided via the blood stream – he would suffer brain damage.

He had seen that happen before, a long time ago when he was a child. His uncle, who was only a few years older than him, had suffered brain damage after loosing a large quantity of blood after being attacked by his father during an attempt to force his Sharingan to appear. The teenager had trouble walking after that and Madara had become his protector until he finally died many years later. It had been hard on his grandparents to see their son crippled, but Madara had been thankful for one thing: he had been the one to teach him how to heal. His uncle had gone on to become an exceptional medic.

"Fa…ther." Sasuke mumbled as he opened his eyes part way.

"It's okay son. Go back to sleep." As much as Madara longer to hear Sasuke call him that, he knew that the boy had simply confused him with Fugaku. Being from the same clan they all did share a few similar facial features.

"It doesn't hurt."

For the second time that day Madara felt his heart drop. Had the sword hit his spine?

"That's because you're dreaming. Close your eyes and sleep, Sasuke. Dad's looking after you."

"'kay." Sasuke fell into unconsciousness again.

"How is he?" Itachi jumped down from a tree and dropped down onto his knees next to his brother.

"He's loosing a lot of blood. I'm using blood pills to replace it, but I need your help to remove the sword."

Itachi moved so that he could get a good grip on the hilt, then looked up at the older man expectantly.

Madara spoke calmly, "Pull it out very, very slowly. I'll heal the exposed areas and stop the bleeding. When it's completely out I'll get him stabilized so he can travel."

"Okay. Tell me when." Itachi didn't want to think about what would happen if he had to tell his parents that their beloved youngest son was dead. He wondered if he would even want to live if that happened. So much of what he had done, of his future plans, centered around his brother. In so many ways, Sasuke was the center of his family. The one bit of innocence left in their lives. Like moths, they were drawn to his bright light.

Thirty minutes later the sword was out and Madara was shoving another blood pill under Sasuke's tongue. "That should do it. I'm going to wake him up."

"What? Don't! He'll be in a lot of pain!" Itachi grabbed his brother's arm and held onto it tightly.

"I hope so." Madara's words made Itachi blink in surprise. Was there something wrong with Sasuke?

A moment later Sasuke's eyes blinked open and he gasped as his face scrunched up.

"Sasuke?" Madara got his attention, "Are you in pain?"

The boy nodded and moved his legs and arms as he attempted to roll over. Madara put a hand over the boy's forehead and he fell back into unconsciousness. Sighing in relief Madara bowed his head and closed his eyes.

Standing up, Itachi looked up at the sky as he drew his arm across his face, wiping off the layer of sweat that had formed. Madara took Sasuke in his arms and stood up as well. He held the boy close to his chest and rested his cheek on his head.

"He's not out of the woods yet, Itachi. His liver, stomach and left lung are damaged. He is going to be in the hospital for a while."

Itachi nodded as he moved to stand in front of Madara. Grasping Sasuke's hand he leaned forward and rested his own forehead on his brother's arm for a moment before backing away. "Thank-you. Even if you did this… because… because you want to use him…"

"Ha!" Madara gave a short laugh, "Sasuke is a lot like you, you know. For one thing, he's short. I think he's the same height you were at eight. You are getting taller though."

Itachi smiled, "I hope so. I can take him now…"

"I can get him back to Konoha faster." Madara disappeared, leaving Itachi alone in the clearing with a growing sense of dread. Madara was now alone with Sasuke. There was no guarantee he would actually return Sasuke to Konoha and Itachi knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to him. Of course, the closest hospital was Konoha, but as fast as Madara could travel, that didn't mean much.

Cursing, Itachi reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a small vial of blood. His fathers. Pulling out a scroll he spilled a drop of blood in the middle of a chakra laden diagram and performed a series of hand signs. A small all-black cat with bright green eyes appeared.

"I need you to deliver a message to Fugaku, and it needs to get to him immediately."

"Of course." The cat, who seemed to be just out of kittenhood, but not quite an adult spoke calmly, sounding a little bit bored.

"Tell him Sasuke is injured and… Madara is bringing him to Konoha. Hopefully… he doesn't change his mind and go somewhere else. I'm on my way there right now."

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**Next week: Does Madara return Sasuke to Konoha? And Itachi has a talk with his father about the Raikage.**

**Please review**


	17. Chapter 17 That Young Boys Life

**Last week eight of the Konoha children were rescued from their captors, leaving the missing Sakura behind. After escaping they were set upon by Root Shinobi resulting in Sasuke receiving a life threatening injury. Madara is able to heal him enough to travel and is currently taking him to Konoha.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Yay! Sasuke's back! Can't wait for next weeks manga. Time to kick some old people butt! (And Naruto better not stop him either…)**

**Disclaimer: Yeah… something… same as last week… I don't own anything**

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**Chapter 17 – That Young Boys Life**

The forest flew past Madara at a tremendous speed as he raced through the treetops. The dark evening had given way to morning a couple hours earlier and now the sun was rising steadily on the horizon, waking the birds and animals from their slumber.

He was three-quarters of the way to Konoha, still holding the injured Sasuke in his arms. He had stopped twice to check his condition and give him soldier pills to keep his metabolism up. At this point the boy was dehydrated and needed IV treatment that a soldier pill couldn't provide. Drinking water wasn't going to help either so waking him would be pointless. Blood pills were good at replacing lost blood, but they did so at a price. The blood was created using a combination of a jutsu and herbs that pulled liquid out of the system, turning it into blood. In the field, ninja usually drank them with water or in the hospital they were used in conjunction with IV saline drips. However, it had been hours since the first of the blood pills was dispensed, meaning any water Sasuke drank now would not be absorbed efficiently enough to counteract the dehydration.

The realization that his son might die was extremely unpleasant. Madara had lost all of his children. Back when he was leader of the Uchiha clan he had been married and had a family. Four young children. All became ill, one after the other, and even though there were healers capable of advanced jutsu, they didn't replace the need for medication – something Fire country did not have. Mortality among children back then had been very high.

One of his darkest days was the day his oldest son, sick from pneumonia, had died in his arms. He had carried the dead child to the temple and laid the still-warm body in a casket that had been prepared in advance. Even now he couldn't bring himself to utter the boy's name; the loss had been too deep. The other three had followed their brother over the course of the next two years.

It didn't help that Sasuke was not only a dead ringer for that boy, but the same age. In fact, it made it harder. Genetics was a roulette game at the best of times, but to pull up a face so similar twice was beyond Madara's comprehension – even if the two were brothers.

He suddenly imagined Mikoto's grief stricken face and he felt his heart clench with fear. She held a special place in his life, and while he was willing to let Itachi kill her several months earlier, he was relieved when it didn't come to pass. He had known Sasuke would be safe – there was no way Itachi would have killed his little brother.

During the last few hours Madara had considered taking Sasuke with him and returning to Mist. He could raise the child, train him. He had vast potential, more so even than Itachi, and he had plans for him when he got older. But he had promised Mikoto not to do anything until Sasuke was fifteen. That was the age when Shinobi were considered adults. It was still seven years from now, and that was fine. It would take that long, at the very minimum, to put everything into motion. Then he would have both brothers, Itachi and Sasuke.

A bittersweet smile played on his lips as he glanced down at his son, resting quietly in his arms. If he did die before then he had a contingency plan. Aya. She could give him two more sons, and this time he was being patient, grooming her to become his willing mate. First… she would have to prove herself, and that was where Kyoko came in.

Kyoko was an assassin sent by the Daimyou of Water country to assassinate him. Madara knew this the moment he laid eyes on her. A hundred years of being a ninja had gifted him with the ability to not only detect Shinobi, but to pick out their strengths and weaknesses.

Kyoko's strength was assassination. Her weakness was power. Or, more specifically, the perks that came along with it. Wealth, status, a famous name. And so Madara made her an offer, late one night as he lay next to her… kill Aya without anyone knowing it was murder, or suspecting who did it and he would marry her instead. Kyoko had jumped at it like a starving lion jumping through a hoop for a morsel of raw meat.

The twist was that Kyoko had not been raised in a ninja village. She had been trained in the capital under the tutelage of the Daimyou's personal guard. Operating in a ninja village was proving difficult for her, and the fact that Aya was also trained as an assassin was making Kyoko hesitant and over-cautious. However, Aya considered the older woman to be nothing more than an annoyance and, having nothing better to do, played along.

"I'm going to have force things along a little faster." Madara muttered to himself, "Aya must be pushed over the edge. At that point… she can decide if she wants to carry on and become stronger or give up and die."

Aya's insecurities, no doubt left over from her years as a wandering orphan along with her sisters and brother, made her over-emotional and self-absorbed. She was prone to acting without thinking and to prove it had killed a clansman shortly after Shisui had died. From what he heard she hadn't even shown any remorse. No doubt there was more to the story but Madara didn't care.

He knew Aya, despite her problems, was not the type of person to take anything lying down. Every time Kyoko pushed, Aya pushed back. He was sure he could force Aya into making the decision… to kill Kyoko. And then she would accept him.

Of course, he had another reason for wanting Aya to be his wife. She was the beloved older sister of Itachi's finance. Aya would be a buffer between himself and the Konoha Uchiha. Sheeta would never do anything to harm her sister. And that would surely extend to any children he and Aya had together. In this way, if Sasuke did die, he would still have two sons, safe and sound, ready for him to use. It would set him back a few years as he waited for them to grow, but the end result was the goal and worth the trouble.

Madara gave a short laugh, "I can't wait to see what Aya comes up with to get rid of Kyoko. She does seem to have a flair for the dramatic." He doubted it would be a straight "attack and kill scenario".

Sasuke moaned and opened his eyes part way. "Dad? Wanna go home. It hurts." He mumbled as his eyes closed again and he drifted back into unconsciousness.

Madara felt a sharp stab in his heart as he looked down at the boy. For the second time he had mistaken him for Fugaku. But he couldn't deny that he wished it wasn't a mistake and Sasuke would call him "dad". In a perfect world… Mikoto would be his wife and the three of them would live in Mist and share in the power of the Sharingan. But dreams like that were not for him.

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Fugaku stood impatiently just outside the periphery of Konoha's security barrier. He had received Itachi's message and immediately left the house, even though it had been only a few hours after midnight. He had been standing in the shady forest for almost ten hours, waiting and worrying, sometimes pacing, most often leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and his head facing the ground with his eyes closed.

It was a beautiful spring day. The cold, snowy days of winter had given way to a warm, flower filled days filled with birds and butterflies. The village, however, was still filled with darkness and foreboding. Funds were in the red because there weren't enough ninja to take jobs and Stone and Waterfall had ganged up to fight a war cutting the number of available ninja even more. To make things worse, the Fire country Daimyou had cut his funding. Rumor had it that one of his advisors was a Senju or at least a lackey of a Senju and had forced his hand. However, Fugaku found that rumor a little simplistic and figured there was probably much more to it than that.

A few families had left the village, deciding they didn't want to continue living as ninja. Even more had pulled their children out of the Academy and placed them in the civilian school. The pool of future Shinobi was dropping.

The headmaster had suggested a recruitment campaign. He would send several of his teachers to various villages around Fire country and convince children to become ninja. The plan had its merits and Fugaku had given him permission to try. The life of a Shinobi was considered exciting and even if most dropped out after their first year, perhaps a few would stay. The headmaster was also calculating that the offer of free room and board would entice some orphans from other countries to move to Konoha.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a familiar chakra signature was broadcast in one short burst. Fugaku flared his to give his location and then stood in the middle of the small clearing, waiting.

A moment later Madara dropped down to the ground holding an unconscious Sasuke. The boy's clothes, arms and neck were caked with dried blood.

"Oh my god." Fugaku replied in shock.

"The sword entered through his stomach, sliced into his liver, left lung and exited through his shoulder, hitting several muscles on the way. Missed his heart by an inch. There may be a spinal cord injury, I couldn't tell. He said he couldn't feel anything, but then later he was in pain. It could have just been shock. Right now he is suffering from dehydration and will likely need a blood transfusion since I've been pumping him full of blood pills for the last few hours." Madara spoke quickly as he explained the situation.

"Got it." Fugaku walked up and took Sasuke in his arms. The boy was very light and he was reminded of Itachi when he was younger. While Sasuke looked sturdier than his older brother, apparently he wasn't.

"Fugaku… this isn't really the time to discuss this… but I will return Rumiko's twins if you sign a treaty with Mist. Itachi can bring it, and Aya's sisters can come as well. They can transport the children back to Konoha."

Fugaku nodded once, "I will consider it. Their grandparents would like the boys back and I still have the murderer of their parents in prison awaiting execution."

"Sitting back enjoying a nice safe cell? That doesn't sound like you, Fugaku." Madara taunted.

Fugaku snorted, "Oh, he is anything but safe. He hired foreign ninja and then let them into Konoha to kill Rumiko and her husband. Thankfully the children and Sheeta survived. But for that… he is a traitor of the worst kind. Believe me when I say he is suffering right now."

"Ha ha ha!" Madara laughed in approval, then turned serious. "I'll let you handle the details, but I won't sign anything that conflicts with my village's safety. We will work this out in private, then make it public when it's all ironed out. In the meantime, announce the Mizukage's engagement to one Aya Uchiha and let it be known that her 'mission' is over. The wedding will be on her eighteenth birthday – I guess that's still a year or two away."

"Humph. Whatever. I'm leaving now." Fugaku then spoke reluctantly, "Thanks for saving my son. Mikoto…"

Madara smiled half-heartedly, "I brought him back because of Mikoto. Do you have any idea how tempting it was to take him to Mist?"

"I do. I am a father after all. I would do anything for my boys." He and Madara shared a look that, for a brief moment, surpassed their shared hostility and repulsion.

Turning around, Fugaku took off into the forest, carrying Sasuke to the hospital.

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Itachi caught up to Yuri and the children a couple hours after Madara had taken off and sent Kisame and Deidara back to Sasori, who was still at the abandoned hospital. Their job now was to interrogate as many ninja as possible for any information about Root.

Shikamaru, who was usually fairly calm and collected lost it when Itachi showed up and ran crying to the older boy and wrapped his arms around his chest. He tried to speak several times, but the only thing that escaped his mouth were the wracking sobs of disappointment and sorrow. Itachi quickly remembered that if Sasuke hadn't pushed him out of the say, it would Shikamaru who was injured. And Madara would not have saved his life. In that regard, it was a good thing that it was Sasuke that had been stabbed.

Placing his hands on Shikamaru's back he stood their patiently for a minute, then pulled the boy off of him, "Sasuke's going to be okay. Tobi has some healing skills and was able to stop the bleeding. He is taking him to Konoha right now," _I hope_, Itachi thought to himself, "and when you get home you can go see him."

"You promise?" Naruto was also crying, and his words came out sad and dejected.

Itachi looked up at Yuri, who was also wiping her eyes and frowned. He couldn't lie to them. "No. Sasuke is still very badly injured. But… "

"We mustn't give up hope!" Ino stated firmly. "Sasuke will be okay, and Sakura will come home!"

Shikamaru nodded as he quieted down. "Then… we… should go fast…"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kiba tried to smile as he took off running through the forest, but it didn't reach his eyes.

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It took two days to return to the village. The Academy students weren't at the level yet where they could move quickly through the trees, nor did they have the stamina to run for hours on end – so most of the time the group ended up on the ground walking. Of course, they also had to stop for food and two separate six hour sleep breaks.

They were followed, of course. However, Itachi was able to cast a Genjutsu to hide them and their pursuers ran right by, none the wiser.

Reaching Konoha everyone insisted on going to the hospital to see Sasuke before going home, where they were told that the boy was still in critical condition and no visitors were allowed. The nurse did assure them, though, that he would pull through. He had been pulled off the critical list an hour earlier.

After seeing all the kids home, Itachi headed toward the Hokage tower. He remembered Yuri's words – about the economic condition of Konoha and looked closely at his surroundings as he walked to the government district. There weren't very many people out shopping and several stores were closed, or had limited hours and warnings about stock shortages. He passed by the Yamanaka flower shop and noticed that it had finally been rebuilt, but a sign "closed until further notice" hung on the empty window. He guessed that there was no point selling flowers if no one could afford them.

He heard rustling and banging as he passed an alley and stopped to look. Two children about five or six were scavenging in a garbage can, along with a woman who was probably their mother. By the looks on their faces they weren't finding anything. Reaching into his pocket his pulled out his wallet and emptied it into his hand before handing it over to the woman. Her first inclination was to refuse it, but as her hand paused over Itachi's she glanced back at her two little girls and swallowed her price as she accepted the money. It would be enough for a few days worth of food.

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"Father?" Itachi pushed passed the guard at the door, not giving him time to announce his arrival, "If you have a minute I have some information about the Raikage that could help our situation."

Fugaku, Sarutobi, and of course, Jiraiya were sitting on the two couches going over a map that was stretched out on the coffee table between them.

"You're back." Fugaku stated.

"Yes. But without Sakura Haruno."

"She is not in any immediate danger." Fugaku replied without concern. Itachi had summoned another cat while he travelled with the children and sent a more detailed report to his father during the groups first sleep break.

Itachi wondered what he meant by that, and while he wanted to discuss the Raikage he was suddenly concerned about the fate of his brothers playmate. "We have to go get her."

"We can't right now." Fugaku turned his attention back to the map. "Now what is this about the Raikage?"

The other people in the room weren't reacting and didn't seem too concerned about the girl's absence. Something was up. "First, tell me why Sakura isn't a priority."

"She is now on a mission to retrieve information about Root's training methods." Sarutobi filled him in. "She will be well reimbursed."

"Mission…" Itachi mumbled.

"There aren't enough Shinobi to spare. In the last three days twenty-three ninjas and kunoichis have defected to Root." As Jiraiya spoke his face took on the expression of one who had suddenly tasted something very sour.

"Wh…what?" Itachi mumbled weakly.

Fugaku explained in a tired voice, "It's poor reimbursement for a child's innocence, but since it could take a year or more to train a child at her level she is most likely safe for the time being. The fact that she is very intelligent should keep her in the upper tier of whatever class system they use in their training program. As long as she cooperates, she should be well treated."

"So if you can pull some of the Shinobi from the Lightning country border you can start thinking about searching for Sakura."

"We have to go after her anyway, Itachi. Just not right now. We need to know about their training methods, where their training facilities are and anything else we can glean from those facilities. If she can stay there a few months she can collect more information. Perhaps by then we will have some more ninja available. Frankly, this is something I would like Kakashi to handle but he is busy fighting Stone and Waterfall right now."

"Understood." Itachi paused, "About the Raikage..."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Last year my ANBU team and I tracked a target up into Lightning. We ran into a team from Cloud, one of whom, it turned out, was the Raikage. His village had been tracking the same man and he suspected that, because of the high level of the target, I would be on the ANBU team Konoha would send. We sparred a little, then had a discussion. He was the one who passed on the information about the man who hired the ninja to kill Rumiko.

"He also asked me for a favor… he had somehow found out that Sarutobi had recommended me for the position of Hokage."

"What?" Sarutobi stood up quickly, "How?"

"No idea." Itachi added. "I was just as surprised about it as you. Anyway, he said that if I was the Hokage he would sign a treaty with Konoha. This, of course, would be a real treaty of cooperation and not just the token treaty that was signed at the end of the last war."

"Why you?" Fugaku asked suspiciously.

"He said, as long as it wasn't a Senju or Hyuuga in charge, he could support the treaty."

Fugaku sighed, "That's certainly understandable."

"Completely in character." Jiraiya added quietly.

"I would like permission to travel north and negotiate with the Raikage. Perhaps the offer still stands, and that's why there have been no attacks on that border." Itachi looked over the three men and wondered when the last time they slept was. All three had bags under their eyes and an empty coffee carafe was sitting on the edge of the table.

Jiraiya spoke up quickly, "I would like to go with him. Itachi has no experience with negotiating and since I also have no Senju connections, being an orphan and all, it should meet with their approval."

Fugaku gave them a small smile, "Okay. I'll start the process to have a treaty drawn up. I'll let you two know when you can leave."

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Sasuke was sitting upright in his bed with a coloring book and crayons spread out in front of him. Coloring wasn't his favorite activity, it was too sedentary for the active boy, but he was still very sore and weak. He was looking forward to going home, and the doctor had told him that morning that he would decide in a couple days if he was ready to be discharged. Although having his father visit him in the middle of the night was nice. It was one of the only times in his life he could remember having the man all to himself and while he would only stay for fifteen minutes (the nurse was very strict about that) he would talk to Sasuke and reassure him. He knew that once he was back home the visits would end.

Glancing at the clock next to his bed he noticed that visiting hours would be over in half an hour. While all his friends had come to visit that day – the first day he was deemed well enough to have visitors apart from family – Shikamaru had not come. He felt a little dejected, and wondered if maybe something was wrong. However, his fears were soon allayed when the youngest Nara poked his head in through the door.

"Hey, I hear you're feeling better." Shikamaru walked in and took a seat next to the bed. "Where's your mom?"

"She's doing laundry, but she said she'd be back later." Sasuke had a wide grin on his face.

"I brought you some Sudoku puzzles. Mom said they would be too advanced for an eight-year-old but…" He shrugged as he put a small paper-back book on the tray.

"I can do these. Thanks. I'm getting tired of coloring." Sasuke looked at the book, still smiling. His mother had shown him how to work the puzzles a few months earlier while he had been in the jail.

"I… um…" Shikamaru stood back up and bent forward in a stiff bow, "Thank-you for saving my life. I… I… I'm so sorry you got hurt." When he sat back down he had to wipe a tear out of his eye.

"S'okay. I just… I just moved automatically. But I'm glad I did. I don't want to see any more dead people."

"Choji and his mom." Shikamaru stated morosely.

"Yeah. I keep having nightmares about that. Ami and her family was there too. And other kids… I didn't know their names." Sasuke's voice was now very quiet and his smile was gone. The nightmares were constant. Every night he watched his friends die, or ran into their corpses while running through a decimated village. They had gotten worse in the last week, but the doctor told him it might be stress and would go away in a few months. Or at least lessen.

"I have dreams about Choji. But… they aren't nightmares. We're just talking or walking around like we used to do. In my dream I know he's dead but it doesn't bother me or scare me."

Sasuke's eyes closed and he dropped his head, "I wish I could have one of your dreams…"

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Locking his door Itachi turned around and looked at his room. He had been up here briefly before leaving on the rescue mission, but now that he was in less of a hurry he took the chance to look around more closely. Surprisingly, it was dust free with a faint scent of lavender. Or perhaps it wasn't so surprising. Even though he had asked his mother not clean the top floor she was doing it anyway. Or more likely making Sheeta do it as part of her "training".

Exiting his room he walked to the disused living room at the end of the hall and turned on the TV. Smiling, he switched it off again. It was set to Sheeta's favorite movie channel. His mother liked to watch Samurai movies, but Sheeta was a fan of science fiction and romance. He doubted the boys had been up here since Sasuke had a TV in his room and they never watched movies, preferring anime or other thirty minutes shows. He himself preferred video tapes to TV and Fugaku would watch whatever everyone else was watching, since he was usually reading or doing paperwork anyway.

Suffice it to say, it was obvious it had been his fiancé cleaning and it was probably safe to say that she was not very happy about it. Well, her birthday was coming up in July maybe he could find something. Or perhaps Jiraiya knew something that would make her happy. He did write romance stories after all – he must know something about girls.

Returning to his room he once again locked the door and moved to the middle of his bed. Slipping on his Akatsuki ring he called Leader. The man's strong voice echoed in his head, and Itachi felt the power and ominous chakra that always accompanied it.

"Leader, I have been assigned a mission in Lightning." Itachi got to the point.

"Refuse it."

"I can't." Itachi said plainly.

"You work for me. As long as you are in Akatsuki you will follow my orders." Pein's words were threatening but Itachi was long past the point where that affected him.

"I am." He explained calmly.

"Explain."

"You are aware Danzou's body is missing from Konoha."

"Yes".

"That could only have been an inside job here in Konoha. They have also had a large number of desertions in the last few days – something that hasn't happened since the coup."

"A feeble excuse at best, Itachi. It seems to me that you are having trouble with your priorities."

"Call it what you will."

Surprisingly, the leader sighed, "Itachi, have you forgotten my warning already? Did that village's destruction really mean so little to you? You stated that you had accepted a mission that would take you to Lightning country. To track Danzou's body you should at least have stated that you were staying in Konoha."

"True… but since lies are easier to forget than truths being up front is probably the best course of action."

"Then tell me what is going on."

"Konoha is in dire straits right now. There aren't enough shinobi to run missions so income is down. I have been asked to negotiate a peace treaty with the Raikage so that Konoha may pull ninja away from Lightning's border."

"Dire straits, huh?" Pein sounded amused.

"I cannot stay in Konoha without going on missions."

"Humph. That is true enough." Pein was silent for a couple minutes and when he spoke again there was a different tone in his voice that was, somehow, more ominous that his usual voice. "Okay, stay in Konoha for now. Madara will have you for a few weeks in July anyway so it can't be helped. Our priority is Danzou anyway. Anything that can be done to get more information about his life or death is approved. Sasori, Kisame and Deidara went through that hospital, but didn't find anything of value. It was, apparently, a recruiting facility and held no organizational information. Most of the people escaped while you were saving those children." He paused again, "That reminds me… one was missing?"

"Umm… yes." Itachi wondered where he was going with this.

"Is Konoha abandoning her?"

"No. But… there aren't enough people to look for her now so they are going to leave her where she is, let her gain information about Root and then retrieve her."

Much to Itachi's surprise the Leader actually laughed, "So that's what Konoha calls it. And what if she decides she _has_ been abandoned and changes loyalties? Are you prepared to kill her?"

Itachi's eyes opened wide with shock as a cold dread settled over him.

Pein continued, "Children are much stronger than we give them credit for… but at the same time they are also very fragile."

"I will do what I have to do to crush Root. If that means killing the child, then that is the way it is." Itachi finally spoke, his words calm and measured. As distasteful as it was, it was also true.

"Humph." The communication was cut and Itachi removed the ring and threw it across the room. It hit the wall a foot away from the bathroom door and clinked as it bounced once off the wood floor.

Itachi stood up angrily and began pacing back and forth. "That bastard knew this was going to happen. That 'mission' is nothing more than a cover-up! He has no intention of looking for her! And when he has her killed he can just blame Root! And Sarutobi knows about it!"

Throwing himself into an upholstered chair he hit his head several times on the back of the plush cushion, disappointed that it didn't hurt. He imagined Sasuke's reaction when he found out another one of his friends was dead. It would hurt the boy immensely and if there was one thing Itachi didn't want it was to see his little brother sad.

But then again, the life of a ninja was like that. Friends died on missions or of complications from past injuries. It was a fact of life. Itachi thought again of all the people he had lost, and of what it would be like if they were still alive. Everything was so complicated and convoluted. If only Shisui was around – he was a genius at reading between the lines. So many times Itachi had felt like gullible fool after speaking to his older cousin. And now Pein had made him feel the same way.

"Itachi?" His mother knocked on the door, "Dinner's ready and your father is here. He wants to talk to you about your mission so please come down." She left without waiting for an answer and Itachi stood up and sighed. He had promised the kids that he would save Sakura, and he would.

His father could go to hell for all he cared, but Sakura would not be joining him there.

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**Next week we will be in Mist visiting with Madara, Aya and Kyoko. Aya has a surprise for Kyoko… but will Kyoko like it?**

**Please review**


	18. Chapter 18 The Reflection In Her Eyes

**Last week Madara returned the injured Sasuke to Konoha, where he recovered from his wounds.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Wow, can't wait to see what Danzou is going to do to Konoha... makes me wish the manga came out 2 or 3 times a week. **

**It's been very sunny and hot here in the Village Hidden in the Rain, I guess it's because Pein is gone now. I hope Konan knows that rain jutsu or everyone here is going to go crazy. We're not used to all this sun… it's… **_**scary**_**… xD**

**This chapter is mostly from Aya's perspective. The ending goes back to Madara so if you are one of those people who hate OC's then just skip to the end. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 18 – The Reflection In Her Eyes**

The small, wadded-up taffy wrapper sailed through the air in a high arc before landing approximately one foot away from the garbage can, joining about three dozen others lying in the same general position. The candies themselves were then tossed on the carpet next to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall where they promptly began melting on the polished wood floor. It was quite a mess, and one Aya was very proud of. After all, if Kyoko was going to call her "childish" she was definitely not above living up to the accusation.

Besides… the fruit flavored melting taffy smelled really good. Plopping a piece in her mouth she leaned back against the black enameled headboard of her bed and contemplated her handiwork. This was unlikely to chase the woman away. After all, any maid in a ninja village could use jutsus to clean. It would annoy her, but when all was said and done it would only take about fifteen minutes to clean up.

Sighing, Aya stood up and made her way to the living room. The doors were open to the garden and a soft breeze blew in, carrying a hint of the "moldy rain" scent that usually accompanied the persistent fogs that wrapped themselves around the village hidden in the Mist.

Finding her book still sitting where she had left it on an end table, she picked it up and began reading. More vampire novels. She had started reading them out of boredom – having picked the first one off a shelf by closing her eyes and grabbing whatever book she touched first – but now she was quite fascinated with the genre. At least until she got bored again. She tended to switch between different types of books quite frequently and suspected it was due to a short attention span. However, it was now early June and she had been reading the series since April or perhaps March. She wasn't sure anymore.

"Today is Itachi's birthday." Aya muttered to herself. "I hope he's okay. I'm sure… at least I hope… Lord Madara would tell me if he wasn't." Closing her book she looked outside for a few minutes, "I guess he's fourteen now. Sheeta will be fourteen next month. And Sasuke will be… let's see… nine." Her face fell as a wave of homesickness passed over her. Ever since her little sister had been born the two of them had been inseparable. Only three years older she would often be tasked with carrying the infant on her back because her mother, older brother and sister needed to be able to fight to defend them. But now… it had been over two years since they had seen each other. However, Madara had said a few months earlier that he would arrange for Sheeta and Itachi to visit.

And maybe Nui could come as well. She would be twenty now. "I wonder if she has a boyfriend… or if she's married?"

An hour later Madara wandered in and sat on the deck with his legs hanging over the edge. Kyoko followed him a few minutes later, obviously in a bad mood. She was carrying a tray with a sake bottle and cup and wearing a very fake smile. Daintily, she set the tray next to the Mizukage and, in an overly-sweet voice, asked if he would like something to eat.

"I have some taffy, Lord Madara." Aya set her book down and stood up, lifting the bag of wrapper-less candies so he could see.

Madara nodded absently, his mind obviously on other matters, "That sounds good."

Holding the bag open Aya watched Kyoko out of the corner of her eye as Madara selected several pieces and transferred them to the tray. He made no indication that he had noticed the naked state of the chewy confections.

Kyoko's fake smile was replaced with a look filled with so much loathing that Aya was half-way surprised the woman didn't attack her then and there. Instead she walked back into the room and stopped at the table, glancing at the book.

"More vampire novels. I checked, you know, and they _are_ on the list of banned books the Daimyou put together. He doesn't approve of Kekkei Genkai abilities and sees such literature as a glorification of human perversity."

Aya blinked a couple times, trying to process what she had just heard, "What do you mean?"

"Kekkei Genkai. He's in a campaign to wipe them out. Thousands have already been killed, thank god."

Aya blinked again. "Killed? Just because of that?"

Kyoko snorted with disgust, "It's not like they're human after all. I wouldn't worry about their 'feelings' if I were you." She picked up the book and looked at it carefully, "Just like the people in this book."

Aya wondered if that was why the Uchiha were staying "under the radar" – so they didn't get exterminated. It would certainly be a better explanation than just hiding from Konoha. She never did understand that logic and suspected Madara was still keeping information from her.

"Leeches who suck the life force of those they 'pretend' to protect, instead placing themselves in positions of power and bragging about how much better they are than everyone else."

"You know some?" Aya inquired quietly.

"No."

'How can that be?' Aya asked herself. They were in a Shinobi village after all. Some of the housekeepers even had Kekkei Genkai. And, for that matter, hadn't she noticed the Sharingan? Though, as she thought about it, she couldn't remember ever having used it around the woman and Madara could probably just use a Genjutsu to make her forget seeing his.

Shaking out her long black hair, Aya shrugged her shoulders, feigning disinterest and sat down to continue reading her book. She had an idea about how to get rid of Kyoko, and had been acting somewhat on it, but now… Now she was going to teach that bitch a lesson before she killed her. And she would kill her. Not because she hated her guts (which she did, vehemently) but because she couldn't get her hands on this "Daimyou" that the woman was quoting. She had a feeling there was more to Kyoko than met the eye.

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The Mizukage mansion came equipped with a rather large basement that stretched almost the entire length and width of the property. Unfortunately, it was not very "basement" like. At least, it didn't look like the basement in her aunt and uncles house. There were no dirt floors, spider-webs, mice, or dark corners. It was finished with finely polished wood, marble, granite and ceramic. And some of the trim on the doors looked like real gold.

"May I help you Lady Aya? You appear to be lost." An elderly man who looked not too unlike an Uchiha asked in a shaky voice.

"Umm…" She hesitated; a little surprised he knew her name even though she had never seen him before. "I would like to use a room down here… how do I go about requesting one?"

"Hmm… you can use room eleven near the end of the hall…"

Aya interrupted, "Is there a room thirteen? Can I use that one?"

"I… sure. Don't see why not. Most of the rooms in this part of the mansion are empty because they are close to the guest rooms. It was too easy for guests to get down here and spy."

"Oh. Well that makes sense." She turned around to look down the hall, "May I ask what your name is…" Turning back to the old man she stepped back suddenly in shock. He was no longer there. "Well that's playing dirty. He didn't even introduce himself before jutsuing himself out of here. Oh well." She laughed suddenly, "Maybe he's a ghost!"

Room thirteen was about forty feet by twenty feet with a wood floor and dark paneled walls. The only furnishings consisted of a beautifully black lacquered cabinet. Nothing was mounted on the walls and three weren't even any mats to sit on. It was the epitome of plain. Which was just as well, considering what she was about to do.

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Over the course of the next week Aya pried up the floor in one end of the room with some tools "provided" to her by one of the housekeepers. When asked why she need them she had responded "Kyoko" and within an hour she had a crowbar, two different sized shovels, a pick, a rake, a hammer and nails, gloves, goggles and a jutsu scroll detailing how to heal bruises and blisters. That last item proved invaluable as Aya set to work and quickly discovered that gloves were useful, but not as much protection as she was led to believe.

The floorboards came up first – about a third of the room was now bare dirt. Correction. Bare, compact, hard-as-cement dirt. Returning to the housekeeper she explained her dilemma as generically as possible and received an answer the next day: Pour water over the area, let it soak in, then break it up with the pick, add more water, and repeat until you could dig up what you wanted. She was warned it would be slow, since the dirt had likely not seen water in decades and would have trouble absorbing it. But she persevered, carrying water from a restroom a few doors down until she could dig.

By the end of the second week she had dug two three foot deep "graves", side by side, each with a long, loose pile of dirt next it. She spent a lot of time evening out the rectangular holes, not wanting them to look haphazard.

Decorating the room took a few more days. Aya didn't want to carry down a ton of furniture, especially since she didn't have anyone to help her so she decided on a traditionally ancient Japanese style of mats instead of chairs and individual trays instead of a table. She wasn't sure it fit the genre though… most of her vampire stories were very Western. Then again… there were no Westerners included in her plan – she, Kyoko and Madara were Asian after all – so it should work. After all, if an Asian man were to become a vampire why would he suddenly develop a taste for Victorian ornamentation? Well, she _hoped_ Kyoko would see it that way.

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Returning to her room she stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a couple minutes before she realized the heater was on and the room was unbearably hot. No doubt Kyoko's doing. Getting up she turned it off and opened the sliding door. The early afternoon mists swirled around the posts on the deck and cast the garden beyond in a ghostly white glare. Above the mists a soft yellow glow was trying to force its way through as the sun attempted, unsuccessfully, to burn away the fog.

Returning to her bed she lay on her side so she could watch the battle between fog and sun. She had to admit, she had gotten very used to the weather and her room and the garden beyond it was beautiful. Suddenly, she wondered if she really wanted to return to Konoha. Yawning, she closed her eyes and stretched, falling asleep quickly.

_A futon lay in the middle of the floor; it's blue cover was embroidered skillfully with falcons, eagles and hawks. It was daylight, but the blinds were pulled, casting the room in dark shadows. A woman Aya had never seen before sat next to it, wiping her eyes with a cloth. She appeared to be wearing her sleeping clothes and her hair was disheveled. _

_The door to the room slid open and Aya gasped as Madara, dressed in full combat regalia – red armor, black pants and shirt, and long hair flowing down to his waist – walked hurriedly to the other side of the futon. Throwing the cover off he lifted a small child into his arms as he dropped down to the floor._

_Aya looked closely at the boy. He looked just like Sasuke and she felt her heart clench in fear._

"_He has pneumonia my Lord. About four other clansmen already have died of it and eight others are still ill." A man, a little older than Madara and walking with a pronounced limp spoke from the doorway. "Your other three children have been quarantined and do not show any symptoms."_

"_His breathing…" Madara spoke quietly._

"_He will be dead by nightfall."_

"_Don't say that!" The woman screamed. "Don't you dare!"_

_Madara ignored her. "Prepare his coffin Sora. I will bring him… later."_

_Sora sighed, "Madara, I am sorry." He turned around and left the room._

"_How could you?" The woman hissed. "He's your oldest son, your favorite. And yet you already prepare for his burial before he's breathed his last breath."_

"_And what is he to you? When he is gone you loose your position as head wife. My second son and his mother will be promoted past you. I have a feeling that bothers you more than your son dying."_

"_How dare you!" She screeched. _

_Madara ignored her, instead focusing his attention on the child whose breaths were now coming out as gasps. His flushed, gaunt face was covered with sweat and he appeared very thin._

_Aya watched the scene, transfixed by the drama playing out in front of her. It was a side of Madara she was unfamiliar with and for some reason, she felt hatred toward the child's mother. But as she looked closer at the woman it was as if she could see into her soul and the hatred changed quickly into pity. The woman had used her son to further her own ambitions, but now, all she felt was the loneliness and sorrow that would follower her when he no longer walked beside her. She had realized, too late, that she did love her son._

_Madara gasped and stood up, the woman ran to his side and then fell to the ground sobbing. He buried his head in the boy's chest and held him tight before turning around and walking toward the door._

"_Not yet! Don't take him yet!" She begged tearfully._

"_Then what am I supposed to do with the body?"_

Sitting up quickly Aya jumped out of her bed, only to trip over her feet and fall to the ground crying. "It was a dream. It didn't happen. It didn't happen." She heard someone in the hall and quickly ran to her en-suite bathroom and slammed the door. The dream had been so real.

After a few minutes she washed her face and brushed her hair. She was still shaking as the images refused to leave her. Sitting down on a chair she leaned forward and rested her forehead on the cool marble counter. It had seemed so real. And Madara… he didn't have to take body so soon. He could have left it for a few minutes so the child's mother could be with him.

"Why did I dream that?" Aya asked herself again as she wiped the wet washcloth across her face to dry the tears that were threatening to spill again.

"Princess Aya? It's snack time." Kyoko knocked cheerfully on the door. "No need to stay in there and hide your pimples, everyone expects teenagers to have them so don't feel _too_ self-conscious."

Aya clenched her fists in anger, but quickly released them when she realized how much Kyoko had looked like the mother in the dream. A selfish woman, who wasn't really selfish but locked into her own set of unfortunate circumstances without a key.

"Was that the meaning of the dream?"

Sighing she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked "normal". "I guess there's no real reason to kill her. Perhaps I'll just… scare her into leaving."

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She had to wait two days before the sun appeared again. Madara, luckily, had left that morning to attend some meetings in another building. As usual he wore a cloth to cover his face and his body was covered with the white robe of his office. Seeing him off, Aya had warned him about the sun and reminded him to keep covered up. His aid had assured her that he would take care of him for her. She wondered why everyone was playing along with a plan they couldn't possibly know the details to. Perhaps they were just humoring the bored teenager.

However, as she turned around to return to the living room she heard the maids giggling quietly about something and when she glanced at Kyoko the woman had appeared to be deep in thought.

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"So how long is this going to go on my Lord?" The aid asked, half laughing. The early morning streets were busy with people bustling off to work or opening stores, but in deference to their position, none of them looked their way.

"That room she 'decorated' appears to be finished, so whatever it is must be happening soon." Madara answered, also laughing.

"So why couldn't she just go through the standard one-on-one fight like the other kids?"

"She's from Konoha. The Uchihas there gave up that right of passage when they moved into the village. In order to force her hand I had to set her up with a rival she could identify with. I cast a Genjutsu on her the other day, she believed she had a dream, but it had the desired effect. She now sees Kyoko as a person instead of a target."

"But will she still kill her?"

Madara smirked, "Kyoko won't leave her a choice. Don't worry. Everything will fall into place and then she can be indoctrinated officially into the clan just like any other teenager. Just because I'm going about this from a different angle doesn't mean she's getting any breaks."

"Everyone is looking forward to meeting her." The aid grinned broadly.

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Large squares of bright sunlight filtered their way onto the deck outside the living room. It had turned out to be a beautiful, warm day and Aya was bursting at the seams to go outside and lay in the warm grass or perhaps go swimming in the pool. She could hear the fountain with its rhythmic "clunk" as it emptied itself of water and the soft rustling leaves of the maple and cherry trees.

Standing up Aya rubbed her eyes. "Man, I'm falling asleep here."

"Perhaps the child should take a nap then?" Kyoko had walked into the room followed by two other maids.

Aya ignored her and walked out onto the deck, being careful to avoid the sun. She glanced once at Kyoko and caught her eye, casting a quick Genjutsu as she did.

The other maids stopped working and smiled, as if they knew something was about to happen. Aya shrugged it off, after all Kyoko wasn't well liked by her colleagues.

Kyoko dropped her cleaning cloth and stared straight at Aya, unaware that she was caught in a Genjutsu. She watched closely as the teenager gingerly moved her hand closer and closer to the patch of sunlight. She moved slowly, as if afraid of what would happen should she touch it.

Finally, Aya submerged her hand fully into the sun. She looked at it curiously as she turned it around, gazing at the appendage from all angles. Soon, however, a thin stream of smoke appeared, slowly growing heavier. Kyoko moved closer to the deck and stood a couple feet behind the teen. The smoke was definitely coming from the girl's hand.

Stepping back a few paces Kyoko covered her mouth with a shaky hand. Why would someone's hand start smoking in sunlight?

"I guess I really can't go out in the sun anymore." Aya mumbled, then shrieked in pain as her hand suddenly caught fire. Standing up she grabbed a pitcher of water off a table near the door and used it to smother the flames.

Kyoko stepped closer and saw her hand was covered with blackened, charred flesh. "Oh my god! Oh my god! What… What did you just do?"

"Huh? Oh, you saw that?" Aya asked calmly. "You are nosy, aren't you? You do overstep your position as a servant quite frequently. Perhaps you should curb your curiosity?" Her calm demeanor disappeared as her hand spasmed, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Here you go, my Lady." One of the maids produced a bandage from a desk drawer and started to wrap it around the hand that, to her, looked normal. "Like you said, you must stay out of the sun. Don't worry, we won't mention this to Lord Madara." She looked over at Kyoko with a meaningful glare, "Will we Kyoko?"

"N..no… of course n…not." Kyoko stuttered, then ran quickly out of the room. The two maids broke out in fits of laughter as they went back to their cleaning. Aya smiled in gratitude before returning to the couch to read. Her hand was perfectly fine of course. The only one who could see the blackened flesh was Kyoko. However, she would have to leave the bandage on for a while.

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Over the next three days Aya altered her sleeping habits, sleeping in the day and waking at night. It proved to be harder than she thought as she struggled to stay awake through the long early summer nights. Although there were benefits.

The garden at night was beautiful and the jasmine and lilies seemed twice as fragrant as they were by day. She spent hours walking around or sitting and listening to sound of the small rivers, ponds and fountains. There were even birds that sang all night. The mists were also less noticeable and she wondered, once again, if she really wanted to return to Konoha. She started to imagine herself playing in the garden with her children, or having Sheeta and Nui and their children come to visit. The fantasy was so pleasing that she could almost hear the laughing voices of the children and the happy chatter of her and her sisters.

"Wishful thinking." Aya said out loud as the image of a sun filled day spent frolicking in the large garden was replaced by the reality of a dark mist-filled night. "I wonder if one can really live in both sun and shadows."

"If you are human, you already do." A deep masculine voice interrupted her thoughts and she jumped slightly in surprise.

"Madara! How long have you been there?"

He gave a short laugh, "It is pleasant out here. Are you enjoying my garden? It is young, as far as gardens go. Only around fifty-years-old. However, the planting have been planned out with the idea that they should last hundreds of years." He looked over his shoulder and smirked, "It was also designed to be enjoyed in the evening. After all – to those who prefer the dark a garden can be a frustrating experience. That is why there are many plantings of light colors and strong fragrance."

Aya glanced off in the direction Madara had just looked and smiled. Kyoko was lurking nearby, watching. "I love it out here, my Lord. I hope my sisters can see it soon. Are they coming? And Itachi?"

"Soon. Fugaku and I have ironed out a treaty and Itachi will be bringing your sisters to visit in a couple weeks. We set the details this afternoon, but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. Itachi is currently in the village hidden in the Clouds negotiating a treaty there."

"He's being kept busy. How is Sasuke?" Aya decided to take advantage of Madara's good mood and try to weasel some information out of him about Konoha.

The tall man sat down on a wood bench and stretched his legs. He was wearing a simple purple kimono trimmed with white silk. "He was injured quite badly a while back. I was able to stabilize him and return him to Konoha. But… Aya… he is my son. I want him here. With me. With us."

Madara's candid response took her by surprise and she blinked several times in shock. "You're… son…"

"Yeah. I even chose his name."

"Then you and Mikoto…"

"No… it wasn't like that." Madara sighed, then explained the situation that lead up to Sasuke's birth. When he finished he looked up at the sky. The mist obscured the stars, but the fact that they were still there nonetheless was a comfort.

"Mikoto dotes on him tremendously. If you were to take him it would break her heart." Aya stated truthfully.

"Yes."

"Hmm." Aya didn't know what to say after that. However, a rather strange thought went through her head, "So that means if we get married, then technically I'm his step-mother."

Madara chuckled, "Are you the good step-mother or the evil step-mother."

Aya scrunched her face up in thought, "I don't know… which would be the most fun?"

"You are a trouble-maker, through and through. But truthfully, it is proving to be very entertaining." Madara stood up. "Well, I've got some things to do. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Aya stayed where she was, waiting to see if Kyoko would leave. After thirty minutes she gave a short laugh and walked over to the woman.

"Kyoko, would you come with me, please. I have something I need help with."

"I'm… not on duty right now…" Kyoko spoke hesitantly.

"Yet you have time to stand here for hours on end following me."

"I… okay. What do you need?"

"Follow me."

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The quiet early morning mansion seemed almost foreign as the two women walked through its halls to a section that contained the guest bedrooms. They were usually empty as Madara preferred to keep guests in the hotels, but occasionally, a few times during the year, they would be occupied.

Pushing a hidden panel in a wall, Aya stood back and watched as a door slid open and revealed a dark staircase. She reached in a pushed a button that switched on a light. The stairs were circular, winding their way twenty feet to the lower floor.

Aya motioned for Kyoko to go first. The door shut of its own volition as soon as they reached the middle of the staircase causing Aya to snicker when Kyoko jumped at the noise.

"Jumpy, aren't you?"

"Not funny." Kyoko muttered. She quickly regained her composure though and looked around at the basement suspiciously, "So what did you want down here? It looks like a storeroom of some sort."

Aya noticed that the woman had lost her sarcastic edge and was now talking in a normal voice.

"It is a storeroom." Turning slightly she caught Kyoko's eyes and cast a Genjutsu. Possibly the most powerful one she had ever done, considering her inexperience. When she had played the part of an assassin in Konoha for Fugaku she had never had to use Genjutsu to lure her victims. They always came of there own free will. However, Kyoko was not that compliant.

Speaking calmly, Aya pointed down the hall, "We have to go to room thirteen, at the end of the hall. Lord Madara is waiting for us. He's probably very hungry by."

"Hungry?" Kyoko had a far away look in her eye as she followed the teenager down the hall. When the door opened she stepped in and smiled as Madara looked at her with a self-satisfied grin.

"It's about time you came. I'm starving." Madara stepped forward until he was directly in front of Kyoko. "You brought me a fine meal, Aya, but after this we'll need a new maid."

Kyoko's eyes opened in shock as she looked around the room. She saw the open graves, oriental furnishings and on a black-lacquered cabinet, two crystal goblets filled with red wine. There was also a man lying on the ground at an odd angle. Looking closer she saw two little holes in the blond man's neck. He groaned, causing Kyoko to jump.

"My Lord, you've started without me." Aya pouted.

Madara walked over to the cabinet and lifted one of the goblets, handing it to Aya. "I saved you some, my love. I wouldn't want you to disappear like the others."

"So kind." She tipped the glass back and drank the contents in its entirety.

"Is… is that… blood?" Kyoko cried in alarm, backing toward the door.

"Of course." Madara moved closer to her, blocking her escape. "And you have a lot of it. Enough for a week's worth of meals."

"No! You've got to be kidding! What is this, a joke?"

"No joke, Kyoko. This is definitely not a joke." Aya grew serious as she placed the goblet back on the cabinet and moved to the middle of the room. "My kinsman and I are vampires. I was converted a few weeks ago and Lord Madara here is taking the time out of his busy schedule to show me the ropes." She lifted her bandaged hand and unwrapped it. The skin was perfectly healed, smooth with a light olive tone and perfectly manicured nails painted blood red.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! I admit, I was sent here by the Daimyou of Water country to assassinate the Mizukage. I promise if you let me go I'll leave the country and you'll never see me again! Hell, I'll leave the continent!" She fell to her knees, "I swear! Please let me go!"

"Pathetic." Aya snorted with disgust, "I hate people who beg for their lives." However, inside she was suddenly very conflicted. This woman was an assassin. And she had been sent to kill Madara. Her future husband. The future father of those children she had, only a mere hour or two earlier fantasized running around happily in the garden. Not to mention the man that ran the village hidden in the Mist and was responsible for their continued welfare. This had suddenly turned into something much bigger than a simple grudge.

'I'm going to have to kill her after all.' Aya thought to herself with regret. 'I mean, she couldn't succeed anyway, he's too powerful, but then again… if she was chosen for this mission she must be worth something… Aya sighed lightly and looked up at the ceiling as the Genjutsu-trapped Kyoko continued to beg Madara for her life.

'Mikoto told me that kunoichi used their bodies to entice powerful men and then kill them. I guess that was how she was going to do it. Madara really needs to learn how to keep his pants on if he's going to stay alive.'

Stepping forward Aya pulled a kunai, "I'm sorry Kyoko, but I'm going to have to kill you."

The Genjutsu fell apart and Kyoko looked around the room in shock as Madara and the bloody victim disappeared, "A Genjutsu? Why?"

"I was going to scare you into leaving, but now that you have revealed your true nature I can't let you leave here alive after all. However, I have dropped the Genjutsu so we can fight on equal footing. I realize that's not exactly the way a kunoichi should behave, but I am also an assassin and… well… it just seems like the right thing to do."

Kyoko stood up and pulled a kunai out of a hidden pouch at the back of her shirt. "True. But I should tell you, Madara promised to marry me if I killed you."

"Humph. So he set us up." Aya stated plainly. "He obviously ferreted you out and then arranged for me to kill you. It is very like him to do something like that. You didn't actually believe this so-called promise did you?"

"We'll see how 'so-called' it is after I've killed you."

"Kyoko, use your brain. Madara is a powerful lord of the Uchiha clan and as such has _the most powerful_ of Kekkei Genkais in the ninja world. He would _never_ consider marrying _anyone_ who does not carry the same blood-line trait. You are nothing more than a midnight tryst and as such I refuse to be jealous of you. I am and always will be number one woman in this house."

"_How dare you!"_ Kyoko surged forward, kicking her right foot in an attempt to catch Aya off guard as she swung the kunai around with her left hand.

Aya used her hands to grab Kyoko's ankle and wrist then used the woman's momentum to swing her around and slam her into the wall. Kyoko quickly stood up, but Aya was too quick. She grabbed the front of her shirt and flung her across the room, then launched herself at the woman as she jumped to her feet. The two traded blows and kicks, blocking kunai strikes and dodging jutsus.

The small room prevented any big moves, both women knew that blasting the building apart would be a bad idea for several reason. Two of the big ones being Madara's anger over his home's destruction and the other being the pain they would be in when it fell on top of them. So they stuck to Tai Jutsu and small jutsus.

Surprisingly Kyoko began to slow down, obviously tired. Aya slowed down to match her, slightly disappointed. It had been a long time since she had sparred with a partner and she was quite enjoying herself. However, it probably was time to end it.

"Kyoko…" Aya said quietly, "I'm sorry. If only you had kept your mouth shut, you would have lived…" She brought up her kunai and sliced it across the woman's throat, severing both carotid arteries. Meeting Kyoko's eyes as the blood spurted out in a pulsating rhythm Aya saw the regret, sorrow and disappointment that cried out silently as the woman dropped to the ground and finally died.

But the one emotion that she hadn't seen… the one she had expected to see… was hatred. She had seen it in all the other people she had killed. It had been their last thought, the last emotion broadcast from the organ often called the "window to the soul". Yet Kyoko hadn't felt it.

Dropping to the ground Aya took several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. She was suddenly overcome with sorrow and wanted badly to cry, but she refused to give in. Madara had set this whole thing up, and she had no choice but to follow through. This was his fault. Or was it? Aya was undecided. Kyoko was an assassin here on a mission. No matter what she would have been killed.

But then again, why was she the one who had to do the killing? Her eyes burned, as if someone had thrown sand in them and rubbed it in. "Must be the dirt. It's dry and floating in the air."

She blinked until the feeling dissipated then opened the door and walked out into the hallway. The same old man she had met several weeks earlier was leaning against the wall smiling. His long white hair was loose and he was dressed casually in a light blue yukata with dark blue pants and plain sandals.

"You did very well Lady Aya. As the head of the Mist branch of the Uchiha clan I hereby grant you full membership status. You will be introduced to the clan tomorrow and included in all activities. We look forward to your imminent marriage to Madara and hope you can be happy here."

"Wh… what's going on?" Aya asked, her words tinged with panic.

"Go see Madara. He's the one who set this up after all. I'll take care of this mess."

"Kyoko… her body… Don't hurt it."

"She will get a proper burial, as do all who go through the test and fail. They leave people behind who mourn for them and we do respect that." The man stood up and Aya realized that he was taller than he appeared, at least as tall as Madara.

"May I ask what your name is?" Aya bowed respectfully, not wanting to be rude to an elder.

"Oh! How rude of me. I should have introduced myself." He gave a short laugh, "Sora Uchiha, at your service. I am, believe it or not, Madara's uncle. Although I am only a few years older than him, being just a young boy myself when he came into the world." He moved passed Aya slowly, walking with a very pronounced limp. She was suddenly reminded of her dream.

Turning around she ran at full speed down the hall, up the stairs and through the mansion until she reached Madara's bedroom. She grabbed the door to open it, but withdrew her hand when she realized it was held in place with a jutsu. Pounding on the door she called for him to open it.

"My dear little trouble-maker. You seem a little out of sorts…" His words drifted away as he looked closely at her eyes, "Unbelievable. I never would have believed you would be capable of it."

"What? Killing _your_ assassin?" Aya asked sarcastically. "And what's this about me being set up? What was that fight about?"

"Aya, come here and look in the mirror." Madara placed a hand on the small of her back and led her forward to a long, floor to ceiling mirror attached to the front of an antique wardrobe.

She looked in the mirror, but her eyes suddenly started to hurt again. Closing them she rubbed furiously with her fists, trying in vain to get them to stop itching.

"Aya, sweetheart, please, just look." Madara gently removed her hand from her eyes and she blinked several times to clear her vision. Staring back at her was a teenage girl dressed in a thigh-length black kimono with long black hair pulled up in a messy bun and heavy goth make-up. However, as she examined her face she noticed something very odd. Her Sharingan, which she hadn't used at all that evening, not even for the Genjutsu, was an odd shape. It was a solid triangle instead of three tomoes.

"Congratulations, Aya. I knew you, out of all your siblings, would be the most powerful, but this is certainly above and beyond my expectations. Mangekyou Sharingan is indeed very rare. While all Uchiha teenagers must go through the same right of passage you just experienced, only about half of those with a Sharingan actually attain the Mangekyou state. When the clan finds out you will be very popular." Madara's voice was very proud and boastful.

"But… I was told… The man I killed in Konoha said Mangekyou was forbidden and Itachi would be killed if he was found out… that he killed Shisui…" This time Aya couldn't stop the tears and they fell full force as she turned and threw her arms around Madara, "Did he kill him? Please tell me the truth!"

Madara put one hand on top of her head and the other on her shoulder, "Shisui killed himself, Aya. It was unfortunate. He… I'll explain later. But a man – Danzou – was manipulating the clan and Shisui was… I guess you could call him 'collateral damage'. However, the emotions Itachi felt after his friends death were enough to bring on the Mangekyou. And it is forbidden in Konoha. There would have been very serious repercussions if he had been found out. Fugaku and Itachi's lives could very well have been endangered, if not forfeit. You did the right thing by killing that man, Aya. Don't ever regret it."

Aya nodded as she brought herself back under control, then jumped back and turned around. She covered her face as it turned bright red in embarrassment. "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get so close to you when you're not…"

"Oh." Madara gave a nervous laugh. "You're not going to believe this, but I forgot I wasn't wearing anything." He opened the wardrobe and pulled out a black kimono. "You can turn around now."

"S…sorry about that… I should have thought of that before knocking on a man's door in the middle of the night." Her face was still bright red and she couldn't bring herself to look at his face.

"Aya, you met Sora?"

"Yes. He… seemed very nice."

"He is. Much too nice to be a clan leader, but he is such an expert at politics that you wouldn't know it half the time."

"He… he's very old then."

Madara laughed, "He looks the same age as me, but for some reason he gets his kicks out of disguising his appearance. You'll see him tomorrow."

Aya took a deep breath, finally feeling a little better as the heat in her face faded and her heart rate went back to normal. "About the other day… did you cast a Genjutsu on me? I had a dream about a boy…"

"Yes, I did. I wanted you to think twice about what you were about to do. Often young Shinobi kill without understanding the consequences. They see death as the means to an end instead of a tragedy. You can't move forward until you realize the consequences of your actions effect the whole of creation and not just yourself. You are closer to realizing that now."

"I guess… I was mad… but thank-you. You're right. It's just… Sora… Lord Sora I guess I should call him… was in my dream… was that dream real?"

"Yes. That was my eldest son. He died shortly before Konoha was founded."

"The other children?"

"Measles, Influenza, and the youngest girl died of something we never did identify. Things like that weren't too uncommon back then."

"I'm sorry." Aya bowed her head and let out a long sigh, "I'll return to my room now. I'm really tired all of a sudden." She started to walk toward the door, then stopped and spoke with her back to Madara, "I underestimated you. I apologize for that."

Madara smiled as he closed the door after her and reset the protective jutsus. Aya was a curiosity to him. Often, when Kunoichis would take an assassination mission it could take months to execute. They would have to plan carefully, work their way into their targets household, study the victim's habits, plan a strike, and then, finally, kill him. Aya definitely had the patience and aptitude for such strategic maneuvers. Unfortunately, he needed her for other things.

"This definitely changes things, and for the better too. I might even be ready for Sasuke a little earlier than planned. Humph. Who would have ever thought my dear little Aya would be capable of the Mangekyou?"

Sora stepped out of the shadows at the back of the room. He had shed his "old man" persona and now appeared to be a handsome man in his late twenties with long, smooth black hair and a friendly face, "She is a paradox. But very few women with Mangekyou Sharingan ever use it to its potential, and since you are planning to have her bear your children it doesn't seem like much of a benefit to me. As for Sasuke… I haven't a clue why you returned him to Konoha. That's your fault."

"Yeah. Well." Madara suddenly laughed, "Things are a little strange right now. This Root Danzou started is really causing a lot of problems. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a way to get the Konoha Uchihas to move here to Mist."

"No. I won't approve that." Sora stated firmly.

"I know. Don't worry. It's not like they would ever agree to it anyway." Madara smirked as the other man disappeared, then spoke to the empty room, "But perhaps if they had no where else to go?" He gave a short laugh, "Yeah, like that would ever happen."

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**Next week Itachi is in Cloud with Jiraiya for a diplomatic mission. The question that needs to be asked is, will Jiraiya live long enough for Pein to kill him or will Itachi beat him to it?**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	19. Chapter 19 A Lesson in Diplomacy

**Last week Aya was setup by Madara into fighting Kyoko and after killing her obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan.**

**Thanks for the reviews and favs!**

**Orichimaru is coming but not for a while. He still wants an Uchiha body and Sasuke is going to be at the head of that list. Kyuubi will also be showing up later as well. And of course, one question I've always had will come up – If the only person who could stop Orochimaru was Sarutobi and he was killed doing it, could anyone really have stopped Oro from taking Sasuke? In my opinion it didn't matter if Sasuke wanted to go or not, Orochimaru would have gotten him no matter what. Of course, with the Uchiha clan still alive he's going to have a much harder time grabbing the boy.**

**I'm going to be so disappointed if Sasuke doesn't get to at least beat up Danzou. At least the Anime is back on track again. Can't wait to see how they animate team Hebi. I hope they do a good job. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns everything.**

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**Chapter 19 – A Lesson in Diplomacy**

The first rays of the early morning sun refracted off the angles of several perfectly cut diamonds in radiant starbursts, turning the room into one large kaleidoscope of color. The necklace was Aya's most precious possession and she had sworn to herself to never part from it. It wasn't the value that drew her to it – although that was considerable – but Shisui, her dead boy friend. He had given it to her as a gift right before he had died.

"It glitters, just like Shisui's eyes used to when he would…" Aya's quiet voice trailed away as she sat on a chair by the door, lost in her memories.

She had returned to her room a couple hours ago, after confronting Madara about being set up to kill Kyoko, and changed into a pair of green shorts and a white tank-top then pulled the necklace out of its hiding place. She hadn't trusted anyone enough to ask for access to a safe so she had sewn it into the cup of an old bra she no longer wore. Viewing the jewelry meant undoing the stitching and risking someone seeing her with it. But right now, she had to do it. She had to hold the last vestiges of Shisui's glittering light in her hands because, when you got right down to it, she felt like she was betraying him and it was breaking her heart.

Exhausted, she finally got into bed and clutched the diamond to her chest as she closed her eyes, "I'm… getting married, Shisui, but I promise I won't love him. I'll only ever love you."

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_Itachi found himself walking next to the lake in the Uchiha compound when he heard voices. Ducking behind a tree he saw Shisui and Aya sitting on a wood bench, talking. He started to turn away, feeling that he should leave them alone, when he realized he was now standing a couple feet behind them. He stepped back in shock and started to apologize, but quickly realized they didn't know he was there._

"_That's right…" Itachi muttered, "Shisui is dead and Aya is in Mist… What's going on?" He decided to listen, to see if he could get some idea of why he was there._

"_A present? It's not my birthday or New Years. Is this a bribe?" Aya asked suspiciously, then broke out into a laughter._

"_Did the bribe work?" Shisui teased back, a big smile on his face._

_Aya smiled and opened the small box. Her smile disappeared as it turned into wide-eyed amazement. A chain composed of inset diamonds that had eleven flower-shaped settings, inset with more diamonds looked up from the immaculate black velvet lined box. Two earrings, diamond studs, were placed in the center. Aya and her sisters had seen it in the jewelry store and drooled over the beautiful stones. However, the price was almost 250,000 ryou. She remembered that clearly._

_Aya licked her lips then swallowed a couple times, trying to compose herself. Her feelings were conflicting. She was extremely flattered that Shisui had purchased such a beautiful necklace. However, it was her practical side that won out, "Shisui, you can't afford this… you can't. Please, take it back." She felt tears welling up and she quickly looked down as she put the cover back over the box. A tear leaked out of her left eye and she quickly wiped it away._

_The expression on Shisui's face was veiled as he re-opened the box and removed the necklace. Placing it around her neck he then pulled out the earrings and put then on her ears. "You're so beautiful Aya. So beautiful…" His voice faded away as he gripped her chin with one hand and pulled her against him with the other. Lowering his face he captured her lips with his. A few seconds later Aya began returning his kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. _

_Finally breaking out of the kiss he pulled back and placed his forehead on Aya's. "I can afford it, my love. The clan pays well for missions at my level, and I got a large inheritance from my uncle when he died. I want you to have everything, but this is all I can give you." His dark eyes looked into Aya's own dark eyes. _

"_Shisui!" Itachi called out as he stepped forward and grabbed at his cousin. His hand passed through him and he fell through the bench, landing on the ground. Standing up he continued to call out, "Shisui! Don't do it! Don't kill yourself! It's all Danzou's fault! It's a setup, Fugaku is caught in the trap too, if you live we can expose Root and the coup will never happen!" He stopped to catch his breath, upset that his cousin wasn't listening. He yelled again, practically screaming until he was hoarse before falling to ground onto his knees. Tears were streaming down his face and he began pounding the ground in frustration._

"_It's too late, Itachi."_

_Jerking his head up he looked up. It was now dark out and Shisui was now sitting on a large rock next to the river where he had drowned. Dripping wet, the boy looked the same as he had when he had been alive – except for his eyes. They were no longer there. Instead, two eyeless sockets, as black as the infinite reaches of death, stared down at him._

"_It's too late. Danzou's evil is without precedent, Itachi. You already know this. But I'm already dead and I can't do anything about it. We can't go back in time, but I am in your eyes now and I can see what you see."_

"_What… what do you want me to look at?" Itachi knew he was in a dream and that, if Toshiro's suspicions were true, he was now speaking with the remaining vestiges of Shisui's chakra – trapped in his Mangekyou Sharingan. _

"_Aya. Forgive her, Itachi, and do not judge her too severely."_

"_She's with Madara. He wants to marry her for some reason." Itachi added, bitterly._

"_And he will." Shisui sighed, "You call me a victim of Danzou, but so is she. We should never have been separated. What she becomes from here on out is because I am not with her."_

_Itachi shook his head, "That's not true. She… all of us… can choose…"_

"_Choose what? You are in Akatsuki. Can you leave it? You are working for Fugaku who is ruling an increasingly poverty-stricken Konoha by executing criminals and sticking their heads out for display, you are training your little brother to take your place when you die, you are going to marry a woman chosen for you by your parents and then leave her a widow when you die from an illness you inherited. _Can_ you walk a different path?" Shisui's words were strong and filled with desperation and they cut into Itachi deeper than any knife he had ever been cut with._

"_I could… Yes. But…"Itachi's voice trailed off._

"_Humph. Free will exists, Itachi. No one has ever denied that. However, the intelligence to know when to choose a different path or 'go with the flow' is what drives many of us to an early grave, either through desperation or worry. You can no longer choose your path, Itachi. However, you can at least choose which side of the street to walk down, or whether you will stop and rest or pick some flowers, or perhaps watch a passing insect or even the clouds drift by. It's the same with Aya. When I died, her choices died with me."_

"_I see. I think I understand." Itachi sighed, "But you forgot something…"_

"_What?" Shisui asked curiously and a strange, knowing smile played on his lip, as if pleased about something._

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Itachi sat straight up in his bed and threw back the covers. He was surprised to find himself in a hotel and for a few minutes he stared straight ahead, very disoriented. Slowly the dream played out over and over in his mind. He had the feeling that Aya had done something, or been manipulated into doing something, that Shisui didn't approve of. However, because he loved her he refused to hate her for it. Or perhaps "hate" was the wrong word. Either way, what she had done could not be turned back.

"Itachi? Are you awake?" Jiraiya poked his head through the door. "We need to leave soon if we want to get through that pass to the Cloud village on time to meet their representative."

"Yeah. I'm up." Itachi exhaled as he glanced at the clock. Jiraiya nodded and started to close the door, "Jiraiya? I have a question."

"Huh?" The Sannin stepped into the room crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"A machete." Itachi replied, distracted.

"A large, slightly curved knife used for chopping undergrowth, vines and small trees and branches. Next question?" Jiraiya gave a short laugh.

Caught off guard, Itachi blinked a couple times before speaking, "Have you ever been told you cannot change the way you are going? That you can't turn around or go off on a side road?"

"Hmm. Many times. Some call it 'fate' others use it as an excuse to quit trying."

"And have you proved them wrong?"

Jiraiya moved over the bed and sat down a few feet away from Itachi and looked him in the eye. "It's impossible to answer that, Itachi. If we move off onto another road, how do we know for sure if we did it because we wanted to, or because some divine force or not-so-divine force made us? It's a circular argument and certainly not something I myself dwell on. I suggest you do the same. You can use a machete to cut your own road, certainly, but… as I said… it may have already existed."

Itachi's face fell, "I…" He was now thoroughly confused. He couldn't decide if Shisui and Jiraiya were saying the same thing or not and for some reason that bothered him.

"What's brought all this on? Besides some sort of teenage angst."

"Just… a dream. It was pretty weird. I'm getting up now. We don't want to be late."

Jiraiya stood up and patted the teen on the shoulder, "I'm not going to be nice and say 'everything will work out, don't worry', but I will say that you can depend on me, Itachi. There's a reason I refuse to move back to Konoha, and I have a feeling you are walking down that same path. We may understand each other better than you think." He left the room, leaving Itachi with yet another quandary to decipher.

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The village hidden in the Clouds was, possibly, the most difficult shinobi settlement to access in the entire ninja world. And you would have to go a long ways to convince either Itachi or Jiraiya otherwise.

Lightning country was located on an isthmus on the northeast part of the continent. To the east was open ocean, and to the west was a very large bay that was so big some people referred to it as an inland sea. The center of the isthmus, running north to south was a mountain range consisting of sharp pointed peeks that rose upwards of ten-thousand feet into the air.

Strong winds coming from the ocean or from the bay blew clouds that hit the mountain range and dumped their load in dramatic, violent thunder and lightning storms that often dropped as much as one-hundred inches of rain a year in some places. Yet there were few forests, and those that did exist were sparsely populated with trees and shrubs. The frequent lightning storms often struck the trees, burning them to ground, and the rocky soil made it hard to for anything but the hardiest of shrubs to grow.

Travelling to the Cloud village had involved walking through mountain passes that left one exposed and vulnerable. The two leaf nins had felt the chakra from their observers as they moved forward. It was difficult for them, of course. If there was one thing a shinobi did not like it was feeling helpless. This village was very well defended. Possibly better than Konoha.

The mountain pass had finally opened up, revealing a series of peaks with gravity-defying buildings attached to them. Walkways stretched over vast chasms, attaching the buildings to each other. It almost looked like a series of bird houses perched on a very thick, old tree. Itachi had seen no training fields, but considering how the mountains were situated they were probably hidden wherever the Cloud nin found room to build one.

They had been directed to a hotel near the Raikage's tower that had been dubbed "The Ambassadorial Suite" by the elderly advisor that had met them at the entrance to the village. The room turned out to be a full apartment with kitchen, living room, dining room, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a large balcony. It was very luxurious and obviously designed to impress.

"Whoa." Jiraiya exclaimed after they were left alone. "Our ambassadorial suite back home isn't nearly this nice."

"We don't have ambassadorial suites in Konoha. They stay at the hotel like everyone else. I think this is probably where the Daimyou stays when he visits. Our Daimyou has a similar apartment. Of course, he hasn't used it in years since the advisors usually go to his castle in the capital instead." Itachi shrugged off his heavy jacket and hung it in a closet next to the front door.

"Humph. You're probably right."

"Which means you need to behave yourself."

Jiraiya smirked, "I always behave myself."

Itachi grunted in disgust, "Are you forgetting four days ago when we were run out of that town because _you_ made a pass at the mayor's wife?"

"How was I supposed to know she was his wife? She was forty years younger that him! It wasn't my fault!"

"It never is." Itachi mumbled, disgruntled. Of course Jiraiya heard the comment and laughed.

"Well, they said they would leave us alone until six o'clock so I'm going to shower and then go…"

Itachi interrupted, "You will not be doing any research while you are here."

"Itachi, my boy, research is an invaluable tool in my writing career. My publisher demands well written books…"

"I've read your books. They aren't well written." Itachi interrupted again. He pulled a soda out of the refrigerator and watched the dark colored bubbles rise up over the rim as he opened it.

Jiraiya frowned, "Are you eighteen?"

"Are you?"

Blinking in surprise, Jiraiya turned around and stood with his back to the boy, "Touché. Nevertheless, you will make no attempt to touch any of the books in the bottom my pack between my shurikens and throwing stars."

Itachi mumbled, "Yet he tells me where they are anyway."

"You know something? Sometimes you act just like a teenager."

"I've had a year to practice. By the time I'm eighteen I ought to have it down perfectly."

"Great." Jiraiya muttered sarcastically. "Just what the world needs, more teenagers."

Itachi smiled as the middle-aged Sannin made his way to one of the bedrooms to clean up.

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Dinner that evening was an interesting affair. Although a formal occasion, the behavior and conversation of the Cloud Shinobi was anything but formal. The Raikage and his younger brother started up a boisterous discussion with Jiraiya that involved a lot of tall tales, loud voices, and raucous laughter.

Feeling out of place and wishing he could return to his room Itachi quietly ate his vegetables, then stared disconsolately at the large steak on his plate. It was covered with seasoned butter and still steaming hot from the grill. However…

"Don't you like steak, Itachi?" A girl, perhaps a year or two older, said quietly. She had been sitting next to him, looking equally uncomfortable with the boisterous antics of the three men at the end of the table. Itachi stared at the blonde teenager curiously. Her black eyes were angled up exactly like a cats and her skin was too pale – as if she hadn't been out in the sun in years. His first thought was that she was an albino, but the absence of red eyes and white hair refuted that argument.

"It's fine. I was just saving it for last." Itachi politely cut off a bite-sized piece and put it in his mouth.

"Ha! Well, that'll make the cook happy. My name is Yugito, by the way. As always the Raikage is too busy goofing off to make introductions. You kind of need to force you way with him to get him to listen. He's kind of single-minded sometimes. But it looks like he found someone new to play with. Jiraiya is getting along famously with him and his brother."

"Jiraiya gets along with everyone. He's just that kind of guy." Itachi placed another piece of meat in his mouth.

"You don't have to eat it. Are you a vegetarian?" Yugito replied, concerned.

"Oh, no. I just… don't eat much meat anyway." He gave a short laugh, "I keep getting yelled at because of that though so I'll eat it. Besides, it's very good. However they prepared it, it's definitely the best tasting steak I've ever had."

"The chef he has here is the best. He's devoted his life to cooking and travels around looking for new and exiting ways to prepare food. He owns a restaurant in town but he'll come up here for special occasions and cook for the Raikage. Too bad his wife and kids are out of town right now. They would love this too."

"Where are they?" Itachi asked.

"Lightning country capital. Their youngest daughter doesn't want to be a kunoichi so she's taking the entrance exam for the elementary school there."

"Entrance exams for six-year-olds? What do they ask them, 'the correct way to play tag'?" Itachi was a little shocked at the revelation. He knew the civilian school in Konoha had entrance exams, but only for the kids going to the secondary school and they were usually eleven or twelve by then.

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know. The poor kids a nervous wreck. Way too serious considering who her parents are. I guess some kids just turn out that way. In a way I'm hoping she fails so she'll learn the world doesn't end if things don't go the way you want. But then again, she really wants to go there. It's where her mother and grandmother went so it's a bit of a tradition."

"Humph." Itachi realized that the meat was gone and grinned. It really had been good. His grin grew bigger when he though of Kisame. He would probably be very surprised if he had seen the size of the steak he had just eaten. The tall swordsman was always bugging him about eating enough food, particularly meat.

"Oh man! Itachi! You weren't supposed to eat the whole thing!" Jiraiya moaned.

"Ha! I win!" The Raikage's younger brother, a man who looked to be about the same age as Kakashi, pounded his hand on the table once then stood up and cheered. "You owe me a free copy of you latest book, old man!"

Yugito jumped to her feet and pointed her finger at him, "You were betting? Itachi's a guest here, Killerbee! That's rude!"

Killerbee ignored her, "I told you, no one can resist our cook's food. He's the best!"

Itachi gaped at them, mouth wide open. "What… what's…"

"Ignore them, Itachi. I think between them they've probably got a single digit IQ." Yugito sat down and put her head in her hands.

Itachi smiled when he saw that she was blushing, "It's okay. I should be used to it. Jiraiya is a little… eccentric."

"Ha ha ha!" The Raikage laughed as he leaned back in his chair, "Yugito is the second most powerful ninja in Cloud and yet she's been brought down by a cute boy from Konoha!"

"That's a nice shade a red you got there Yugito!" Killerbee added, laughing.

Yugito blushed even redder, "I'm not blushing… I'm just… it's hot in here!"

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While the "formal" dinner may have been laid back and fairly uninhibited, the treaty negotiations definitely were not. The Daimyou of Lightning country had sent three advisors to the meeting and they, along with the Cloud village's elder council, were very picky about the document's contents. Each sentence of each paragraph was discussed, argued over, and a few were re-written to say exactly the same thing but with different words or sentence structure.

Jiraiya had assured Itachi that there was nothing unusual about the proceedings, but the teen was getting an uneasy feeling in his gut anyway. The Daimyou's advisors were stern men in their thirties who talked endlessly about politics and their very important "the country would fall apart with us" role in it. They were very critical of everything Konoha had to offer and even more critical when they realized that the Daimyou of Fire country was not backing the treaty.

"The ninja villages are not necessarily required to follow the lead of the Daimyou." Itachi stated authoritatively.

"Meaning," One hawk-nosed, impish advisor named Dai replied sarcastically, "Lord Fugaku Uchiha has not received the blessing of his Daimyou to rule as Hokage."

"It could be interpreted that way." Itachi replied. He looked calmly at the man in front of him and smiled inwardly when a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his face.

"'Could be'… meaning what?" A second advisor, Eito, asked.

"'Could be' means that we have reason to suspect Danzou has hands in the Fire country capital somehow." Jiraiya added.

"Humph." The Dai crossed his arms over his chest and frowned in a way meant to inspire uncertainty in those watching him.

"I do not see this as a problem." The Raikage said sternly. "We have been discussing this for two days now and I have every intention of signing it."

"You would go against the Daimyou's wishes?"

"The Daimyou is not here to express his wishes. Only you three."

The third advisor, Emori, rose to his feet and slammed his hand down on the table. "What is your motivation, in this? Why are you pushing for a treaty above and beyond what is already in existence?"

The Raikage also stood up and walked forward until he was standing directly in front of the man, "The Senju had given us problems ever since Cloud became a village. This is our chance to move forward without them. I'm not going to let you get in the way of this."

Emori started to speak and by the time he had finished he was shouting. "It sounds to me like Konoha is blaming all its problems on this Danzou guy. Creating a scapegoat instead of owning up and solving its own problems. Does that sound like the makings of a strong ally? No! It is the hallmark of a weak Hokage and one that will, soon enough, find himself out of a job. Just like the one before him. I cannot condone an alliance with such weak-minded fools!"

Itachi stood up and glared at the three advisors. He had been through a lot, his whole clan had, not to mention the villagers. To hear someone call them "weak" was crossing the line, "How dare you say such things! You have no idea what we've been through these last few years! You sit in your castles in the capital, nice and safe only because the ninja villages exist to watch your back. Yet when we suffer all you do is pour salt on our wounds!"

"Itachi…" Jiraiya said softly as he placed a hand on the teen's arm, "you don't have to say…"

"I do have to say it!" Itachi stated firmly, but bitterly. "Because its fools like this that…"

The Raikage closed his eyes and shook his head, "Jiraiya's right, Itachi. You don't have to say anything. We all know the truth even if _these three_" He sneered as he referred to the advisors, "don't want to admit it. Ninja have been nothing but tools for hundreds of years. We accepted that… God only knows why… but…" He looked over the three men, who were now all standing a few feet away from the table. The Cloud elders hadn't spoken up; in a show of solidarity they quietly supported their leader, making the advisors feel like three steaks in a cage of hungry lions. "Leave here now. I will sign the treaty and form an alliance with Konoha. The threats we have before us are more important than your petty affairs of state and if I have to go behind the Daimyou's back to protect Lightning country then so be it."

"This will all be on your head." One of the men warned as they hurried out of the room.

"A leader afraid of loosing his head is not a leader, but a follower. Thank-you for the compliment." The Raikage grabbed the paperwork from the center of the table and shoved it in front of one of the elders. "Have this written up in final form for review in four hours. At which time I will sign it."

The elder, a small man in his nineties with long blond hair and dark skin gave the Raikage a big smile as he carefully stood up with the help of a cane, "Gladly, my Lord." The other elders followed him silently out of the room, leaving the Raikage alone with Itachi and Jiraiya.

"And that, my boy, is your first lesson in diplomacy." Jiraiya spoke proudly, as if conducting a class.

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just stared at the empty table in front of him. Everything had been moving so slowly, then… suddenly it was over.

"I think his brain overloaded." The Raikage gave a hearty laugh.

"Just think, kid, as clan leader you get to do this many, many more times." Jiraiya volunteered with a laugh.

Itachi muttered under his breath, "No wonder father's in such a bad mood all the time."

Jiraiya hit him playfully on the back, "He's pretty good at all this. I must say, what you said earlier was almost the same speech I heard from him when we were a lot younger and negotiating a treaty with Waterfall. It fell through, of course, because the Daimyou staged a sneak attack on the border during the talks."

"Figures." The Raikage replied bitterly. "Well, why don't you two go enjoy the hot springs. If everything goes together tonight, you can get an early start in the morning."

"Ha!" Jiraiya laughed, "Sounds like a plan!"

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"Research time!" Jiraiya was cheerfully tying a white towel around his waist as he peaked out through the door into the large bathing area beyond. It was an oval shaped pool with a natural barrier of twenty foot stones separating the male and female areas. Hot steam rose from the bubbling waters and, as luck would have it, Killerbee was already there reclining against the edge with his head in his arms.

"Wake-up!" Jiraiya jumped into the pool, splashing the young man with hot water.

"I'm awake… barely." Killerbee sat up and gave a big yawn. "Big brother makes me and Yugito train almost constantly. We figured since he was in meetings all day we would knock off early and goof off. Besides, my Genin team got an assignment this morning so we'll be leaving tomorrow for a couple days or so."

"So you're a sensei?" Itachi asked politely, climbing a little less dramatically into the pool than his partner had.

"Yep. This year. Got a great group of kids. Two girls and one boy."

"Is Yugito on your team then?"

"Her? No way. She's the second most powerful in the village, after my brother. Been a Jounin for a while now. Wouldn't surprise me if she became Raikage one day."

"Hmm."

"So do you think she's cute?" Killerbee asked conspiratorially.

"Huh? Yeah." Itachi shrugged. "Most girls are, actually."

"Ha ha ha! So how many girls you got back home?"

"One. We're betrothed. She's very cute, too." Itachi was surprised to hear himself bragging. He didn't do it very often, but for some reason he felt like doing it now. "My mother is teaching her how to be clan matriarch and bought her this beautiful kimono for official functions. She modeled it for me, but she didn't get the top tied right…"

"And you got a really nice view. Ha! That's one thing I really like about kimono's. I think women should go back to wearing them full time." Killerbee was proving to be very easy to talk to and Itachi found himself relaxing. Until he heard a scream.

"Peeping! There's a man peeping in at us!" A woman's voice rose over the barrier in a terrified screech followed by another, calmer voice.

"One million ryou for one look."

Jiraiya, who had scaled the side of the rock in an imitation of a salamander fell back into the water, a thin line of blood flowing from his nose. "That was the best one million ryou I've ever spent."

"The hell?" Itachi asked, still in shock.

The first woman's voice rose again, this time in anger, "Nami! How could you? That was scandalous!"

"What are you talking about? That was easy money." Nami's voice rose, "I'll be standing outside to collect, so you better not be dead!"

Jiraiya groaned happily, "I love my job."

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"That was embarrassing." Itachi said later. It was evening and they were getting their things together so they could leave in the morning.

"Oh, come on. One peak isn't going to kill you." Jiraiya laughed.

"You lost a million ryou."

"So? It's not like I'm broke or anything."

"A hooker would have been cheaper." Itachi said grumpily.

"Not one to go after hookers." Jiraiya commented absent-mindedly. He was trying to organize his pack. Contrary to the reputation he had garnered over the years he was a very orderly man and he insisted on an orderly backpack. "You finish reading those book?"

"Oh. Yeah, I put them back. Are they missing?" Itachi had, of course, 'borrowed' the books the middle-age Sannin had 'told' him not to touch.

"That's why I was asking, they are exactly where I left them. You are very good at not being detected, I have to say that."

"Yeah, well, I still don't know what I'm going to get Sheeta for her birthday. You're books aren't exactly 'romantic'."

"Well… perhaps it's more an issue of you being fourteen and not knowing what you yourself want more than it is an issue of what you want for Sheeta. Those books are romantic, it's not just mindless porn like people make it out to be. They're really just teasing me when they say that stuff, you know."

"I don't know." Itachi sighed.

"I think that's the point I was making."

Itachi blinked, "I… guess it was."

"That woman… wow!"

"Are you still going on about that?"

"Her image is burned forever in my memories."

"Jiraiya?" Itachi moved so that he was standing directly in front of the older man.

"What? Ah!" Jiraiya stepped back when he suddenly found himself in a red and black world. Itachi stood some distance away holding what looked like a six inch guillotine.

"Do you know what this is?" Itachi's strong voice carried in the empty world as black clouds drifted at an unreal speed across the red sky.

"I... have an idea… Is this your Mangekyou Sharingan? What are you up to?" Jiraiya was not happy about being caught in the teen's jutsu and looked around desperately for a way out.

"Tsukuyomi. Everything that happens here, is because I will it. Time, space, cause, effect all pass as I see fit." He held up the small apparatus. "If you embarrass me like that again Jiraiya, you will have seventy-two hours in a hot-spring with a hundred of the most beautiful women. But there will be a catch." Itachi stuck a carrot into the device and released the blade, neatly slicing the vegetable in half. "You will be a eunuch."

Itachi ended the jutsu and stepped back a few paces from the Sannin, just in case he was a little angry at him for catching him in a Genjutsu.

"Very clever, boy. You think that would scare me, huh? It's just seventy-two hours. I could put up with it." Jiraiya was sweating and his face was drawn up in a worried scowl that he tried to hide behind an over-sized smile, "After that everything would be fine. The equipment would still work and…" His eyes popped out of his head when he saw what Itachi was holding in his hand. It was the "device" from the Genjutsu.

"Really?" The teen replied calmly.

"Okay! Okay! I get the message! Jeeze… you Uchihas are sure uptight."

Itachi shrugged, "If you say so. But it wasn't an Uchiha who lent this to me. It's from the museum. The old emperors used to require that any man entering their palace was a eunuch. That's what the woman who handed it to me said. Lord only knows why she did so. I'd better go return it now."

Jiraiya wiped his brow and laughed, "Remind me to never get in a real fight with you. You fight dirty."

"I'm a ninja, remember? We all fight dirty."

"True enough."

Itachi grabbed his jacket and stuck it on as he exited the suite. 'It probably wouldn't matter how dirty I fought, Jiraiya,' He thought to himself as he punched the "down" button on the elevator, 'you are the toad sage and certainly my equal.' He remember how, when he was younger, he had always wanted to fight someone that was powerful so he could see just how far he had come. He wanted to delve into the depths of his soul and pull out all the determination and resolve he could grasp, then release it in a powerful contest of wills with a worthy opponent. And he had to admit, he still felt that way, but for some reason it was no longer such an overwhelming urge as it had been back then.

"Still," Itachi said out loud as he entered the elevator, "I wonder who would win?"

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**Next week, Itachi and Sheeta journey to Mist.**

**Itachi doesn't know Killerbee and Yugito are Jinchuuriki's. To him, they are just a brother and a powerful kunoichi who happen to be close to the Raikage. And keep in mind that the Lightning advisors didn't want the treaty signed.**

**Oh, and the "event" in the hot springs… that was stolen from an episode if One Piece. Nami caught the guys looking over the wall of a hot spring and yelled something like "One million Beri's" and opened her towel. For some reason, the first thing I though of was Jiraiyas reaction if someone did that to him. xD It was episode 127 or 128, the end of the Alabasta arc. (Watch the subbed episodes, not the "ForKids" junk – they probably edited it out even though you don't see anything.)**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	20. Chapter 20 Hinata's Regret

**Last week Itachi and Jiraiya worked out a peace treaty with Cloud.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs, or even for just lurking.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 20 – Hinata's Regret**

"We've got three more to stick up this morning." The Jounin said grumpily as he tossed a bag onto the ground in front of the large Konoha village gate. Rising forty or more feet into the air it was the only "official" way in and out of the village and heavily guarded twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by a contingent of ten Shinobi. All of whom groaned in annoyance as the contents of the bag rolled around, as if trying one last desperate attempt to escape.

"You stick them up. It's beginning to gross me out, staring at those heads all day." One of the guards, a woman in her early twenties and dressed in an odd assortment of long, brightly colored skirts and a long crocheted shawl snapped.

Her companion, a man dressed in the regular Chuunin garb of black pants and green vest stepped up to her and wiggled his fingers in front of her face, "Oh mystical gypsy girl, tell me the fortune of the three heads in the bag."

She slapped his hand away and put her hands on her hips, "How about I tell your fortune? You will meet an unidentifiable end when the forensics team is unable to put all the pieces back to together to determine a cause of death."

"Ha! That's a good one!" The Chuunin laughed as he opened the bag. Executions were always at five in the morning so that the heads could be mounted by seven. The reasoning was that those on their way to work or doing their daily shopping would see the new heads and be intimidated enough to stop fighting the new government. Of course, whether it was working or not was certainly in question. Everyday since the coup there had been at least one new head to display.

Each head was placed on a short spike that was attached to a wide, tall wooden wall that had been constructed for the purpose. After being speared through the neck a protective clear-plastic bag was secured over it to keep it from rotting. It was certainly a very gory display, and the proliferation of wild flowers – the Yamanakas still hadn't re-opened their flower shop yet - that decorated the ground under it gave it a distinct air of mourning.

Securing the head the man turned around and stepped back surprised. "Geeze Itachi, next time you sneak up on me warn me first!"

"Since you have attained the rank of Chuunin, that should not be necessary." Itachi stated plainly.

"Yeah, amazing how things work out that way." He said sarcastically. "I guess your momma never taught you any manners."

Itachi didn't show any indication that he had heard the comment as he absent-mindedly adjusted the pack he had thrown over his left shoulder. There were still a lot of people upset with the Uchiha and starting another fight would be counterproductive. No matter how much he wanted to beat the shit out him. Turning away from the morbid display he headed to his house.

Jiraiya had taken off on his own a few hours after they had left Cloud, claiming he had received some sort of lead as to her whereabouts at one of the hostess clubs he had been frequenting during their stay. Itachi wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but the Sannin seemed to be very worried about her.

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"You don't want to go in their right now." Sasuke was leaning up against the outside wall of the house with his arms folded over his chest and a disgruntled expression on his face, "It's very noisy."

"Where's you shoes?" Itachi noticed the boy was standing on the gravel barefoot.

"Don't need 'em. It's summer."

"You'll get cut walking around outside like that."

"I'll live."

"Whatever. It sounds quiet now. What's going on? Parents arguing?" Itachi couldn't hear anything in the house, although he did detect the chakra signatures of Fugaku, Mikoto and Naruto.

"Well, it hasn't gotten noisy _yet_, but wait a minute. We got our report cards and…" Sasuke was interrupted.

"What the hell is this? You got one D and the rest were C's." Fugaku's angry voice echoed down the hallway and through the door.

"It's started." Sasuke smirked.

"What are you laughing at?" Itachi asked quietly.

"The idiot goofs off too much. I told him so. I told him dad would strangle him if he didn't do better in class but Naruto thinks he only needs to be powerful to be a good ninja." Sasuke answered as a wide grin spread across his face.

"And what about your report card? You were out of class for several weeks."

"First in the class. Shikamaru was second. We were competing to see who could get first, but he decided it was too much trouble and I'm positive he blew off the last test so he could be second. Sometimes he's no fun at all. Hinata was third, but the teacher told her that if Sakura was here she would have been third because her grades were so good. Everyone misses her. Are you going to go get her now?"

"Hmmm. I want to talk to father about that." Taking off his shoes, Itachi made his way into the house and down the hall to the living room, but the yelling picked up again, and he stood still so he could listen.

Mikoto's voice joined the argument, "Your parents must be rolling over in their graves, Naruto! How could you do this to them?

"I'm not smart enough to learn this stuff! It's too hard!" Naruto tried to defend himself. His voice was defensive, but there was an air of helplessness in it that made Itachi frown in empathy.

Fugaku spoke this time, "You are the son of the Fourth Hokage. That position doesn't go to idiots, therefore, as his child you are not an idiot."

"Well then I guess I'm not his son because I am an idiot!" Naruto was yelling now.

There was a loud "smack" followed by the sound of something falling on the floor. Fugaku yelled, "You will not speak that way about Minato again. Your parents gave their lives so you could live, don't turn your back on their sacrifice."

Itachi peaked into the room and saw Fugaku and Mikoto standing over a tearful Naruto who was sitting on the floor, wiping his eyes. There was a large red mark on the side of his face that showed up bright red, no doubt because of his fair skin.

"How… how would you kn..know who my parent are?" Naruto sobbed, "I could have… been… been mixed up…"

Fugaku sighed and shook his head, "I was there. The only other baby was Sasuke and you two are definitely not going to be confused for each other. Besides, you look almost exactly like your father. I gave you his scrapbook when you moved in here, you can look for yourself. But remember, don't show it to anyone else. We need to keep that a secret for a while longer."

"We'll hire a tutor, Naruto." Mikoto's voice was now kind as she knelt down to rub the boy's back. "But it won't do any good if you don't want to learn. You've seen all the studying Itachi and Sheeta do. Even though neither is attending school they still have to read and learn."

"I'll expect you to get nothing below a B from this moment on." Fugaku stated clearly, then walked out of the room. "Ah, Itachi. I got your message, good work. We were able to pull the ninja off the border to Lightning country and…"

Itachi interrupted, "What about Sakura? Shall I go after her now?"

"Kakashi traced her to southern Wind country near a large port city. The trail went cold. Even his dogs couldn't sniff anything out."

"Can I go look?" Itachi had a feeling the answer would be no, and his suspicions were, unfortunately correct.

"I want you to take some paperwork to Mist for Madara to sign. You will take Sheeta and Nui with you. He has agreed to return the twins, but don't tell anyone yet. I don't want to raise their grandparent's spirits only to crush them again when he backs out of his agreement."

Itachi sighed in frustration, "Her trail is getting cold. The longer we wait… " He remembered Pein's concerns – if the child decided she was abandoned she might start working for Root.

"She is being compensated. Remember, I listed her as being on a mission…"

Itachi interrupted, "So what? How do I know you're actually putting money into her account? The village is broke right now and if she disappears…"

Fugaku grabbed the front of Itachi's shirt and shoved him against the wall, "Do you want to say that again, or would you prefer to back off _right now_ and get ready for your next mission?"

"If I don't say it, who will?" Itachi growled.

Fugaku threw him to the ground and stepped over him. "Think what you will, then. Kakashi is working on it. If you have any questions ask him when he gets back. Which, by the way, won't be until after _you_ get back from Mist."

Sitting up, Itachi glared at his father's back as it disappeared down the hall and out the front door. Something was going on with Sakura, and it didn't sound very positive. Kakashi was tracking her, that much Itachi now knew for certain. But what was the purpose of the tracking? To follow her progress, hoping she leads them to Root's commanders or to rescue her? Frankly, it sounded like any attempt at rescue was at the bottom of the list.

"So where's my present?" Sasuke walked into the hall and stared down at Itachi, who was now sitting on the floor deep in thought.

"Present?"

"It was my birthday last week."

"Oh." He dug around in his pack and pulled out a small electronic device, "There. Happy birthday."

"Thanks!" Sasuke's face brightened as he looked it over. "This is the latest game! It's totally sold out in the Fire capital!" Sasuke took off into the living room, "Naruto! I got a game, let's play!"

"That's not exactly helpful." Mikoto mumbled as she wandered into the hall and looked sternly at her eldest son.

"Kind of hard, huh? Naruto needs to play less and Sasuke needs to play more." Itachi yawned as he stood up.

"Yeah. Naruto's fit in so well here Fugaku and I decided to just keep him with us until he graduates. I know that makes things harder for you, with your Akatsuki mission and all, but…" Mikoto's voice trailed off.

"It will make things very difficult." Itachi admitted. "But I'll find a way to work around it."

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Night had fallen and Itachi was slowly making his way along the shore of the lake, taking the scenic route to Sheeta's house. The air was filled with the clicking of cicadas and the chirping of crickets as he silently waded through the cool water. Soon enough, though, he heard the sounds of sniffling and saw something sitting on a small bank. Coming closer, he recognized the small shadow as Hinata.

"You shouldn't be out here alone. There are still rogues running around." Itachi spoke softly as he approached the crying child.

She nodded in acknowledgement, but made no attempt to move from her position as she wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them closer to her chest.

Itachi watched her for a minute then shook his head. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"I don't have a home." The girl mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Itachi climbed out of the water and up the small bank to sit next to her.

"The side branch doesn't want me back."

"Of course they do. The Hyuuga council is preparing for your return. They've finished removing all the seals from the rest of the clan, re-structured the internal hierarchy and set up a training program for you. I've heard the elders themselves say how much they want you back."

"My cousin said they don't and that they want me to die."

"You're cousins a jerk and deserves whatever ill-will befalls him for saying something like that. I assure you, the rest of your clan doesn't feel that way. You go over there for training everyday, what does your teacher think?"

"I didn't tell her what he said. But she's really nice. But still…"

Itachi leaned back on the grass and looked up at the starry sky. Things were always so complicated. He wondered if there was a universe somewhere that was simple, calm and predictable. "Hinata, what is really bothering you?"

"They haven't caught the people who murdered my parents. Why is it taking so long?" Hinata began crying again, but it was a quiet sobbing that made almost no noise.

"I don't know." Itachi replied truthfully. "It was obviously Root that did it, but the only way they could have pulled it off is if they had some Hyuugas working with them. The whole situation is difficult, Hinata. After all, we can't even figure out if Danzou is still alive or not."

"Hinata?" Toshiro pushed back a tree branch and walked out onto the small bank. "Good, you're here. We were very worried about you. You shouldn't wander off alone."

Hinata stood up quickly and bowed forward, "I'm so sorry! I thought I could be back before anyone noticed."

"What were you doing here?" Toshiro reached over and placed an arm around her small shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Nothing." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

Toshiro sighed, "Hinata, I told you not to listen to anything that Neji kid says to you. He's just being childish. Ignore him."

"Okay." Hinata waved to Itachi as she followed Toshiro back to the trail.

Itachi stood up and hopped back down to the beach, landing silently on the rocky ground. The mess with the Hyuugas was certainly something he hadn't been paying much attention to. However, he did know that the people responsible for the massacre had been identified by the survivors, Hinata included. In all, ten people had survived and the reforms they were enacting had made them very popular with the side-branch.

However, there were still some hold-outs who refused to be placated. They were so embittered by the injustices of the past that they were calling for the main branch to be disbanded. But the fact that this Neji kid had actually said he wanted Hinata to die made him pause. Of course, children spoke more from instinct than logic at times, but still… he wondered if the boy had overheard the other adults around him say the same thing. If he was just repeating gossip then there could be a problem with Hinata's safety.

Itachi huffed in frustration as he began kicking stones as he walked. Toshiro had been very worried when he had found Hinata missing, that had been very obvious. And apparently he already knew what Neji had been saying.

"If he hurts her I'll ring his neck." Itachi whispered angrily.

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"Hey. You don't want to go in there right now." Sheeta was sitting on a lawn chair in the front yard of her house reading a book with a flashlight.

"What is this, 'let's argue with our kids' week in Konoha?" Itachi was still a little grumpy from his walk on the beach and dropped down unceremoniously onto the dewy grass.

"Nui and her boyfriend just told mother and father that she's three months pregnant and their getting married next month. Father is dancing with joy and mother was so angry she tried to punch the father-to-be. Father stopped her though." Sheeta spoke matter-of-factly, without taking her eyes off her book, "This means she can't come with us. She doesn't want to do anything that could hurt the baby."

"Why'd they wait three months to say something?" Itachi asked curiously.

"She didn't know she was pregnant. She's so busy at the hospital and doing a lot of extra studying because she wants to be a surgeon. She said she literally didn't notice anything was wrong. Her boyfriend suspected, though, and made her go to a doctor this morning. They were so excited afterward." Sheeta perked up and gave Itachi a big smile.

"Wow. That's good news. I'm sure Emi will get over the shock soon enough."

An angry woman's voice drifted from the open doorway, "Is that Itachi out there with you Sheeta? You two better not be making any babies out there!"

Sheeta and Itachi turned bright red and their jaws dropped open in shock.

"Ummm… yeah… she's a little…" Sheeta stammered as she tried to recompose herself.

Itachi gave a short, embarrassed laugh, "It's okay." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, "I did get you this though. Happy birthday."

Sheeta took the present and opened it gingerly. The beautiful green and gold paper looked expensive and the white box inside was stamped with the gold lettering of a famous jeweler. Looking at it she felt butterflies begin to churn in her stomach. Inside was a red ring box and inside that…

"It's an engagement ring." Itachi replied quietly as he removed the ring and gently placed it on her right ring finger.

"It's beautiful." Sheeta was awestruck as she held up her hand. The thin gold band held a small pearl surrounded by even smaller diamonds. It was very delicate in appearance and fit perfectly.

Itachi pulled her to a standing position and wrapped his arms around her to pull her in for a kiss. Sheeta reached up to weave her fingers in his hair as the kiss deepened. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of her body against his and for a short time he could have sworn they were the only two people in the world.

The feeling didn't last long, "Yeah, that's pretty much how it started." Nui was leaning on the porch railing staring down at the teens with a big grin on her face.

Breaking apart Sheeta gave a short laugh and Itachi sighed in amusement. The trip to Mist village was going to be very interesting.

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"The kids left this morning." Sarutobi stated as he stood looking out the window of the Hokage's office. Fugaku was sitting at the desk doing paperwork.

"Yeah. Sheeta's mother is in a tiff about her being alone with a boy, but I guess I can't blame her. Her sister left Konoha with her husband and ended up in an abusive relationship far from home and too afraid to come back. Having Aya away hasn't helped her mood any." Fugaku explained absentmindedly.

"I know how she feels, in a way, I guess. Asuma still hasn't come back."

"Well, he is helping us, nevertheless. He did agree to start keeping an eye on the situation in the capital."

"It is getting to be pretty obvious that Danzou had some operatives out there."

"Unfortunately. This whole mess was so well planned I don't know whether to be scared or awed."

The door opened slowly and an aide stuck her head through the door, "Excuse me, my Lord, but the Hyuuga elder council has an urgent matter to discuss."

"Let them in." Fugaku stood up and strode across the room to great them. "What's going on?"

"We came to discuss Lady Hinata." A tall man in his mid-thirties named Kan stepped forward. His Jounin attire was so impeccably pressed and clean that it looked like he had just bought it.

Fugaku crossed his arms over his chest. He was also dressed in the typical Jounin pants and vest but his were a little more travel worn than Kan's, "What have you decided?"

"We wish to conduct the ceremony to officially make her the clan head now instead of waiting for her to come of age. There is a growing dissension among the clan and we think that if we do this one small thing it will dispel some of the uncertainty. However, we would like her to continue living in Lord Toshiro's household for the time-being as it is better for her safety and state of mind to be away from the gossip."

"Very well. Toshiro has no problems continuing to care for Hinata or her sister. But keeping her away from the clan… you coddle her too much." Fugaku considered the girl to be weak and did not approve with the way she was being raised. He had pushed Itachi directly into the line-of-fire of the clan at an early age and the boy knew exactly what he was getting into as the heir of the Uchiha clan. Hinata, as far as he could tell, had no idea and was therefore over-sensitive when criticized.

"Yes, we acknowledge that. However, a few people have stated they wished she had been killed in the attack. Given that she is only nine and not able to defend herself against an adult Hyuuga there doesn't seem to be much of a choice here." Kan shook his head in resignation, as did the three other men who had followed him into the room.

Sarutobi spoke up, "How are you doing with you investigation?"

"Danzou's minions…" Kan sighed, "Well, that elder that appeared to have died from a stroke last week was actually poisoned. It's possible the ones who killed most of the main branch may have returned. We ordered toxicology test of three others who have died over the last few months and they also turned out to have been given the same poison. None were members of the main branch though so we are working with the police to determine a motive."

Fugaku returned to his desk as the Hyuugas left. Glancing down at the report on his desk he closed his eyes and shook his head. "So they're back. Finally. I guess I can take down the heads now."

"What?" Sarutobi turned around and gave the man an incredulous stare.

"I was fishing. They took the bait." Fugaku yelled, "Nozomi!"

The aide stepped into the room and bowed politely, "Yes my Lord?"

"Order the display of heads to be dismantled and dispose of the heads as per standard procedure."

"Yes sir!" He quickly left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Fishing?" Sarutobi was completely at a loss as to what was going on.

"Yeah. The ones who killed the main branch were working for Danzou, that has pretty much been determined, but they were also acting out of a sense of justice. And the best way to catch a person like that is to commit an act of injustice. Since the prisoners were being executed anyway, I decided to use their heads for bait."

"Hmmm… now that I think about it… one of the murdered Hyuugas was involved in the executions and another one designed the display board. I'm still not sure I agree with the method, but your motive… yeah I can live with that. Although it was rather traumatic for some of the villagers."

"Agreed. Even Sasuke had a nightmare about it. But the Hyuugas really want to catch these people. Anyone who can dispose of that many of their clansmen must be very powerful, and being on Danzou's side is giving them nightmares. The Hyuuga are an important asset to the village and we must keep them happy and safe." Fugaku leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling, "I've already told them that they could handle the traitors as they see fit, but I also asked them not to injure any of the villagers or make too many more enemies of the side branch."

"Well, I guess I'll go downstairs and see if Konohamaru is awake yet." He gave a short laugh, "I told him yesterday I was going to teach him to read and he said, 'why should I'. That boy is going to be a handful. How did you get your boys to read?"

Fugaku blinked a couple times, surprised at the change of subject, "Oh… well… Itachi started to recognize the kanji in his storybooks and asked Mikoto why there were so many of the same ones. She told him what they meant and with his good memory he was reading in no time. Sasuke… I guess he just wanted to copy Itachi so when he saw his big brother reading he wanted to do it too."

"Sounds like my two boys. If one was doing something the other one had to do the same thing. Konohamaru has it a little harder, of course, with no siblings, but at least he can stand up for himself. I am grateful for that."

Fugaku watched the old man leave the office and wondered why, all of sudden, he had wanted to talk about kids. While he was a grandfather and very proud of his grandson, he rarely mentioned him.

His thoughts turned to the argument he had with Itachi a few days earlier about Sakura Haruno. Her case was getting more and more complicated. Pulling out a scroll from his desk he opened it and read through it for the twentieth time. It was a report from Kakashi, a few days before he had lost the girls trail.

"_Entered the town of Fig Springs around noon. Immediately heard some gossip about a woman who was travelling with several children. The group was accosted by some rogue nin who threatened to kill them if they didn't give them a scroll. The children attacked the four rogues killing them and three bystanders who jumped in to stop the fight. A small girl with pink hair is accused of killing one of the townsmen. Reports from eyewitnesses say the children showed no remorse or any indication of emotions after the attack."_

"Bringing Sakura back could be a blessing or a curse." Fugaku said quietly. "She will have an amazing set of skills for us to build upon, but if she can't re-adjust to Konoha we'll have to kill her." He wondered what Itachi would do about the situation, but he decided that his son would probably agree with him on this. Of course, he would probably try harder to save the girl before giving up, but that was to be expected. In the end though, Itachi would still strike her down if he had to. He knew his son well enough to know that much.

"It is a pity." He put the scroll back in his desk went back to work. Thoughts of the pink-haired child disappeared quickly in the complicated mesh of reports, spreadsheets, missions, and requests.

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"There's our ship!" Sheeta pointed excitedly at the corsair docked at the pier she and Itachi were walking toward. It was a medium-sized ship with one large mast and a figurehead of a cat with a fish tail at the front. Several people were milling about on the deck and appeared to be cleaning or putting stuff away. A gangplank had been lowered and the two teens made their way slowly up the steep board.

"It looks just like the boats in the movies, Itachi!" Sheeta had insisted on riding the corsair instead of a steamship, wanting to experience the ocean "as it was meant to be" as she had put it. Itachi didn't care one way or the other, as long as they got where they were going, and had given in without any fuss. Although his girlfriend's excitement was making him happy.

A crewman approached and gave them a friendly smile, "Welcome to the Catfish. We'll be leaving in about an hour so just make yourselves comfortable. We're not a cruise ship, as you know, we just take passengers to cover costs, so accommodations aren't spectacular."

"Oh, that's okay. The girl at the booking office said there's only two bedrooms, all the girls in one, all the boys in the other." Sheeta's smile was getting bigger by the moment as she looked around the deck.

The man laughed, "Yep! Get's kind of loud with all the snoring but, you get used to it after a while. Of course, you can always sleep on the deck, as long as you're out of the way."

"You're the only one who snores around here Daigo." An elderly man slowly made his way over to the trio, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Itachi Uchiha."

"You…" Itachi opened his eyes wide in amazement, "I remember you…"

"It's been a few years. You've grown quite a bit my boy."

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**Next week, Itachi has a reunion with an old friend and they arrive in Mist.**

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**Updates on Fridays**


	21. Chapter 21 Secrets in the Mist

**Last week Hinata was upset because her parents' murderers haven't been caught yet.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs – you're all great!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 21 – Secrets in the Mist**

"I remember you." Itachi turned to look at the elderly man who was leaning shakily on two canes. He was dressed in a pair of old tan pants, a black sleeveless shirt, sandals and he wore a baseball cap to shade his eyes from the warm afternoon sun.

"I hear your clans been making trouble out there in Konoha. Good going kid! Shook up those villagers something good, it did." The old man laughed, showing far fewer teeth than he had displayed back when Itachi had first met him when he was eight. "That's a cute girl you got hanging off your arm. You two eloping?"

"Yeah. How'd you guess?" Sheeta teased as she gave him a big grin.

"Ha! So when's the baby due?"

"Few days. It's twins. Maybe we'll see you on the way back and you can see 'em."

"Sheeta…" Itachi tried to stop her but she brushed him off.

She patted her flat stomach and grinned even bigger, "It's going to be boys."

"Good going, boy! Knew you had it in ya! Keep those babies coming and you'll repopulate the clan in no time! You know the captain of this ship is authorized to perform marriages."

"Huh? No!" Itachi said in an uncharacteristically high pitched voice.

"Typical." A woman dressed in blue shorts, a white tank-top and covered in triangle-shaped tattoos walked up and folded her arms across her chest with a petulant stare. "The moment a woman starts talking marriage the man runs off."

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed with amusement. "Sheeta, this is Shouhei Senju. I met him years ago during my last mission to Mist. Shouhei, this is my friend Sheeta. Well, we're engaged. Betrothed really."

"I'm honored to meet you Shouhei." Sheeta bowed politely and the Senju bowed his head in acknowledgement, being too weak to lower his body in a formal bow.

"Sheeta my dear, I hope you enjoy the cruise. This lovely woman is the captain… or the first mate. I'm not sure. I just hang out here for the ride. Not going to die on land, that's for sure!" He laughed again.

The woman gave the old man a mischievous grin, "You can call me Nel. I don't know if I'm the captain or not either. I just give the orders and strangle anyone who doesn't follow them. No ones tossed me overboard yet so, who knows?"

Sheeta laughed, "Well this sounds like it will be a good trip then."

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"I'm one-hundred-and-three years old! Beat that!" It was a couple hours after dinner and Shouhei was bragging about his age. Again.

"Wow." Sheeta was awed, never having met anyone that old before.

"So you gotta get old as me too, Sheeta."

"I'll try, but it's pretty rare so…" She shrugged and leaned back against the deck wall, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"What about you Itachi? Still healthy?" The man seemed to be fishing for something and Itachi frowned.

"So you know about it."

"It's not hard to guess. I'm also very gifted with medical ninjutsu. I could see a slight, very slight, difference in the way you breathe that no one else would even notice." Shouhei sounded apologetic as his suspicions were confirmed. "If you can find Tsunade – I'm sure you know who she is – she might be able to treat you. I'd do it… but my chakra has dropped to such a low level that it's barely enough to treat myself. Besides, the only treatment I know has to be administered over several years and I may not be alive that long."

"Hn." Itachi looked up at the dark, starlit sky. Away from land there were no city lights to block the evening view and he was suddenly struck with how much the stars looked like diamonds on a black velvet cloth. As if a jeweler had spread his wares across the sky, waiting for the lowly humans to become powerful enough to pluck them off his table.

Sheeta closed her eyes and drew her legs up to chest, her good mood was gone. Leaning sideways, she rested her head lightly on Itachi's shoulder and tried to convince herself that no matter what the future brought, at least she had her best friend with her right now. It didn't completely work though, and she had to brush a stray tear away from her left eye as Itachi wrapped an arm around her.

"It's okay." Itachi gave a small smile, "I'm a ninja after all. Something else could get me before I get sick.

"So how's that cousin of yours? Shisui?"

"Dead. He… killed himself a couple…no… three years ago." Itachi declared in a flat voice.

Shouhei sighed as he mourned in his thoughts, 'So I was right. First Yota, then Shisui, and next Itachi. Why am I cursed with such a long life? All I do is watch the people around me die. And this little girl… what am I to make of her?'

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"I know you told me what to expect, Itachi, but this is…" Sheeta and Itachi walked through the port city carefully picking their way through garbage, beggers, and one corpse, half rotted and forgotten on the side of the road. The people around it seemed oblivious to the stench and evidence of bones a couple blocks further down the street was nothing more than a chilling reminder of what the people around them would, soon enough, become.

Water country was in a terrible state. The Daimyou had been waging a war with his own people for so long that the entire island was suffering. When Itachi had come here five years ago on a mission he had suffered a severe trauma when his team had stumbled upon a massacred village. Corpses had littered the valley for as far as the eye could see. Kisame, who had still been a Mist shinobi at the time and had been assigned to assist in the mission, had informed them that the Daimyou had set up three rebel factions and the Mist village to attack each other, then swooped in with his own troops. The resulting chaos had resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

The countryside was quieter, but the dilapidated state of occasional house or village followed them on their journey. Itachi began to wonder if the situation had gotten worse. Sifting though his memories he found it difficult to compare "then" with "now". The first part of his trip was fairly pleasant. Accompanied by his team and Shisui's team the six children and two senseis had buffered any unpleasantness. It wasn't until after they had seen the valley full of corpses that things had gone wrong. When they finally left, it was from a different port.

Two days later they found themselves standing on a cliff overlooking the village hidden in the Mist. It was, predictably, shrouded in a fog that showed only the faintest outlines of building and trees.

Sheeta couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips at the thought that their journey was finished. "This isn't a trip I would like to make very often."

"No kidding." Itachi agreed, but for different reasons. While the poor state of the country was troubling, the fact that he was now going to be a guest in Madara's home for two weeks was even more distressing. The elder Uchiha was no doubt up to something and instead of enjoying a relaxing visit with Aya, he would have to be on guard for whatever was about to happen.

"I heard some of the other's back home call this the 'Blood Mist' Village. Why is that?" Sheeta looked curiously at Itachi.

"The Academy here… as their final exam the students were pitted against each one in one-on-one death matches. It stopped when a boy who wasn't even enrolled showed up and killed all the students."

"Wow. That's sick. It sounds like that Mangekyou Sharingan stuff. But if a non-Uchiha did that, what would they get for it?"

"Who knows?" Itachi replied in a tired voice. "It's thought that it hardens you and makes you a more brutal killer, without mercy. But if that's true why did they change the exam after Zabuza killed all the students that one time? Albeit, he did become an elite ninja in the village after that, but all the same… it must have worn on the minds of those who could look into their pasts and see the faces of the friends they killed."

"Well, some people are just weaker than other, that's all." Itachi and Sheeta turned around quickly, alarmed that someone had snuck up on them, undetected. A teenage boy, about their own age, was staring at them from ten feet away with a wide grin on his face. He wore a pair of blue shorts with a black tank-top and a mist headband. "I'm Mitokado Uchiha and I'm supposed to escort you to the Mitzukage mansion."

"Oh… thanks. I'm Itachi Uchiha and this is Sheeta Uchiha." Itachi bowed politely, followed by Sheeta.

"Come with me then! Aya is really excited to see you guys. She's been fussing all week with your rooms and stuff."

"So do you work for the Mizukage?" Sheeta asked conversationally.

"Yep. Only certain people are chosen - they have to be really powerful to meet _his_ standards. I've been working for him since I was ten. Four years now." Mitokado seemed to be in a talkative mood and was very friendly. "By the way, don't let the villagers know you're an Uchiha. They aren't supposed to know we exist. If you get in a fight, don't use your Sharingan because if you do you have to kill anyone who saw it."

"That's harsh." Itachi commented unhappily.

"True, but the Daimyou of Water country hates kekkai Genkai's and has killed tens of thousands of people with them so the Uchiha aren't exactly the only ones hiding out here. You'll probably recognize some other clans as well, but they hide their abilities too. So if you know something pretend ignorance."

"Hmmm. Okay." Itachi knew some of that already, but the question as to why the Uchiha in Mist needed to remain secret from the Uchiha in Konoha was still unanswered. He had suspicions of course, namely that Madara was trying to keep himself hidden from the world and the existence of an eastern branch of the clan would probably give that away. However, it was known that over the years several Uchiha had "dropped out of sight". It wasn't taken to be a serious problem until Fugaku discovered Ouya Uchiha, Sheeta's estranged father, had been selling Konoha secrets to Stone. At that point he had requested that all Uchiha's live in Fire country so they could be accounted for. It was also at that point that he began to suspect the existence of Uchiha's in Mist village.

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The Mizukage mansion was huge. It wasn't tall, but it was spread out in a series of winding buildings set within a well-tended garden. A huge pond (or perhaps a small lake) could be glimpsed snaking around the end of the main building and several different types of maple trees grew around the area.

Mitokado led the pair into the building, greeting an elderly housekeeper polishing an antique cabinet with a wave as they walked past her. As they made their way through the snaking hallways of the mansion Sheeta moved closer to Itachi and laced her fingers into his. He looked at her curiously, she appeared to be nervous. For some reason he found that cute.

"They are in the living room. Wait here while I introduce you…" Mitokado was interrupted as Sheeta attempted to push past him, "Come on! Just stand still for a couple minutes! I hardly ever get to do this, I want to do it right."

Itachi gave a short laugh at the teen's enthusiasm as he put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to hold her back. "We'll wait. After all, the Mizukage is in there as well and we wouldn't want to get Mitokado in trouble."

Mitokado gave him a friendly smile and slid the door back, "Lord Mizukage, Lady Aya, your guests have arrived. May I show them in?"

"Yes, thank-you Mitokado." Madara's strong voice came through the open doorway causing Itachi to cringe subconsciously. He glanced at Sheeta who was now looking at him questioningly. Smiling he shook his head, silently telling her that nothing was wrong.

"You may enter now, honored guests." Mitokado bowed formally then stepped out of the way of the door as Sheeta burst through, practically running into the room. Itachi held back a little, still smiling.

"That's quite a job you got." He smirked.

"Yeah, it get's better every day. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go count the mice in the pantry so the cats know how much work they have to do." The teen laughed as he turned around and went back the direction they had come.

Itachi found himself wondering if that was a joke or if he was speaking figuratively. He blinked a couple times as he realized he was beginning to sound paranoid, but his instincts told him to watch out and if there was one thing a shinobi learned early, it was to listen to what your instincts told you.

Walking into the large living room he was a little bit surprised to see Madara reclining lazily on a chaise lounge near the open doors to the garden, drinking what looked like lemonade. It was a little too normal and the teen was struck with the thought of what exactly he had expected the leader of the worlds most powerful criminal organization to be doing on his off-time. Perhaps he hadn't expected him to have off-time, but to be poring over maps and invasion plans in a dark room with a single light bulb for illumination.

Shaking his head to dispel the image Itachi turned his attention back to Sheeta who was talking a mile-a-minute with her sister. Aya seemed to be talking just as fast, but stopped in mid-word when she saw Itachi.

"I'm so glad you came!" Aya threw herself at her younger cousin, hugging him tight. The soon-to-be seventeen-year-old was still a head taller than him and after a minute he pushed against her lightly in self defense.

"Don't squish me!" He laughed, "I'm glad to see you too."

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"So you're the clan leader here?" Itachi looked the man over and was struck with how much he resembled Madara. He seemed to be in his late-twenties or early-thirties with straight black hair, black eyes, and was the same height as the elder Uchiha.

"Yes. I am Sora. I am also Madara's uncle." He put his hands together and initiated a jutsu that changed his appearance to that of an old man. "I appear like this to the villagers," He turned back in a young man, "and like this to the clan."

"Why?"

Sora shrugged, "I don't know. Why not? It's fun."

"I… okay…" It had been two days since their arrival in Mist and Madara was making sure Itachi met as many people as possible. If it wasn't for his good memory the teen was sure he would have been overwhelmed by now. Most of the introductions consisted of clan members, but he also attended a few meetings with the Mist government officials and the Jounin squad leadership requested an audience as well, wanting to meet the genius son of the Hokage.

Itachi found the meetings to be a curiosity. Madara never left the house without covering his face. He wore a square hat that had a black cloth hanging from all four sides. When he held meetings, he sat behind a bamboo blind that showed nothing more than an outlined shadow of his body. Itachi, as an honored guest, would sit in front of the screen to the right of Madara, in plain view. Everyone sat on cushions on the floor. The whole setup was very traditional and while his parent's house had the exact same setup in its meeting room, to Itachi's knowledge Fugaku had never lowered the screen. He had seen his mother cleaning it on several occasions, but that was the only time it was let down.

"How is it you are still alive?" Itachi got right to the point.

Sora snorted in amusement, "When I was eleven and Madara was five I was badly injured. While I was healing I learned that my father – the man who had tried to kill me – had decided to take Madara under his wing and train him. I was afraid for his life and swore to become a medic so I could heal whatever wounds father inflicted on him."

"What?" Itachi was a little taken aback that a father would kill his son, even though he knew things like that happened. After all, his friend Yota Hyuuga, who had been on his Genin team, had also been attacked by his father. The difference was that Yota had ended up killing him in self-defense. The man had been an alcoholic and drug addict and was not sober when he attacked. There was little Yota could have done to change the events of that day.

"Got time for some reminiscences?" Sora led Itachi out into the garden, stopping by the large pond to sit on a stone bench. The ever-present fog swirled around a tall willow tree that had draped itself over the calm water, as if sending its long branches into the water to angle for fish. "Madara doesn't like me to talk about his past, but this is… it's not harmful in anyway to him. In fact, it was a turning point in our lives that shaped our futures."

"Hmm. Okay. I have a couple hours, I would like to hear it." Of course, Itachi was curious about what a five-year-old Madara was like.

"This was back before Konoha was even thought of. The Uchiha still lived in a small village at the base of the Hideout – you know what that is of course - and, well, I guess I should start with a little background. Madara's parents weren't married when he was born. This probably wouldn't have been a big issue, but because Shou, his father, was heir to the clan, he was unable to claim the boy as his. He couldn't marry his girlfriend because he was already betrothed to another woman and had to marry her first. He did that a few months later, and Izuna, Madara's younger brother was born a couple years later. He then married Madara's mother so he had two wives. Believe it or not the two women were good friends and even though Madara was always treated well by most of the family, he was kept with the servants, for the most part.

"Anyway, his grandfather hated him – saw him as a disgrace. Fortunately it was his great-grandfather, a man name Ryuunosuke, who lead the clan back then and called the shots. Ryuunosuke loved Madara and doted on him and Izuna as much as was possible for a man in his position.

"So… to get to the story…"

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_The branches of a hundred cherry trees clicked against each other as the cold January wind blew through the large field. The normally green and well-maintained grass was matted and wet, having been trampled by a recent snowfall and the drenching rains that had followed it. The few raindrops still resting on the branches and grass glistened like crystals as the sun moved in and out of the clouds. _

"_It smells good up here, doesn't it?" Sora breathed deeply. "The wood fires in the village make my nose hurt. Mother says it's an allergy or something."_

"_Does it hurt that bad?" Madara asked curiously. The two boys walked along the empty gravel path to the far end of the practice field, where a shuriken practice area had been built. There were two practice areas; one was a straight target, and the other was an obstacle course with hidden targets. Because it was usually used by children it was normally empty during the day when school was in session. However, Sora was skipping classes that day because a photographer had come by earlier to take photos of the family._

"_Yeah. It makes my eyes water. But… I'm sure I'll live!" Sora laughed._

"_Oh. I like the smell of wood burning." Madara watched as his uncle emptied his pack of about twenty shurikens. Taking ten each the two boys began throwing them at the round targets at the end of the practice area._

"_How come Izuna couldn't come?" Madara finally asked. The younger boy was basically his only playmate since Sora was in school all day and trained in the evenings. _

"_Haven't a clue. It isn't raining so his mother wouldn't have complained. What was strange was that Lord Ryuunosuke was the one who told us to leave him behind. He hardly ever interferes with Shou's kids." Sora smirked, "Except for when my dad starts picking on you, of course. Then he's quick to put him back in his place, huh?"_

_Madara grinned, showing all his teeth, "Yeah! I like great-grandfather!" _

_The boys threw shurikens at the targets for another thirty minutes, when they heard a branch break behind them. Turning around they both gulped nervously when they saw who it was._

"_So. My good-for-nothing son and bastard grandson are together in the same place. This makes things a lot easier, doesn't it?" Masaru approached the boys and pulled his sword. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a simple black yukata. His long, thick hair was loose and blew freely in the wind. Dark chakra emanated from him in waves, causing the two boys to back up several paces. The man's Sharingan blazed red as he slowly advanced on the pair. "It ends today, boys. And I have permission to kill you so running home isn't going to help."_

"_Shou would never harm Madara! He's his favorite! Everyone knows that!" Sora stepped in front of his nephew and held a shuriken in front of him. His heart was beating fast and his hands were shaking._

"_Look at you, Sora, shaking like a leaf. How pathetic you turned out. To think you could possibly be related to Shou, a man who was winning battles by the time he was eleven. You haven't even graduated from school yet. You are worthless to me!" He grinned, "And it was Lord Ryuunosuke who gave permission to kill you two. Why do you think he spent so much money on the bastard when he turned five? It was to ease his own conscience."_

"_Lies!" Sora screamed, "Lies! I don't believe you!"_

"_What is he talking about, uncle Sora?" Madara asked nervously. He was clinging to the back of the older boy's jacket and peaking out at his grandfather. He knew he was different from his brother, treated different, but most of his family tried to cover it up or at least do things to compensate for it. And for the most part, Madara rarely felt excluded. However, he never felt truly included either. Even though he was five he still knew that his little brother was given preferential treatment and when visitors from other clans came to visit it was Izuna who was introduced to them, not Madara. The strangers would look at the older boy with a knowing glance and return their attention to either Izuna or Shou. And often Madara was sent to eat in the kitchen with the servants instead of the family. However, the biggest difference was with titles. He had to address Izuna as "Lord Izuna", but no one ever called him "Lord"._

"_He's talking nonsense Madara, don't listen!" Sora yelled._

"_Time to die, boys!" Masaru jumped forward and kicked his son roughly in the chest. The boy flew across the ground and landed flat against one of the targets. Madara, who had been clinging to his uncle's shirt let go as soon as he was kicked and ended up tumbling in the wet grass next to the target. He quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed two kunai off the ground._

_Sora rapidly extricated himself from the target and grabbed some kunai as well. He wondered if his father was truly there to kill them or if this was just some perverted training session he had thought up because he was mad. Masaru had a horrid temper and over the years, Sora and Madara had both been on the wrong end of the man's wrath. The older boy rubbed his shoulder. It still hurt from the last "training" session he had with his father. It had been dislocated, but instead of calling a healer, the man had just popped it back into place himself. To make matters worse, it had been so painful he had cried. That, Sora had quickly learned, had been a huge mistake and he had sworn never to show tears in front of his father again. However, he doubted he would be able to keep his word. Masaru had a way of bringing out the worst in him._

"_Madara, run home." Sora said sternly._

"_No! I stand beside you in battle and only death will divide us!" Madara quoted a line from one of his favorite stories, a tale of two brothers who fought to avenge the death of their friend._

"_Damn it Madara! This isn't a bedtime story! This is real!" Sora ducked as Masaru lunged forward again, nicking him in the arm with his sword. _

"_Too slow!" Masaru yelled. He jumped back, then used a transportation jutsu to appear behind Sora and kicked him in the rear. Sora went flying across the field again and landed against a tree. The man then quickly turned on Madara and kicked him in the stomach, sending him into a mound of dirt that bordered the practice field. _

_Masaru ran to where Sora was picking himself up and plunged his sword into the boy's right shoulder, pinning him to the trunk. Sora screamed in agony as he gripped the sword and tried to pull it out. The blade cut his hands and blood dripped freely onto the ground._

"_I will enjoy watching you die, son. You are an embarrassment. The truth is, you aren't even really my son. Your bitch of a mother had an affair and became pregnant. Lord Ryuunosuke made me keep you and pretend you were mine. What a joke! After I kill you and that bastard over there I will kill Shou and Ryuunosuke and take my rightful place as clan chief. I will then raise Izuna as my heir. That'll teach them to exclude me from the line of succession!" _

"_You're a coward!" Sora yelled through his tears. "Madara! Run away! Hide!" _

"_Ahhh!" Masaru yelled in pain and grabbed his back. A kunai was sticking out of the right side, about halfway down. "You little shit! How dare you sneak up on me?"_

_Madara jumped back and glared at his grandfather. He was panting in fear. Even though he was growing up in a ninja clan, he had never seen anyone injured before. And the fact that it was Sora writhing and moaning in agony was ten times worse. "Leave my uncle alone!" The boy practically screamed the words as he raised his remaining kunai in the air and pointed it at Masaru._

"_Ha! You think you are a match for me! I'll enjoy watching you die as well!" He jumped forward again and kicked Madara back across the field and into another tree. The boy's head hit the trunk of the tree and everything seemed to shift a little to the right. Blue dots and pinpricks of light filled his vision as he tried to stand up, only to fall back down again as a wave of dizziness passed over him. His eyes started burning, but he forced them open anyway and focused on the tree Sora was impaled against. _

_Masaru approached his son and grabbed his chin, lifting it up. He then used his other hand to open the boy's eyelids. "Humph. So, you really aren't capable of Sharingan then. I guess your real father wasn't from the clan after all. That just makes this all the more disgusting. Mixing Uchiha blood with that of another clan is revolting." He pulled out another kunai and plunged it into the boy's stomach. _

_Sora cried out in pain and tried to grasp the kunai but the older man grabbed his wrists and lifted them above his head. He then pulled out another kunai and ran it through the boy's hands, affixing them permanently to the tree. "Die slowly, Sora. I want to enjoy this. I want your mother to see what I did to her son. This will be her punishment for cheating on me."_

_Standing back, Masaru crossed his arms across his chest and smiled as he watched the boy crying out in pain. It was music to his ears, something he had wanted to hear for a very, very long time. When he was done with Sora, he would have more fun with Madara. Glancing over to the tree he had thrown the young boy at, he was suddenly plunged to the ground when a sharp pain ripped through the back of both shins._

_Madara lunged forward, landing on top of his grandfather, both kunai-laden hands plunged quickly into the man's chest. Pulling them out, he stabbed again and again and didn't stop until he felt himself thrown up into the air. Landing hard on the ground, he quickly stood up and glared at his grandfather._

"_You bastard! What gives you the right to strike me?" Masaru tried to stand, but realized his tendons had been severed. Sitting up he looked down at his chest, eight stab wounds were bleeding profusely, and the pain was overwhelming. Using chakra he pressed his hands against his torso, but the damage was extensive. His liver, kidneys and stomach had all been hit. Looking up he saw the five-year-old boy standing defiantly, six feet in front of him. He was covered in splattered blood and his knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on the kunai. And… his eyes were red! A brilliantly fully formed three-tomoe Sharingan gazed back at the middle-aged man from the face of a boy barely out of his toddler years._

_Gazing back up at Sora he saw that the older boy was also looking at him with a Sharingan, although his had only one tomoe in each eye. Both boys had tears streaming down their faces and were panting heavily; Sora from his wounds, and Madara from what appeared to be a concussion if the big gash on the side of his head was any indication._

"_It's… it's not possible… no one… no one has eyes like that… what… what kind.. of… demon… are you…" Masaru collapsed onto the ground. His eyes were still locked on Madara, an expression of disbelief on his face._

"_Father!" Sora yelled, then started sobbing bitterly._

"_Sora! Sora! What do we do? What happened?" Madara ran over to his uncle and put his hands on the boy's chest._

"_Go home… get Shou…" Sora realized he was having trouble breathing and for some reason the pain was going away. "I'm… dying… I… can't believe it…"_

"_I'll get father! He'll fix you!" Madara took off at a run. _

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Sora exhaled as if a huge weight was lifted off his chest. "All of us recovered, me, Madara and father. It turned out… father had set up the fight in order to activate my Sharingan. I believe your father did the same thing to you?"

Itachi nodded once. Even though it had been several years ago, the memory was still fresh in his mind. And the fear.

"While he wasn't fond of Madara at the time, he hadn't expected he would have to hurt the boy either. He thought he would just hide and stay out of the way. When he attacked instead of hiding he struck back. I always hated my father for that.

"As I was recovering I drifted deeper and deeper into my own world, not responding to anyone. The shock was overwhelming. It was then that I learned father would be taking Madara under his wing and training him personally. He was impressed with the child and his hatred had turned into something akin to pride. I was given over to the medical corp and trained as a healer. I swore then that I would heal the injuries my father would inflict upon my nephew. And I must say, he kept me busy."

"Poor kid." Itachi said under his breath.

"Poor father. Madara was a very aggressive student. He learned quickly and if there was one lesson my father imparted onto him it was that of brutality over mercy. The Uchiha were unmatched in battle. Madara's father, Shou, was already an accomplished ninja at eleven."

"What about Izuna?"

"Izuna… was a very friendly, outgoing boy. He also loved fighting as much as Madara did and when he turned five he joined father and Madara in their training." Sora gave a short laugh. "I then had three people to patch up in the evenings."

"Wow. I guess you got pretty good, pretty fast." Itachi smiled.

"Yeah, I am one of the best healers in ninja world." He stood up and walked away, head held high as if staring at the clouds hiding behind the fog.

Itachi sighed. The story was interesting. And it sounded like Madara probably had a pretty normal childhood, all things considered. But how he ended up as the mastermind behind Akatsuki was what he was really interested in. However, he doubted Sora would be so free with that tale.

'And perhaps' Itachi thought to himself, 'I don't really want to know." Turning your target into a human always made it more difficult to attack.

"Did I ever thank you for saving me when I was four?" Itachi muttered tonelessly.

"You did, but you didn't need to." Madara, who had been leaning on the other side of the willow tree listening spoke up in a calm voice. "None of that was your fault, kid."

"All the same. I am grateful. And for saving Sasuke. Without him…" Itachi knew his life would have been over a long time ago if he didn't have his little brother to hold on to. Sometimes, the boy had been the only beacon of light shining in the darkness that was the Uchiha clan.

Madara gave a short laugh, "Sometimes even I do good deeds, Itachi. Believe it not."

"I believe it." Itachi leaned back on the bench and stretched his feet out. "There is no one who is perfectly good or perfectly bad, we all tend to migrate to one side or the other, but our actions sometimes drift back and forth between one side and the other. That's just the way it is."

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Next week – More fun in Mist

Please review

Updates on Fridays


	22. Chapter 22 Blood Mist Village

**Last week Itachi and Sheeta arrived in Mist and met up with Aya.**

**Thanks for all the review and favs **

**Wow, we got to see all five Kages. The Mist Kage surprised me though. For some reason I thought maybe it would be a woman, but I expected her to be a body-builder type – kind of like Kisame I guess. Shippuden is back on track now too, and 116 had Karin in it. She's so evil xD . I love how she and Suigetsu fight all the time – just like siblings.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 22 – Blood Mist Village**

"My Lord!" A Chuunin burst into the Hokage's office without knocking, interrupting Fugaku's never ending paperwork, "We just received a report from the front gate! Two children showed up a few minutes ago and one of them is Sakura Haruno!"

"What? Are you serious?" Fugaku stood up and quickly made his way across the room to stand in front of the woman.

"Absolutely. Her identity is irrefutable. What should we do with her?"

Fugaku crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes in thought. The concept that she had been able to escape seemed unthinkable. "Who is the other child?"

"A boy. He says his name is Sai. No last name. He's a year older that Sakura and the report says he has the air of a veteran ninja."

"Could be a trap of some kind… I don't see that we have any choice. Bring them in for interrogation. I'll speak with Ibiki and Inoichi about this right now." Fugaku strode out of the room as the Chuunin pulled a transmitter out of her pocket to relay the information.

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A few hours later Ibiki dropped down into a chair with a cup of tea and let loose a long sigh. Fugaku had been hovering all day around the interrogation facility like an expectant father waiting for a baby to be born. It was annoying and it was definitely wearing on his usually unshakeable nerves.

"Report." Fugaku walked in purposely and sat down across from Ibiki. His stern face was set in a grim expression that revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

"The boy is a plant, definitely, but Inoichi says there is a lot of indecision behind his resolve. He could eventually be turned. Sakura was used as a way for him to gain access into the village. Inoichi could detect nothing duplicitous in her psyche, although he did have trouble sifting around her memories."

"Explain."

"Apparently she has two… souls or consciousnesses… inside of her. The one she shows is a normal nine-year-old girl, the other is also nine but is very aggressive. It was the aggressive soul that gave him trouble – it kept throwing him out of her mind."

"Wow." Fugaku was very surprised at this and the wheels in his own mind started turning. "She would make an excellent spy if she could be taught to use the souls. She could switch between them and even under heavy interrogation come out innocent."

"What makes you think she isn't doing that now?"

"Did Inoichi say she was?"

"No. Humph. I see your point. He, above anyone else, would be able to tell the difference even if he couldn't extract any intel." Ibiki reached across the coffee table for a thermos and refilled his cup.

"Hmm. So how dangerous are they?"

"Sakura can be returned to the orphanage. There are shinobi there that can keep an eye on her twenty-four hours a day. Sai... I have studied psychology extensively, it being my hobby, and I do believe that if we keep him in contact with children who behave as children we _may_ have an opportunity to break his programming. I would like to turn him over to the orphanage as well and monitor him for a few weeks. He was one of the orphans that Danzou gathered for his Root project so he has already graduated from the Academy, but I would still like to re-enroll him so he can attend from the perspective of child instead of one of Danzou's minions."

Fugaku shook his head, "That's a big risk."

"True. But Inoichi has a connection to the girl, she's his daughter's best friend and his wife confided in him a few months ago that she would like to adopt her. They're getting ready to move out of the Nara household and back into their shop in a couple weeks." Ibiki set his cup down and rubbed his eyes. He had been up late the night before covering for the shorthanded prison staff and really wanted to go to bed.

"Then by what you are saying he should take Sai too. As a foster child anyway."

"Yeah, that's what I told him. He's going to talk to his wife. They are both shinobi but it is still a tremendous risk."

"So were you able to get any information about Root or Danzou?" Fugaku changed the subject. He decided he would wait to hear what the Yamanaka family wanted to do with the children before rendering a judgment on the issue. About half of the orphans had already found homes with other families in the village and one more would certainly be a bonus. However, Sai definitely threw a wrench in the works.

"Just a minute." Ibiki stood up and walked into an adjoining room, returning a minute later with a sleeping girl in his arms. "She's pretty exhausted. They travelled for several days without much rest." Sakura stirred as he sat down and adjusted her so she was on his lap. She woke up completely when she saw Fugaku, the stern father of her friend Sasuke, sitting in front of her with a serious face.

"Show the Hokage your tongue, Sakura." Ibiki said in a kind voice. Sakura turned and buried her head in his chest, obviously scared. Her long pink hair was sleep-tossed and her small hands gripped the man's shirt until her knuckles turned white. He sighed and rubbed her back. "He's not here to hurt you. It'll only take a second and then you can go back to bed. I promise."

Sakura pulled away a few inches and shot a glimpse at the scary man before hiding her face again. Ibiki shook his head in resignation

"I don't have time for this, Ibiki." Fugaku said sternly. "A child who cannot follow orders does not deserve to be a kunoichi. Forget the Academy. Let's ship her to the orphanage in the capital."

"No!" Sakura looked up at Fugaku, "I want to be with my friends! I can follow orders!"

"Let's see this tongue then." Fugaku gave a small smile. He knew from what his son had told him that Sakura wanted to become a Kunoichi because of her dead parents. Whether it was for revenge or to protect herself and her friends was still up in the air, given her age, but from his words her resolve was definitely evident.

Sakura shyly opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. A seal had been imbedded on it that ran from front to back.

"So they can't talk." Fugaku leaned back in his chair in resignation.

"Sakura and Sai are the only ones we've seen with this seal. Sai said they just started using it and everyone is going to get it. I really don't doubt that." Ibiki stated calmly. "You can go Sakura." He set her on her feet and she bowed respectfully to them both before disappearing through the door.

Fugaku was quiet for a few minutes as he thought about his next move, "I'll ask Sarutobi to investigate the seal. He's the most knowledgeable about such things. We need to break it if we are to get any information."

Ibiki stood up, "Then I'll have the children moved to the orphanage in the morning and they can start school immediately. Or… actually I think its summer break now."

"Yes, but that gives them all day to play. Since it sounds like that will fit your plan it could be good timing. I'll inform Sasuke and Naruto about what is going on and ask them to be on good terms with Sai. Let's just hope this isn't a mistake. I have to admit, I will have no problems killing them if they threaten this village or the other children."

Ibiki gave a short growl, "Stand in line, Fugaku. There are a lot of people who feel the same way right now."

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The summer sun beat relentlessly on the two boys as they ran through the village, eager to get to the schoolyard. The late morning brought with it busy streets and at least one grumpy shop owner who yelled at them to slow down when they nearly ran into him. They couldn't help it; their friend had come back and for the last week they had spent as much time with her as possible.

"There they are!" Kiba waved excitedly across the schoolyard. "Naruto! Sasuke! Sai said he's going to teach us a new Shuriken technique! Hurry up!"

"Coming!" Naruto yelled eagerly.

"So do you know this one too, Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah. I learned tons of stuff. Sensei Iruka said I might graduate in a year or two." Sakura beamed as everyone looked at her enviously. She was still the same old shy Sakura they had known before the kidnapping, but there was also something else inside of her now as well. When she sparred her eyes lost some of their humanity, turning into cold, soulless orbs that looked upon the world as prey. Sasuke and Hinata had found their Kekkai Genkai to be a useful tool to overcome the feeling, but the others had no such defense and continued to succumb to her new-found skills.

Sai was much the same, only stronger. None of the friends could beat him at sparring, and his understated arrogance made warming up to him almost impossible. If it wasn't for Fugaku's orders to be "friends" with the boy as well as Sakura's insistence that he was really a good person Sasuke would have loved to have had nothing to do with him.

On the other hand, he was reminded sometimes of Itachi when he looked at Sai, although he wasn't yet sure why. Perhaps it was the distant, wistful look he would get in his face when he saw the Academy students playing together, or the hesitation he displayed when trying to decide if he should join in. Sasuke wondered, in the back of his mind, if his elder brother had gone through the same training Sai had. He had heard, from his father, what Root was doing to the orphans it "recruited", and Itachi had been a member of the Konoha Root until the coup.

It was all difficult to fathom. Mikoto had told him to quit over thinking things when she had found him sitting in the garden staring into space two days ago. She hadn't known what was going on in his mind, he was sure of that – after all she couldn't read minds, he hoped – but he supposed she was trying to be helpful nonetheless.

The sound of someone hitting a hanging piece of wood with a mallet sounded across the schoolyard and the Shurikens were dropped in favor of lunch. The orphans lined up for their bentos while the others opened their packs and pulled out their own food. Ino had brought extra food for Sakura and Sai even though they had enough to eat. Her mother was just nice that way.

The teachers kept an eye on Sakura and Sai wherever they went. The ten kids and two adult escorts wove their way through the village, visiting the ramen shop, eating candy, or swimming in the river.

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"Sai… I don't want to do this…" Sakura said at the end of the second week.

"Huh?"

"Why we came here. Our mission. I don't want to do it!" Sakura balled her hands into fists and glared at the older boy. They had snuck passed their "babysitters" and were sitting in an empty classroom on the first floor.

"Hmm. This place isn't… I don't remember stuff like this when I went to the Academy. But then again, I wasn't allowed to mix with the other students. My brother and I only hung out together." Sai responded quietly, trying to put the last few days into some kind of perspective.

"Don't you like my friends Kanamei… I mean Sai. Sorry. I can't get use to your code name." Sakura gave him a small smile.

Sai exhaled a breath he had been holding. "Well, Kanamei is also a code name. Remember, in Root we have no names, no identity. We exist only for the mission."

"Well, the mission sucks." Sakura crossed her arms across her chest and stuck out her lower lip in a pout.

"They usually do." Sai admitted tonelessly. "But…" He looked over the pink-haired girl in front of him. He had befriended her for some reason he still didn't understand. His brother had liked her and found her playfulness to be a welcome change from the dry, boring Root Shinobi around them. But he had died, only a month ago, and Sakura had been the only to cry for him. Sai _had_ felt something as he gazed at the corpse of the boy he had treated as a brother for so many years, even before they became part of Root they had been beggers on the streets of a Water country village, but he had not been able to shed any tears. It was those tears that drew him closer to the young girl. It was a curiosity, the first piece of a puzzle that, perhaps, was part of this thing people called "humanity". He wanted to protect her and so, when this mission had come up, he had volunteered to be the one to escort her to the village.

"Sai? Are you okay?" Sakura looked closely at his expressionless face, trying to glean some kind of hint to his thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah. Okay, we'll just… send reports that say we're on track. I… don't see anything here anyway… really it seems like a normal village. Like any of the other villages we've visited. I don't… understand." Sai's voice drifted off. "Let's go back to bed before they notice us missing."

As the two children quietly exited the room two Hyuuga Jounin in the next room smirked. "Too bad, we already noticed you."

"It sounds like Inoichi was right." One smiled, relief evident on his face. They had been using their Byakugan to see though the wall to observe them and a hidden microphone to listen.

"Hinata's safety is our first concern though. Let's go upstairs and keep a lookout. We must make sure Sai and Sakura don't harm her."

"You go on ahead. I'm going to report this to the officer on duty then I'll be right back."

"Okay. Tell them Sakura is obviously still on our side, but this seal they have may, somehow, compel her to follow Danzou's orders. Sai seems to want to protect this girl for some reason so he may be on our side eventually too." The Jounin had used the insight of his kekkai genkai to discern Sai's feelings and was pleasantly surprised at what he had seen.

"If only the world were that black and white. I'll report it, of course, I saw the same thing so I can't deny it. But we are dealing with a million shades of gray right now and whatever happens next may not be easy to handle."

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The swimming pool in the Mizukage mansion was certainly a pleasant place to be in the early afternoon with the hot sun beating down. The ever-present mists had baked away a few hours earlier and the entire village was rejoicing in the few hours of sun they would have that day.

Itachi had joined Aya and some of her new friends in the pool and was floating on his back with his eyes closed, gently propelling himself through the clear water with his feet. Sheeta and Aya were still talking to each other a mile a minute, but their voices also included three other teenage girls - Mei, Shiori, and Chiyoku, as well as two boys, Mitokado and his older brother Hayato. Also joining them at the pool were the twins Arata and Yori and their nanny Kumiko, a woman in her early thirties who had cared for them ever since Madara had brought them to Mist. The two toddlers were almost two years old and were splashing around gleefully in a small plastic pool a few feet from the others.

Madara was nowhere to be seen, which served to lighten Itachi's mood. In the past week the man had been pleasant and Itachi had finally dropped his guard a little bit, but as a ninja he wasn't able to completely relax.

His first concern was that Aya now had a Mangekyou Sharingan. He had gotten the story of how it had happened from Sora and was very suspicious. Mainly because he knew the chief of the Mist branch of the Uchiha clan was telling only part of the story. He had said that Aya had made a close friend who had betrayed her, forcing her into a fight that had ended in disaster. Somehow, Itachi suspected Madara had been involved.

"Hey! Wake up!" Sheeta splashed him, forcing him to tread water as he wiped water off his face.

"I'm awake! I was just relaxing."

"So anyway," Sheeta continued talking to the three Mist girls, "are there a lot of kids in the clan? We saw some at the meeting the other day."

"Yeah. They're coming out of the woodwork. Every family is required to have at least four kids. You know, being a Shinobi is dangerous and there is a lot of… they call it 'attrition'." Chiyoku replied.

"There were six in my family, but now there is just Hayato and me." Mitokado said sadly.

"That doesn't make sense." Itachi said as he relaxed and floated on his back again. "For two reasons. One, aren't your women having trouble having kids, and two, the Sharingan is very powerful you should be able to overcome just about anyone."

The Mist teens suddenly grew very quiet and Aya averted her eyes looking away from Itachi and Sheeta.

Mei answered quietly, as if afraid she would be overheard, "No one has trouble having kids. Well, it's rare anyway. But…"

"It doesn't matter how they died. They just do." Hayato interrupted. "What is important, is that we are alive to carry on the clan. The motto of Mist is 'Survival of the fittest' and we are the survivors."

"That's harsh." Itachi turned his head to meet the teen's eyes. "Just because someone dies doesn't mean they were weak."

"It does." Mitokado replied earnestly. "I trained long and hard to get to where I am now. Why should someone who hasn't done that be considered the same as me? Is that what Konoha Uchiha preach?"

"N…No…" Itachi admitted. His father had practically beaten that mentality into him from the time he was a toddler, "But you should have respect for those weaker than you."

"Who says we don't?" Shiori interrupted, "Just because we praise the strong doesn't intrinsically imply that we shun the weak. There are positions in the clan for everyone. No one is excluded. But if you loose a fight, don't expect any pity."

"Hmm." Itachi had also heard that speech from his father as well. "I guess we are a lot alike after all."

"Ga! Ba ma ga ma!" A toddler's loud voice interrupted them and the looked over at Arata who was pointing at them with a determined expression on his small face.

"You want to swim in the big-people pool?" Aya said cheerfully.

"We don't want to interrupt you." Kumiko said politely.

"It's okay. I'll help." Chiyoku made her way over and happily lifted one of the boys into the water, then released him. He quickly began to swim in an awkward version of a dog-paddle. His brother joined him a minute later when Kumiko got into the pool with him.

"They're quite good at swimming." Sheeta commented.

Mei answered, "All kids in Mist are taught to swim before they're two. Water is so important to our way of life that it's really more of a defense than fun. Although we still swim for fun of course."

"They're a little behind with speech though." Aya said worriedly, "But Kumiko said that sometimes happens with twins and to not worry about it. I'll still worry though. I kinda feel like I'm their aunt since their mother was my sensei."

"Me too." Sheeta admitted.

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"Preparations are ready, my Lord." Itachi overheard the voice and peaked around the corner to see Sora being addressed by an Uchiha woman.

"Good. I know both families are eager for the fight tonight." Sora responded happily. "Both boys have done well in the Academy and graduated with top marks. It should be an excellent test of wills."

Itachi gulped as he moved back around the corner. He had been walking around aimlessly, just passing time while the girls continued to talk about boys, clothes, perfume… girl stuff. He had seen a few people moving in the direction of a particular building and, cloaking his chakra, followed them.

"Let's go downstairs then." Itachi looked around the corner again and saw the two walk through a door at the end of the hall. A minute later he saw four more people, a man, two women and a boy who looked to be about ten-years-old. One of the women was sobbing into a handkerchief with the other one patted her back reassuringly.

"Mom… you're embarrassing me. What if the others see you crying like this?" The boy's face turned red, "Dad… make her stop."

"Just go ahead, son. Do your best and come out alive." The man opened the door and as his son passed through he reached over to run his hand through his hair and pat him on the back before closing it. "Come one. We can watch from the gallery down the hall."

Itachi felt his insides knot in horror at the thoughts that were going through his head. "Blood mist village… it still exists…" He ran to the door and quietly opened it. A long stairway opened up before him and he gingerly stepped out onto the first step. It descended into the basement, but as he descended he realized he was going about three or even four stories below the first level.

Reaching the end of the long staircase he gazed at a tall, wide door that was open. The brightly lit stairs gave way to a darkened hall as he passed through. He could hear voices nearby and dropped back against the wall in order to minimize his shadows. In this dark light, any shadows would be instantly obvious to an observer.

Slowly he made his way forward until the hall shifted to the right. Looking around the corner he saw a wall with several large windows in it. Standing in front of them was Sora and about ten other Uchiha men and women. Looking carefully, Itachi was surprised to see that Madara was not there. Perhaps he was in the gallery.

"Oh! Good lunge!" One of the women said happily.

"Yeah, his sword work is very good for a kid." A man answered.

Itachi looked through the window and saw two boys fighting each other. Both were using a combination of ninjutsu and sword-work and their Sharingan eyes blazed with bloodlust. He was so shocked at what he was seeing that it was all he could do to keep his chakra hidden and mask his presence. A couple minutes later – it was a very short fight – one of the boys drew his sword across the throat of the other and stabbed his opponent through the heart as he fell to the ground.

One of the men who was standing next to Sora ran into the fighting chamber and hovered over the fallen boy then stood up and raised the arm of the winner in the air. He then began to pull him out of the room but the boy pulled out of his grip. As he turned Itachi could see the tears running out of his eyes. He threw himself onto the ground next to the other boy and laid his head on his chest. His sobs could be heard plainly through the glass wall.

Reaching down, the man grabbed the boy around the stomach and lifted him over his should and carried him out into the hall before putting him back down. Falling to his knees he planted his hands on the floor and continued to cry bitterly. Itachi took the opportunity to look closer at the boy and realized it was not the one he had followed the down the stairs.

That boy was now dead.

Turning around Itachi ran back down the hall, up the stairs and back to his room. Dropping onto the ground he looked at his hands and realized he was shaking badly. "Cold…" He stood up and made his way to the bathroom. There was already hot water in the tub and he quickly stripped and sank in up to his neck, but he couldn't get rid of the chill or the shaking. He was going into shock.

"Itachi?" A voice called his name and the bathroom door opened. Madara stood there, dressed in black hakama trousers and a gray yukata. "Are you okay? You're not are you?"

"I…I… f...f…f…fine." Itachi's teeth were chattering.

"Damn that Sora. I told him not to let you see that, but when he detected you he let you watch anyway." Madara moved closer and placed a hand on Itachi's forehead. It began to glow for a minute then Madara reached into the water and grabbed the teens arm. "First off, don't get into a tub of water if you are going into shock. If you… or rather, _when_ you pass out you'll drown." Itachi didn't resist as Madara continued to hold onto his arm as he stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a robe Itachi shrugged it on and walked out into the bedroom before falling to the ground, dizzy. He stood up a minute later and made it to the bed, laying down on his back with a sigh.

Madara leaned up against the wall and shook his head. "Itachi…"

"Why is that still going on?" Itachi yelled angrily. "What could you possibly have to gain?"

"Why? It is Uchiha tradition. It is what we are. War strengthens us, makes us human, reminds us that we are mortal."

"Yet you are, somehow, immortal."

"That is… not open for discussion."

"No, it's not relevant either. The fact is that boy didn't have to die. What is the survivor feeling right now?" Itachi tried to sit up but the dizziness wouldn't go away and he dropped back down onto the bed.

"Survival of the fittest, Itachi. Uchiha are better than everyone else because only the strong breed. Even the weakest of our clan can go against the strongest non-Uchiha." Madara was speaking conversationally, as if describing the weather.

Itachi knew that was wrong though. He had seen the tears that woman had shed and her husbands refusal to stop her even when begged to do so by his son. That man had felt the same way his wife did. It was only pride that had stopped his tears. And the victor… he was traumatized for life and would be forced to accept his murderous actions as a rite of passage into an old and illustrious clan. Soon… he would spout the same propaganda as the teens at the swimming pool only a few hours earlier. Then grow up and send his own sons and daughters off to fight with the same resignation his own parents had shown.

It was a never-ending cycle of death and self-destruction.

It could not be stopped by killing Madara. Or Sora. It was a deeply ingrained cultural tradition that the people, no matter how much they hated it, refused to part with.

Itachi reluctantly changed the subject. "Why are they so many kids here? Konoha… there were so few."

"I don't know. I thought it might be some kind of genetic abnormality but after Danzou's betrayal… now that I think about it…" Madara was quiet for a couple minutes. "I have to wonder if Danzou was doing something to the clan to make it difficult for them to have kids. He hates Uchiha, that seems pretty obvious at this point so what if he found a way to get rid of the clan by preventing them from breeding? Think about it… Aya comes from a family of four children. All of whom were born outside Konoha, yet her parents were from Konoha. If there was a genetic problem, wouldn't her mother have had the same problems as her sister and brother – both of whom have no children of their own?"

Itachi was finally able to sit up and gazed curiously at the man in front of him. "That's a good point. Other's have pointed that out… but they figured it was just good luck or something. But now… I'll pass that on to Fugaku. I mean… Rumiko had twins, she had some problems with an infection after they were born but that… she was raised in the capital and only lived in Konoha a short time before she got married. I'll write up a report and borrow one of your hawks to deliver it right away." He stood up and walked quickly to a large, highly polished teak desk.

"Okay. You know where they are. And Itachi… there is no need to mention to him what happened tonight."

Itachi paused for minute with his back to Madara then bowed his head in resignation, "It would make no difference if I did."

Madara smirked as he turned around and left the room. He had panicked when Sora had told him he had sensed Itachi and ran directly to the teen's room, expecting the worst. Itachi wasn't completely stable and had acting rashly in the past. If he had gone off the deep end it would have been disastrous. Luckily he made it in time. Although the teen was not showing any desire for violence he had – without thinking - put himself at risk for drowning. All the same, though, it did appear that Itachi was becoming more mature and contemplative in his thought process. He had reasoned out why the tradition was still alive and that stopping it was not something he could do on his own.

"It's not something I want to stop at all, but it will be interesting to see what you do, if anything, to change things here." Madara silently made his way past Aya's room, which was two doors down from Itachi's. She was still talking with Sheeta and he found himself happy that she was having such a good time.

"_Don't get arrogant." _The voice echoed in his head, making him stop in his tracks. It had been so long since he had heard Izuna talk to him. The chakra vestiges that clung to his brother's eyes had a habit of mocking him at inopportune times had been silent for one or two years. A welcome change, he had thought, but sometimes, he welcomed the voice of his beloved brother.

Madara resumed walking down the corridor as he spoke quietly to the voice, "Arrogance is the only thing that's kept me alive all these years, dear brother. If I die… then your eyes will die as well and the last vestiges of your existence will be erased forever. See? I do have more than just myself in mind."

"_I can feel your sincerity, but you have gone one step too far. I only regret that there is nothing I can do about it."_

For the millionth time the elder Uchiha wondered how his life would have been if he had not gone blind and if Izuna had not sacrificed himself. That one event, more than anything else in his life, had changed the course of history and now… Now he felt drawn to it. Grasping it with both hands he made his own goals, set in motion his own plots and manipulated the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In the end, he would rise above them.

"And everyone will know the power of the Uchiha. Izuna, I am grateful to you for this."

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**Next week Itachi and Sheeta take the twins on a trek to Konoha.**

**Please review! **

**Updates on Fridays**


	23. Chapter 23 Arata and Yori

**Last week Itachi stumbled upon a deadly right of passage in the Mist village and was shocked to learn of the clan's acceptance of the tradition.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**I'm liking how Shippuden is portraying Hebi – if you've been holding out on the anime take a look again. There was an interesting revelation about Danzou (I won't spoil it for you) in the Manga this week. But I can't wait for Sasuke to fight him, this should be better than the "teen beating up the old man" that a lot of us thought was going to happen. Still, Sasuke better kick his ass and Naruto better not stop him.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 23 – Arata and Yori **

Itachi realized, rather soon in his journey back to Konoha with a toddler strapped to his back, that what he remembered about his own little brother at that age was definitely biased. He didn't remember the cranky temper tantrums or the hair pulling or the diaper changes or the "scream at the top of your lungs in your care-giver's ear" ploy for attention. Even with his near-perfect memory those events seemed to have vanished somehow. Albeit he was seven when Sasuke was two, but still. It seemed like a tremendous oversight.

"They're probably just upset at being restrained for so many hours at a time." Sheeta tried to reassure him and herself as they exited the port town after arriving back in Fire country three hours earlier.

"I can tell you one thing," Itachi stated firmly and with much exasperation, "our kids are staying _home_ when we go on vacation."

Sheeta tried to argue, but frankly, at that moment all she could do was agree with him. Travelling with a little kid was very stressful. They had tried to rent an ox-cart but had been told by three different stables that Konoha was no longer on their list of allowable destinations. They were concerned about the safety of their oxen and carts. Itachi had even tried to buy one, but the manager upped the price so much that he walked away without even trying to negotiate. He considered using Genjutsu to get a cart, but the harm to the man's business could affect his family if he was unable to return it for some reason. And if the stables were that concerned about Konoha then perhaps there was a good reason.

"I already miss Aya." Sheeta said wistfully. "I can't believe she's marrying that Madara guy. He's like, I don't know… ten years or so older than her. I mean, in Konoha that would be expected since there aren't any younger guys, but in Mist there are lots to choose from. I don't get the feeling that she loves him, but she seems to think she wants to marry him anyway. I really, really don't get it."

Itachi shrugged, "I don't get it either. I think he does love her on some level. Or… perhaps he thinks he does?"

"He seemed nice enough though. He even threw her an early birthday party so we could attend. That _was_ romantic, don't you think?"

Itachi nodded in agreement. It had been a nice thing to do, but then again, Madara was an expert at manipulating people so of course he would know the right thing to do. But then again, Madara's words to him during the party made him think.

'Or am I just overt thinking things again?' Itachi thought quietly to himself. No matter how nice Madara seemed he couldn't forget the fact that the elder Uchiha had founded Akatsuki and was using several very violent missing nins for his own benefit.

Glancing behind him he saw Sheeta had started to sing a short children's song that made the twins laugh when they tried to imitate her. It was a game they seemed to enjoy quite a bit and it turned out to be an excellent distraction.

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"How domestic." A blond teen with a topknot and one eye hidden behind a scope stepped out into the middle of the road, blocking Itachi's way. His bare chest could be seen through his open Akatsuki cloak and instead of the regulation pants he was wearing a pair of light blue shorts and flip-flops. "Out for a stroll with the wife and kiddies?"

"Yeah he is, now get out of the way." Sheeta stepped in front of Itachi and pointed her finger at him.

"Well you're a cutie, aren't you? You're not really married to this jerk are you?"

"Sheeta, just ignore him." Itachi moved so he was standing next to his girlfriend. "I heard you would be on this road but I _had_ hoped to miss you."

"Nah, we waited for you." Kisame stepped forward. His Akatsuki cloak was also open revealing a bare chest.

"Having problems with your uniform?" Itachi asked sarcastically.

Kisame shrugged his cloak off and draped it over his shoulder. "Yeah. It's ninety degrees out and they don't come air conditioned. Besides, who wants to wear clothes in the summer?"

Itachi had to agree with that as he sat down on the ground to remove the baby harness. He carefully laid the boy on the ground and then helped Sheeta take hers off as well. The two toddlers stood up and clung tightly to her pants legs as they looked up shyly at the strangers.

"So what brings you here? Where is…" Itachi was interrupted as an oval shaped puppet trundled into view.

"I'm here. Just not as rash as these two." Sasori spoke in his usual matter-of-fact, emotionless monotone as he eyed the twins. "You're going through a lot of trouble for a couple of orphans."

"Contrary to popular opinion a child does not loose his worth when his parents die." Sheeta spoke bitterly.

Sasori's voice turned sarcastic, "And I suppose you speak from personal experience."

Sheeta returned the sarcasm as she placed her hands on her hips, "Yeah, I'm an orphan. What of it?"

"Ha ha ha!" Sasori laughed, "The kids got spirit!"

Itachi changed the subject, "So why are you all here?"

Kisame sat down on the ground and leaned up against a tree, "Rain has fallen to the rebels, finally, so we now have a firm base of operations. Also…" He glanced over at Sasori who extended a mechanical arm towards the teen and opened the fingers.

"A… tongue?" Itachi couldn't help the surprise that entered his voice as he stared down at the appendage. "But… what's that…" he activated his Sharingan and looked closer. "It's a seal of some kind. There's no chakra left in it though."

"It's a few days old." Kisame explained, "We caught up with five Root Shinobi the other day and they all had these. Know anything about it?"

"I got a report from Konoha saying they had just discovered the same thing. Apparently Root has started using it recently to lock the tongues of betrayers."

Deidara moved closer to look at it as well. "I blew them up and this flew across the clearing, un."

Sheeta twisted her face in disgust, "You… blew them up?"

The blond gave her a big grin, "With my art! Wanna see…"

"No!" Itachi, Kisame and Sasori replied quickly in unison.

"Oh." Deidara's face fell, but he quickly recovered, "If it didn't blow out of his mouth, un, we wouldn't have known about it. So my art is a blast!"

"Yes, yes, yes. You saved the day." Sasori spoke as if this was the thousandth time he had heard the story.

"Anyway, that's all." Kisame stood up and brushed a few twigs off his pants. Using a transportation jutsu, all three Akatsuki disappeared.

Sheeta stared at Itachi for a couple minutes before turning her back to him, "You have really weird friends. Remind me to use paper plates if they ever come over for dinner."

"Yeah, sure." An image of Deidara using Mikoto's good china for target practice went through his mind and he grimaced at what the woman would probably do to him. It wouldn't be pleasant.

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That evening they wandered into a small town and after stopping at a restaurant for dinner began looking for an Inn. It was a quiet summer evening but there didn't seem to be anyone about. Usually, after a hot summer day people came out at night to at least cool down for an hour or two before bed.

Entering an Inn the pair found a large number of people sitting in the lobby soaking up the cool air-conditioned atmosphere.

"It feels so good in here." Sheeta sighed as she stood motionless with her eyes closed.

"We need one room…" Itachi was interrupted by an old woman who had moved closer to them and was now glaring daggers at Sheeta.

"Disgusting."

Sheeta blinked her eyes in confusion, "Umm, what?"

"You. How old are you?" The woman's voice was filled with venom as she contorted her face in rage.

"Fourteen. What's it to you?"

"Two kids and you're fourteen! What are you? Some kind of slut?"

"Yeah, I am. Get over it. I've got one more coming," she patted her very flat tummy, "and I need to pee so get out of my way."

"Well you aren't staying here! I'm not having that kind of behavior in my hotel! And you!" She rounded on Itachi next, "How dare you get her pregnant like that!"

"Oh, I didn't get her pregnant." Itachi replied truthfully. "Not yet anyway."

"We won't know that for sure until the paternity test dear." Sheeta replied sweetly.

The old woman pointed at the pair and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Get out!"

"You would throw two innocent babies out into the world?" Sheeta batted her eyelashes, pretending to be coy.

"There's nothing innocent about them or you! Now get out!" All the people in the lobby were now gaping in shock as they listened to the exchange.

"Humph." Sheeta frowned in disgust, "You must have been a terrible mother if this is how you treat me and my babies. Well, I guess that just shows that a fourteen-year-old girl has more sense than you do." She turned around and calmly exited the building, Itachi fast on her trail.

"That went well." Itachi said sarcastically.

"That was fun!" Sheeta replied, "But really, I'm so glad that woman isn't my mother. I wonder if there's another Inn here? It _is_ a small town after all."

A tall man came up behind them followed by a woman and three kids, "Three streets down turn right. It's the fourth building on the left."

"Oh!" Sheeta exclaimed in surprise, "Thank-you very much."

"That woman is always disagreeable; don't let it get to you." The woman exclaimed.

"Oh, I won't. I guess I was baiting her anyway, but still, she does have some stupid ideas, doesn't she?"

"If she had any sense she would have noticed you were both ninja and then assumed you were on a mission with these two kids. Twins, I guess. They look like you two, though." The woman smiled pleasantly, trying to reassure them that not everyone in the village was an enemy.

"Our cousins, actually, they were kidnapped and then rescued so we got the mission to bring them back home."

The couple laughed, "Well, have a good journey then."

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Konoha was bathed in moonlight as the girl moved silently through the nearly deserted streets. There was no hesitancy in her movements, only a calm un-emotional detachment to her surroundings and predicament. Only when she approached her target did hesitancy return as the reality of what she was about to do descended on her like a whirlpool pulling an unlucky sailor to the bottom of the ocean.

The building she stood in front of was small, but it housed some very important documents. One of which she had been tasked with retrieving. Reaching out a hand, palm held out, she sent a small wave of chakra forward and then dropped it when no barrier was felt. Sai's part of the mission had been to disable the jutsus surrounding the storeroom and apparently he had succeeded.

Adjusting her hat to make sure it was still firmly tied under her chin she grasped the door handle and slid it sideways revealing a dark room. As her eyes adjusted she saw the moonlight coming through the windows and illuminating six bookshelves that stood lined up on one side of the room. That was her destination. A particular scroll had to be stolen.

But she didn't want to do it.

Walking forward she found the exact location of the item and stood before it, contemplating her mission when she suddenly turned around quickly and took a defensive stance and gasped, "Who's there?"

"Don't do it Sakura." A strong male voice startled her and she watched transfixed as two red eyes, followed by a face and the body of a stocky, yet strong man strode forward.

"Sasuke's dad… I mean Lord Hokage." Sakura dropped her arms to her side and stared up at him, feeling very helpless. She thought briefly of making a run for it, but she knew she wouldn't make it very far.

"If that document leaves this building I will have to kill you."

"If I don't steal it… Sai has orders to kill me." Sakura felt a tear drip out of one eye and berated herself for being weak. She knew her orders, and her purpose. She was a kunoichi in Root and existed only for the mission. She had no wants, no desires of her own. She was a shell, a piece of clay to be molder by her superiors and filled with mission information, then emptied and re-filled for the next mission. There was nothing else.

"Then shall we make this quick and painless?" Fugaku pulled out a katana and held it in the air as he stared at the child with a cold expression on his face, but inside he felt conflicted. This girl was not an ordinary menace. The Hyuuga clan had taken it upon themselves to guard their new clan chief and had seen Sakura as a threat to Hinata's safety. While the school was keeping watch on her and Sai, the Hyuugas were keeping their own watch and what they had seen now caused Fugaku to hesitate.

Sakura dropped to her knees and bowed her head, "Yes, if you please."

Fugaku groaned in annoyance. "It doesn't have to be this way. You are too young to understand the implications of dying."

"You can say that, but I believe I do understand." Sakura was adamant about her feelings as she continued to sit motionless, "There is no way out of this."

"Then Sakura," Fugaku kneeled in front of the child and held out a scroll, "how about this?"

"Wh… what is it?"

"It's the scroll you were supposed to have stolen. Only with some modifications."

"A… copy?" Sakura looked up at the Hokage with amazement. "How?"

"We have some very industrious shinobi in this village. Give this to your superiors. We can wage a war of misinformation to confuse them. In the meantime, what you are ordered to steal in the future may be a clue as to what Root is up to. Are you still so eager to throw your life away now?" Fugaku smiled as the girl's face lit up with a big smile.

"Thank-you!" She grabbed the scroll and ran out of the building.

"No, Sakura, _thank-you_." Fugaku said dryly. The scroll Sakura had been ordered to steal was one of the documents written about the defenses of the main gate.

Most people, when they saw the imposing structure were awed by its immense size and powerful presence. What they didn't know was that it was just wood constructed to form two hollow frames. While the First had built them and they were strong, it was still necessary to fortify them with about a dozen jutsus in order to make them impenetrable. It was those jutsus that were documented in the scroll.

The copy had been rewritten to include jutsus that were popular sixty years ago, but were no longer used. The plan was that they would get it, realize it was the scroll they requested, but also realize that they asked for the wrong thing.

It was worth a try, anyway.

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Honoo Hiryuu, the man who had murdered Rumiko and Umihiko Uchiha a few short weeks after the birth of their sons, Arata and Yori, stood meekly in the middle of the prison courtyard. Dressed in a dirty, torn blue jumpsuit and unwashed he blinked as the sun blinded his eyes; having been kept in a darkened cell for several months he found it difficult to keep them open. Various cuts and bruises covered his body – some fresh some old and healing – and a few badly healed bones made his arm stick out in an odd direction and hindered his breathing.

All in all, the accused had not fared well during his year in captivity. Fugaku and his clan had seen to that, as well as the other prisoners. Honoo was a traitor of the worst kind, as far as they were concerned and while most of the prisoners had committed crimes ranging from horrendous to minor, most were still very loyal to Konoha. It was the Shinobi philosophy of protecting one's village that ran so deeply in their psyches that nothing seemed capable of driving it out.

Fugaku, dressed in a yukata and pants that proudly displayed the Uchiha fan symbol walked forward to stand in front of Honoo. The disgust on his face was evident as he drew a katana and held it up.

Standing in a circle around them was most of the Uchiha clan. Rumiko and her husband were well liked and sorely missed and nothing short of blood was going to set things straight for them. Itachi stood next to Sheeta holding her hand in a tight grip. The girl had been up all night crying, she missed Rumiko and felt responsible.

"If only I had woken sooner, I could have stopped them." Sheeta kept saying over and over. No one blamed her, but the guilt was still overwhelming. Mikoto chalked it up to the stress of the long trip and the suddenness of the conviction, saying the girl hadn't had a chance to recover. Itachi wondered if that was true – after all he himself felt responsible for Shisui's death and there were times when all he could think of were all the ways he could have stopped him. None of which would probably have actually worked – yet it didn't stop his over-active imagination from conjuring scenario after scenario.

Mikoto was standing between Sasuke and Naruto, one hand placed firmly on each boys' shoulder. Naruto was looking around, feeling out of place among the large gathering of Uchihas. There were a few other villagers present, including the Third and some of Rumiko and Umihiko's friends from both Konoha and the Fire country capital.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face and was standing stock-still with his fists clenched in anger. While his memories of Rumiko were formed when he was still very young, they were pleasant enough to warrant a strong feeling of loss. Itachi likened it to the way he felt about Obito. He had been four when his older cousin had died during a mission, but ten years later he was still firmly entrenched in his memories.

Speaking of Obito, Itachi was surprised to see Kakashi standing next to Sarutobi. He hadn't known that Rumiko and he were acquainted. Or perhaps the Third had asked him to come for some reason.

Honoo suddenly dropped to his knees and began crying for his life to be spared. Itachi smirked, in spite of himself. Begging was the worst possible thing you could do in front of Fugaku and true to form he could see his father's hand clench tightly over the blade as his face reddened slightly with anger.

The twins were present as well – their grandparents decided they were too young to know what was going on and wouldn't remember it anyway – but if they ever asked about the murderer of their parents they could be told about that day they attended his execution.

"We are gathered here to witness the execution of the murderer of clansmen and citizens of Konoha. Do you have any final words Honoo? Perhaps an apology?" Fugaku was baiting the man, after all he had never shown any remorse over his actions, only that he had been caught.

"They got what they deserved! Too bad I missed the others!" Honoo yelled, "They ruined my life!"

Several people shook their heads in disgust at his words, then cheered a moment later as Fugaku severed the criminal's head in one long sweep of his sword. The head rolled on the floor and the eyes blinked a couple times before fading into oblivion. Itachi found himself staring at them, wondering if the rumors were true, that it was possible for a person to remain conscious for a few seconds after being beheaded.

That evening Itachi was awakened as both Sasuke and Naruto, after having nightmares of talking heads, ended up in his room asleep on the floor. He supposed it was to be expected as he drifted back to sleep.

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"Konoha is still having money problems." Itachi observed as he joined Kakashi at Obito's grave a few days later.

"Yeah. The Daimyou refuses to fund us unless Fugaku steps down. We're pretty sure Danzou is still alive at this point and pulling that man's strings. No more wondering. Although we haven't any proof yet."

"Humph. Yeah. My… colleagues… couldn't come up with anything certain either." Itachi said, referring to Akatsuki, "But we're under orders to keep looking, of course, and take him out if we find him."

The two were silent for a few minutes as they stared at the "Killed in Action" monument. It was covered in names – a lot of them from the past year. Fugaku had agreed in a concession to Sarutobi to allow the names of those who had died during the coup to be engraved in the stone. Psychologically it had placated a lot of people, to a small extent anyway.

"It always amazes me how much you remember of your cousin." Kakashi finally said.

"Yeah, me too. It's almost like… after he died everything turned upside down. I can't explain it right."

"I think I know what you mean. That guy changed a lot of peoples' lives for having lived so few years. But for you… I think…" Kakashi gave Itachi a strange look and shook his head, "I don't know what I'm thinking either."

Itachi smiled and looked at the ground, "So why did you call me here?"

Kakashi looked up at the sky and sighed, "Fugaku told me that I'm going to be a sensei. A few years ago you were joking with me about it and I was surprised to find your joke coming true."

"Huh?" Itachi thought for a few minutes and realized that he had teased the silver-haired Jounin at one point. He smiled happily as the entire memory re-entered his consciousness.

"That's right, when they graduate I'll be Sasuke and Naruto's Sensei. Fugaku isn't sure about the third child yet. It's a ways away of course, at least two or three or four years but… I thought you should be the first to know… assuming your father hasn't already told you." Kakashi gave a short laugh.

"I didn't know. That is good news though. I worry about what Sasuke's future will be. I have some pretty bad nightmares about him." Itachi remembered one particular nightmare in which Sasuke was standing, crying, over the bodies of Naruto and Sakura. He almost opened his mouth to tell Kakashi about the dream but decided to remain silent. If Sakura turned out to be the third choice after speaking up then would he be putting the events of that dream into play?

'I'll say nothing about this.' Itachi decided, 'It will become a test of my dreams precognition or… insanity.'

"I'm not thrilled about being a Sensei. I don't believe I'm suited for it. I move in my own direction too often, but, Itachi, I will look after those kids with my life. And if I don't…"

"I will kill you." Itachi smiled reassuringly to the man in front of him, "I won't be able to stop myself. I am, despite it all, an Uchiha, and if there is one truth that can be said about our clan, it's that we always protect our own."

Kakashi shook his head, "I wouldn't have the heart to stop you at that point. Failure on that level… it's too horrendous to even contemplate. That was the lesson Obito taught me, and that is why I wanted to talk to you in front of the monument about this."

Itachi thought that maybe Kakashi was overreacting; after all it would be years yet until he actually became a Sensei. However, the look on the man's face made him pause. "Kakashi, I know you'll do a good job. Don't get too worked up over it – at least not now. Wait until they're actually yours before you start loosing sleep over them. And in the meantime… you know, speaking of 'sleep' you may actually want to try to catch up on any you'll be loosing in advance. Those two kids…" Itachi shook his head in exasperation, "Anyway, I've got patrol duty, I have to go now." He stood up and patted Kakashi on the top of the head, squishing his hair.

"Hey! Not the hair! It took me three seconds to get it like this this morning." Kakashi laughed as he ran his fingers through his gravity defying hair-do. "I'm going to be late for my own patrol now that I have to stop and fix my hair."

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**Next week – we move forward two years. Coming up in future chapters – Sasuke and Naruto graduate, Orochimaru shows up, Kabuto works his "magic" and Sheeta gets really pissed off at Itachi. **

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	24. Chapter 24 Just Another Autumn in Konoha

**This week we're jumping forward two years.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Great news! They're going to animate volumes 36 – 56 of the Inuyasha manga – that's the whole thing! It's going to start broadcasting this fall so I hope someone picks it up quickly for subbing, or that Crunchyroll or someone online broadcasts it. Sesshoumaru is returning to us! If you haven't watched Inuyasha yet – try it out. Now if only they would finish animating the Twelve Kingdoms…**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

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**Chapter 24 – Just Another Autumn in Konoha**

It wasn't so much that the day was _bad_, per se, it was just that everything – one after the other – was all going wrong. And they weren't big things – just the little stuff – like his toothbrush breaking in half, the strap on his sandal snapping, and Ino and Sakura fighting over which one of them would sit next to him in the classroom. It was all a bother, but it wasn't what was dragging the eleven-year-old Sasuke down. No, it was something much, much bigger and to make things worse, there was no way to anyone could help him.

For the past month he had been having the same dream two or three times a week – it was the same dream he had during the coup when he had woken up screaming in the old temples' basement. Itachi, moving through the Uchiha compound and killing the entire clan, then targeting him. Last night, though, his dream had been different and Sasuke supposed it was because of the importance of today.

"Welcome everyone!" Sensei Iruka strode purposefully into the room and stopped in front of the podium. The room went silent. "Yesterday you all passed your final exam and are now Genin."

Sasuke gulped as a surge of adrenalin coursed through his veins. He felt more stress right now than he had the previous day during the exam. And that was saying something. Called before the Uchiha clan elder council he had been read the riot act about what would happen to him if he failed. They predicted he would become the head of the clan instead of Itachi, despite Itachi's protestations to the contrary, and they refused to put up with a weakling who couldn't pass a "simple" Academy exam on the first try.

Iruka continued to speak, his voice sounding friendly even when serious, "Today you will be placed into teams."

'Why won't that image go away?' Sasuke thought to himself as he half-listened to the sensei. He had seen himself, in that dream, an older boy maybe sixteen or seventeen, strike down his older brother – killing him. Itachi's lifeless corpse then lay on a platform of some kind, covered with a white cloth and a voice, deep, dark, and in no way comforting spoke quietly and with respect that, the boy suspected, may have been either fake or real.

"_He is resting now, safe from the world that haunted him for so long. And now… you will fall into darkness if you use the gift he gave you. If you take his eyes you will be saved. Think about it for a few hours before you make your decision." The voice – Sasuke didn't bother turning around to see who it was but he had the feeling he had heard it before – disappeared and he was left alone with his brother's body. And he knew he was truly alone._ _In that instant the dreamer knew that his family – his entire clan – was gone. He was all that was left. _

That was when he woke up, so startled that he had actually jumped out of bed looking around at his room in confusion before settling down again a couple minutes later.

"Hey! We're on the same team!" Naruto clapped Sasuke on the back as he gave him a big grin.

"Huh?" Lost in his thoughts, Sasuke hadn't bothered to listen as the roll-call as the new teams were read off.

"Wow. You're really out of it today. Are you sick?" Naruto gazed into his friends eyes with a worried expression.

"Oh… no… just… anyway, who else is on our team?" Sasuke knew there should be one more.

"Sakura. But what do you suppose they are going to do with Sai? I mean, he was already a Chuunin but they made him go to school here anyway for last two years. He didn't take the test yesterday either." Naruto's good spirits quickly returned.

Sakura spoke up, "He said they told him he didn't need to. Maybe he's going to go to a Chuunin team?"

"Oh I hope not. I want him to be on our team!" Naruto said eagerly.

"Idiot!" Sakura whopped him over the head, "They only let three people on a team. You know that!"

Sasuke smiled at Sakura's horseplay. Over the past two years she had become more assertive and was very good at keeping people in line. Especially Naruto who seemed to enjoy pushing the envelope – often with disastrous results. Recently he had even been heard to mumble to himself, _"If I do that Sakura will hit me."_ Of course, he usually didn't heed his own advice, much to Sasuke's chagrin.

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"He's sooooo late!" Sakura moaned as she dropped her head down on the table.

"What if he forgot about us?" Naruto worried, "How long are we supposed to wait?"

"Good question." Sasuke leaned back on the bench in and rested his head on the desk behind him. "They said Kakashi was our sensei. I don't know much about him, but dad and Itachi know him. Itachi is friends with him, in fact."

Naruto sighed, "Too bad he's on patrol right now. There's a phone by the door so you could have called him." He started to giggle and an evil look appeared in his eyes, "Let's play a trick on sensei for leaving us here."

"You'll get in trouble." Sasuke replied half-heartedly. He'd learned a long time ago that when Naruto got that look in his eye there was no stopping him.

Standing on a chair, Naruto placed a chalk-filled eraser on top of the door and stood back to admire his work. Sakura giggled and stood up to stand near Naruto so she could get a better view when the prank went off. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the smile that played at the corner of his lips. He was getting rather pissed off that Kakashi hadn't come yet; it would serve him right to get a head full of chalk dust.

A minute later a man with spiked whitish-silver hair and one eye covered by a forehead protector ambled leisurely into the room and winced as a cloud of chalk dust enveloped his head when the eraser dropped from its perch.

Naruto and Sakura giggled, while Sasuke stood up and walked down to join them, a big smile on his face.

"I have only one thing to say: I hate you all." Kakashi stated in a calm voice.

Sasuke was suddenly suspicious, "Were you waiting out in the hall until someone did something like that before coming in?"

Kakashi blinked once in surprise, "Why would you say that?"

"It hasn't been two minutes since he set the trap and _then_ you show up."

"Sasuke Uchiha." Kakashi said the name pensively, as if deep in thought, "Tomorrow morning you and your teammates will join me on the training field. I have a little surprise for you all, and I guarantee none of you will enjoy it."

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"What's wrong with you two?" Itachi asked as he walked into the living room and eyed two boys sprawled out on the floor staring at the ceiling. He quickly noted that they still had their forehead protectors and deduced that Kakashi had probably passed them into the ranks of the Konoha Shinobi.

"We died. Just bury us here." An exhausted Sasuke muttered.

Mikoto peaked into the room, "Boys! If you want to sleep do it in your rooms. I'm not going to have people tripping over you."

"Everyone here is a ninja, if they trip it's their own fault not ours." Sasuke argued back.

"Suit yourself, but Fugaku will be home soon..."

"We're moving." Naruto said as he and Sasuke stood up and wandered down the hall to their rooms. After the "test from hell" they had undergone with Kakashi, being yelled at by Fugaku was so far down on their list of "wants" that they would have burrowed down a mile into the earth to escape it.

"What's wrong with them?" Mikoto said with exasperation. "They just came home a half hour ago and collapsed."

"Kakashi gave them the same test Minato gave him when he graduated. He told me about it, and it's quite clever actually. The test appears on the surface to be about strength and logic, but it's really to see if the team can work together."

"Hmmm. Well, they passed, so that's good. The elders were pretty hard on him. I don't like seeing them pushing him or you like that…"

Itachi interrupted, "It's okay, mother, don't worry."

"Wait until you have kids, Itachi, you'll worry constantly." She smiled and turned on the TV. "By the way, Emi and I are leaving for Mist in a few days."

"You finally settled on a schedule?"

"Yeah. The wedding date was finally set and there is no way Emi isn't going to be involved in her daughter's wedding so she asked me to go with her."

"Won't that get a little awkward?" Itachi remembered that Madara had, for several years, chased after Mikoto and he suspected the man still loved her.

"Yeah. It will." Mikoto sighed, "I… can't say no to Emi and I think I just want to see that he really cares for Aya. I can't shake the feeling that he's just using her."

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Itachi pulled the needle through the fabric of his new Akatsuki cloak slowly as he carefully sewed the hem. Now sixteen, he had recently undergone a growth spurt rendering his old cloak too tight in the shoulders as well as too short. The new cloak was a little big – hence the hemming – but it would probably be good for a year. He hoped. The last cloak had only lasted five months before he outgrew it.

He smirked as he held the hem out to see if it was still straight. Deidara, who was the same age as him, has split the shoulder seam on his cloak during their last mission three weeks earlier. Blushing as red as a tomato he had shrugged off his cloak and stared at the hole dejectedly. The expression on the blond teen's face had been of confusion and for some reason Itachi didn't learn until later, horror. It seemed Sasori had told him that the next time he tore his cloak, he would be sewing it up himself. Why that would scare Deidara was a mystery, but that night, around the campfire, he had pulled out a small sewing kit and masterfully stitched up the seam as he muttered unintelligibly to himself.

As he tied the final knot and shook the cloak out he heard his father calling for him to come downstairs. Sighing, he folded the garment and hid it under a secret panel in the floor. Glancing outside he saw that the late October sun was setting and closed the curtains before heading downstairs.

"Itachi, I have a task for you." Fugaku was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his meeting room with Mikoto next to him and Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto a few feet in front of him. The shoji doors were closed and a jutsu had been used to sound-proof the room. Placed directly in front of Fugaku was a large scroll with a seal that Itachi recognized as coming from the secret Hokage's library.

"Yes father?" Itachi acknowledged.

"Before me is a scroll that contains a forbidden jutsu used by the Fourth Hokage…" Fugaku was interrupted by Naruto who gazed at the document wide-eyed.

"My father."

"Yes Naruto. You are going to learn that jutsu and Itachi is going to supervise." Fugaku smiled at the blond boy, "But it has to be done in secret and if you can do it in one night it would be best. The document is priceless to the village and the longer it is outside of a secure location the greater the danger it will be stolen. Which is why Itachi will be with you – to protect the scroll."

"Wow! Thanks!" Naruto stood up as he pumped one fist in the air and hopped up and down a couple times.

Mikoto gave a short laugh, and smiled happily as she stood up and handed Naruto the scroll. "It's a type of clone jutsu so you can practice in the back yard without too much trouble, or you can go out to the woods somewhere. Just watch out for spies."

"So if it's so secret how do I use it when I'm fighting?" Naruto finally asked.

Fugaku answered, "It doesn't matter if anyone sees it at that point. It's just the scroll we want to keep secret."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto turned to leave as Itachi and Sasuke stood up.

"Sasuke," Fugaku called out to his youngest son as he started to leave the room, "I haven't given you permission to leave yet. Sit down."

Sasuke blinked twice in surprise and quickly sat back down on his legs. The expression on his face was one of guilt and Fugaku wondered if he could blackmail the boy into revealing whatever it was he did that he wasn't supposed to have done. But then again, he had other things to do so teasing his son would have to wait.

"That's my boy, Sasuke, you have reached the rank of Genin. I am very proud of you. The power you can attain from here on out is almost limitless, but should be approached with caution and used sparingly." He reached behind himself and lifted a scroll off the floor. "I want you to sit in here tonight and read this. It is the chronicle of our clan. What is said in the scroll is secret and is not to be repeated to non-clan members. Even Naruto. Is that understood?"

Sasuke nodded eagerly, "Yes! I can't wait to read it and I promise I will keep it secret."

Mikoto handed Sasuke a pill, "Take this, it will help keep you awake. It took me about six hours to read it after I became a Genin. I'll bring you some snacks later."

"Thanks mom."

Fugaku chuckled as he stood up, "Well, then, I'll leave you to it."

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Itachi yawned as he walked into the Hokage's office. It had been a late night, but finally, around four AM, Naruto had mastered the jutsu. The boy had been so excited that he had spent the next three hours playing around with it until he finally collapsed, exhausted and nearly out of chakra.

"Did you return the scroll?" Fugaku asked sternly.

"Yes. The librarian put it away and resealed it. Naruto mastered the jutsu perfectly."

"Good. As expected of the Fourth's son." Fugaku gave a small smile as he nodded his head once in affirmation before changing the subject, "Stones new Kage is a bit of a surprise. Have you heard?"

"No." Itachi sat down in a chair in front of his father's desk. "Who is it?"

"It's the same guy who retired twenty years ago. He's an old man, older than Sarutobi, and apparently he got pissed off and ordered the council to fire the current Kage. Rather unusual. I don't think I've ever heard of that happening before."

"So what happened to Kage who was fired?"

"Died the next day."

"Humph." Itachi assumed he had probably killed himself, ritual suicide or something, but it would be hard to say. Politics was never cut and dry.

A small voice spoke up from the door, causing Fugaku and Itachi to turn suddenly, "Umm… Lord Fugaku?"

Fugaku smiled, "Yes Konohamaru?"

"Grandpa says he'll be over later because… um… he's…" Konohamaru's attention was diverted as a cat lithely sat up from a red cushion next Fugaku's desk and stretched. It's white and tan fur glistened in the morning sunlight and many long sharp white teeth could be seen as it yawned. "Can I play with the kitty?"

Itachi gave a short laugh. The six-year-old Konohamaru had a very short attention span, much to Sarutobi's exasperated chagrin.

Fugaku shook his head, amused, "Didn't you come here to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah!" The boy straightened up and smiled broadly, "Grandpa says some guys who are friends of uncle Asuma's are here and he and Asuma are talking to them. They're dressed funny too!" He gave a short laugh and lifted his arms to lace his fingers around the back of his head. He wore a cream colored beanie over his hair and a long scarf was wrapped around his neck - an imitation of both his grandfather and his deceased father.

"Hmm. Okay. I'll wait then. Thank-you, Konohamaru." Fugaku watched as the boy bowed and walked out of the room, followed by the cat.

"He bowed." Itachi said, surprised. "Someone's been teaching him manners."

Fugaku shrugged, "He does that occasionally. Usually when his grandfather isn't around. Sarutobi is far too casual with the boy and it causes him to forget his manners."

"Hmm." Itachi knew Fugaku was a stickler when it came to manners, but over the years even he had loosened up, allowing Sasuke to refer to him as "dad" instead of "father" was the biggest surprise to the teen, but he was certainly not going to bring it up.

"The Daimyou is still hiding." Sarutobi said when he entered the room fifteen minutes later. He took a seat next to Itachi and gave Fugaku a stern look. His son Asuma had been in service to the Daimyou for several years, after leaving Konoha. However, a year ago, Asuma had suddenly turned up saying that he had been fired and wanted to pick up his old rank as a ninja. Of course, Fugaku gladly reinstated him as a Jounin and even offered him a sensei position, which Asuma accepted.

"That's one-and-a-half years then." Fugaku said quietly.

"I would bet my life Danzou is in the capital pulling the Daimyou's strings." Sarutobi groaned, "But at least we aren't on retainer to them any more."

The usual arrangement between Konoha and the Daimyou was that Konoha would pay a percentage of the mission profits to the Fire country treasury, and the Daimyou, in return, would pay them a large sum of money to go on missions for him. When that money had been cut off after the coup, Konoha had run into serious financial trouble. Faced with no missions, a war with Stone and rebuilding costs, it had been a very difficult two years.

Konoha was now a Shinobi village without a country. It was contrary to the First Hokage's dream when he founded the village, but Fugaku had assured the citizens of Konoha that it was temporary and for the most part, they believed him. There had been one odd side-effect to Konoha's new status. They were getting more and more missions from independent entities. People who were not connected to governments and wanted to remain anonymous. They paid twice the going rates and the missions were fairly normal – ranging from farm work to assassinations.

The increased rate was due to the danger involved. A farm owned by a missing nin from a foreign country was not the safest place for a Genin team to pull weeds – as evidenced by several instances where they young Shinobi-in-training had to be protected from ANBU trying to collect their employer. They were missions that would have been refused in the past.

"There is a lot of money funneling out of the capital as well." Itachi added, "Akatsuki has been keeping an eye on their treasurer and he has been handing cash off to Root to deliver. We aren't sure where they're taking it. The last report was that almost four billion ryou was missing."

"By any chance is there a new treasurer?" Fugaku asked.

"No, it's the same guy that's had the job forever."

Fugaku closed his eyes in thought, "So the Daimyou is out of sight, commands indicative to Danzou are being given by… someone… in the capital, and large sums of money are disappearing. It sounds like perhaps Danzou is building a new ninja village somewhere."

"That would be my guess, Fugaku." Sarutobi frowned. "It will be hard to guess where, though. There have been at least seven new ninja villages founded in the last five years. The small ones are always coming and going – like small businesses. The new one in Rice country for example, the village hidden in the Sound, is the third attempt the clans up their have made at creating a Shinobi village. Wave country's Shinobi village went bankrupt three years ago and they never re-organized despite several attempts."

"Yeah, it would be easy for Danzou to step into any one of those situations, hand over a lot of money, and come out on top. Sound is coming to the Chuunin exams in a few months, as well as three other new villages that never attended before."

"Too bad it's an exam. It would otherwise be a perfect opportunity to spy on them." Sarutobi commented wistfully as he glanced sideways at Itachi, who had suddenly stiffened in his chair.

"Yeah, too bad." Fugaku sighed, also looking at Itachi. "We wouldn't want them feel unwelcome after all."

"Whatever. I've got work to do." Itachi stood up and left the office, annoyed at the "mission" he had just been given. Spy on the participants of a Chuunin exam that wasn't scheduled for six or seven months. "How annoying."

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"Wow, Itachi. Those civilians really hated us." Naruto commented as he and Sasuke stepped into the upstairs living room where Itachi was watching a movie.

"What's with them?" Sasuke added.

Itachi paused the movie and looked at the boys. Back from their first mission - stocking a warehouse in a neighboring town – they looked rather tired. Naruto was wearing a rather loud orange jumpsuit while Sasuke went for a pair of black shorts with a blue wide-necked t-shirt that had the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back. Itachi thought back to how he had prepared for his first mission and when he compared his near-commando getup back then to the two boys standing in front of him now, he couldn't help wonder if he had over-prepared or if Sasuke and Naruto were being too casual.

"Shinobi are secretive and can kill without detection. That scares people." Itachi explained, "You have to understand that. No one wants to die and when they see our village association it's not pleasant. I've actually been refused board at hotels or food at restaurants because I'm a ninja, but I don't let it get to me. I've seen too many dead civilians from ninja attacks… I understand how they feel. But…"

"But?" Sasuke wondered why his brother suddenly stopped talking.

"There is a definite smear campaign going on. I've seen flyers posted in towns nearby that falsely accused Konoha of killing parents and abducting children to turn them into Shinobi recently. Did you see any of those?"

"No…" Sasuke said slowly, trying to remember if he had or not.

"I didn't either, but I did see Kakashi rip something off a wall. He wouldn't show me what it was." Naruto commented. "He was really mad, too."

"Well, keep this in mind when you leave Konoha. You are an object of fear to the civilian population, and they have a valid reason for that fear so don't be too harsh on them."

Both boys nodded in agreement.

"You're watching a lot of TV lately." Sasuke changed the subject.

"Why not? Nothing else to do when I'm not on a mission." Itachi retaliated as he restarted the movie.

"Samurai movies? Are those Mikoto's?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. As far back as I can remember she's always watched them. Father thinks she got Sasuke's name from a movie because it's a common name among Samurai." He smiled as Sasuke grimaced at the thought of being named after a movie character.

"Well it's better than being named after a fish cake in a bowl of ramen." Sasuke tried, unsuccessfully, to turn the attention away from himself.

"I don't mind. At least you can _eat_ Ramen. If you ate a Samurai you'd get arrested for cannibalism. Especially if you're name is 'Sasuke'." Naruto smiled at his pun, eliciting a short laugh from Itachi who was surprised Naruto was able to put such an abstract joke together.

"Ick. Why would I do that anyway?" Sasuke smiled and grimaced at the same time, causing Naruto to break out in laughter over the strange expression it made.

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"So are you both packed? Got all your weapons? Food? A change of underwear?" Mikoto fussed over the two boys as they fidgeted at back door of the house, waiting impatiently to escape into the big world of adventure and intrigue.

"Mom, we got everything! Can we go now?" Sasuke was really close to whining as he watched Mikoto go through his bag.

"Yeah Mikoto, its all fine! We packed everything Sensei wrote on the list!" Naruto was whining and clutched his pack close to his chest as he snuck a glance out the open door.

"Mikoto, just let them go." Fugaku had wondered down the hall to see what the noise was, dressed only in a pair of shorts he yawned sleepily as he watched the two boys grin thankfully up at him and take off at full speed before they could be detained again.

"Fugaku." Mikoto said with a sad lilt to her voice, "I know they forgot something. What if it's important?"

"It's okay. Kakashi is with them, after all. I promise he won't take them out into the wilderness and abandon them." Fugaku wrapped his arms around his wife and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "And if he does and they can't find their way back home then they shouldn't have become Genin and they'll deserve whatever misfortune befalls them."

Mikoto sighed in exasperation, "You sure know how to ruin the mood, don't you."

"Yes I do." Fugaku teased as he gave her a short kiss and returned to bed, yawning repeatedly on the way.

A noise from the stairway caused Mikoto to turn around as Itachi walked toward her. He was also yawning. "You and your father should really learn to go to bed at night, you'd be yawning less, you know."

"Mother, it's five in the morning. I think instead of asking why _we_ are yawning you should ask why _you_ are not." Itachi stated matter-of-factly. "Are the boys gone?"

"Yeah. Itachi… could I ask you for a favor?"

"No mother, I am not going to follow them so I can jump out at the right moment and rescue them from some non-existent danger."

"But…"

"It's just a 'C' rank mission. And it's not even one of the dangerous 'C' ranks. They're just escorting an old man back to the land of Waves and standing guard over his bridge for a few days. Quit worrying." Itachi smiled as he tugged on his backpack and straightened the black sweater he had opted to wear instead of a jacket. "Besides, I have Akatsuki business to attend to this week."

Mikoto smiled in resignation, "Okay. I'm leaving soon for Mist anyway. We'll be gone for a couple months it turns out so I won't see you boys again until you come for the wedding."

"Have a nice time, mother." Itachi left the house quickly and took off at a run, putting his brother's mission and his mother's trip out of his mind.

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Leader had been pairing him and Kisame with Sasori and Deidara for any mission that might bring them into contact with Danzou's Root organization. The reason he gave was that he wanted a sure kill, no near-misses, no escape attempts, no failures. If they ran into the elderly Shinobi they were to take any and all measures to kill him

This week they were going to a small castle a few miles from Konoha to steal a set of accounting books that Kakuzu suspected were kept in a safe. Of course, he had no idea which safe and as he was currently in the southern tip of Wind country he couldn't do it himself.

"There you are, Itachi." Kisame was leaning against a tree just outside of the barrier that protected Konoha from intruders.

"Don't you even bother to hide anymore?" Itachi asked petulantly. "What if someone saw your cloak?"

"What if they did? You're father is practically in Leaders employ right now anyway, considering all the information we pass back and forth." Kisame stated truthfully.

"Yeah, well, let's just keep that low-key for now. I guarantee that if it wasn't for our common enemy there would be no cooperation. Where are the others?"

"Up ahead. Deidara found a cat and got distracted."

As they moved through the autumnal forest they came upon Sasori's motionless puppet and Deidara, sitting on the ground rubbing the stomach of a rather large and overfed silver tabby that was purring louder than a train engine. Or at least that was what it sounded like in the otherwise still forest.

Itachi sneezed a couple times and rubbed his nose to stop the itching.

"Not allergic are you, Itachi?" Deidara gave him a big grin as he stood up, a large quantity of loose cat-fur in his hand. He blew it towards Itachi and laughed as the teen stepped back to avoid it. He then turned around and started walked down the path, having decided not to fall for Deidara's teasing.

"Hey, the cats following us!" Deidara said happily two hours later.

Itachi mumbled to Kisame under his breath, "This is going to be the mission from hell, isn't it?"

Kisame muttered back, "At least it's not that cat you summoned back when we were searching for Sarutobi."

"I am thankful for that." Itachi gave a short laugh. At least the cat would distract Deidara for a while. He looked back and saw that the teen had picked it up and it was now resting its chin on Deidara's shoulder, eyes closed and fast asleep.

Itachi sneezed again, causing the cat to open one eye and meow, as if telling him to be quiet. "I think I'm catching a cold." He rubbed his neck, feeling the first burning sensation of the virus spreading through his throat.

"Well, a cold isn't going to get you out of working, kid." Sasori's gravelly voice said calmly.

Kisame, who was walking behind Itachi, looked at the teen and gritted his teeth. He knew Itachi's secret, but had pushed it to the back of his mind. Now, as he stared at the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him he remembered his own clan back in Mist. His cousin had died at eighteen after suffering for three years with the same illness. After all his talk of "Survival of the Fittest", it still hurt when he remembered how weak he had become.

"We should be at the house we will be using for the mission in a few hours." Kisame offered, then thought to himself, 'But if you get sick and screw up this mission, you won't have to die of a disease, Leader will kill you himself.'

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**Next week: Akatsuki and Team 7 begin their missions. But who is that extra person on the squad and what is Deidara going to do with his new friend?**

**There's a lot going on in this chapter – I hope it isn't too fragmented. I also hope it doesn't sound too absurd that Emi is going to visit her daughter for two months. Remember, it's a long journey so staying for a long time is actually a good idea, and Mikoto is going to help plan the wedding because as the clan matriarch she's a pro at planning events and Emi didn't want to go alone. **

**I hope you don't mind that I skipped over the bell test and the final exam. I figured it would just be redundant. The Forest of Death scene coming up in a few chapters (2 or 3 I think) will be more in depth though. Can't skip over Orochimaru, now, can I? xD He's still important to the story. Oh, and I won't skip over Haku or Zabuza either. They're also pretty important.**

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25 The Bridge Across the Waves

Last week we skipped ahead two years. Team seven is preparing to leave on their first extended mission and Itachi leaves to attend to an Akatsuki mission.

Thanks for all the reviews and favs!

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto

Manga: wow. The Raikage's a jerk. That's all I gotta say about that. Except… is he possibly the only person in the story with an immunity to Naruto's "talk no jutsu"?

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Chapter 25 – The Bridge Across the Waves

"Shit, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed as he jogged next to his friend. They had just escaped Mikoto's over-protective ministrations and were on their way to the village gate to meet up with their team. "Did you see those muscles on Fugaku? I hope I look like that when I grow up." Fugaku had been the one to reign in his wife, but, because he had been asleep when the commotion had started he was only wearing a pair of shorts.

"Yeah. He trains a _lot_." Sasuke replied, "Itachi's starting to get muscles now too. He said that kids don't fill out until their teenagers, no matter how much they train."

"I don't know… that one kid in the class below us was pretty built… but maybe that was a Kekkai Genkai or something."

"Him? Must have been, I guess. Hey, Sai's here!" Sasuke waved as they approached the gate. Sai was standing with his arms crossed next to Sakura who was wearing a big grin and waving back.

"Guess what?" The cheerful girl smiled brightly at her teammates. "Sai is going with us!"

Sasuke frowned, "When you say 'guess what' you're supposed to let us guess."

"Three guesses is normal, Sakura." Naruto said, following Sasuke's lead. However, he couldn't hold his frown for long and started laughing, "I told you it would be cool to have him on our team, but noooo… you had to go all 'only three people on a team' and hit me." Naruto mimicked Sakura's voice, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

"That was a very good imitation of Sakura." Sai said seriously. "Are you sure you aren't a girl?" He his eyes lowered suspiciously, causing Naruto's eyes to open wide in shock.

"You little jerk! I'll beat you up for saying that!" Launching himself at Sai, arms stretched wide to grab his neck, Naruto mysteriously found himself suspended in midair. Surprised he looked around and saw Kakashi had grabbed the back of his orange jacket and was holding him up.

"Now, now, now. We haven't even started yet and you're already trying to kill each other. Where's the teamwork, Naruto? And Sai, it's not a good idea to tease guys about their manhood, you could end up seriously wounded doing that. No one likes to be embarrassed and some accusations are more embarrassing than others."

"Yes sensei." Naruto and Sai replied in unison.

"So the midget's already causing trouble. And these kids are going to get me to the Land of Waves safe? _That_ remains to be seen." An middle-aged man wearing a sleeveless brown shirt with a towel draped around his neck stepped into view. He was a head shorter than Kakashi and his stocky build, muscular arms and beard stubble fit the profile of a bridge-builder to a "T".

Naruto stepped forward, still upset from Sai's teasing he was determined not to take any more shit from anyone, "Quit calling me a midget! And if you keep it up I'll kill you!"

Everyone rolled their eyes, except Tazuna who gave a short, bitter laugh, "As if."

The blond boy roared as he jumped forward, only to be stopped, once again, by Kakashi. "Naruto, calm down. You aren't supposed to kill the client, you know. You protect him. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto muttered and fell in behind the others as they started walking down the road.

"So dickless, who you going to threaten to kill next?" Sai gave Naruto a big grin as he whispered.

"You, Sai. Just you wait. Kakashi can't be watching you _every_ minute of the day." Naruto replied with a husky whisper.

"You two just don't know when to stop, do you?" Sakura joined the whisperers, "Inoichi told you to be nicer to people, Sai."

"I am. Teasing is a form of bonding done between friends. So I'm…owww!" Sai grabbed his shoulder where Sakura had just slugged him.

"That may be true Sai, but…" The three kids jumped in shock when Kakashi bent down to join their conversation.

"Don't scare me like that!" Naruto gasped.

"Ha, ha, ha! Sorry about that, couldn't resist." Kakashi walked back to the front of the procession, chuckling. Sasuke, who had been talking to Tazuna looked back for a minute, curious about what was going on before returning his attention to the bridge builder.

"Are we there yet?" Naruto mumbled to himself.

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"Come on kitty, you can have some of my chicken, un." Deidara was sitting on the ground under a nearly bare tree ripping a cold piece of chicken into shreds for his new friend. The large cat trotted over eagerly and ate the food so fast he looked more like a vacuum cleaner than an animal.

"That cat could probably stand to miss a few meals." Kisame stated plainly as he finished his own lunch. The four Akatsuki members had been travelling east through the forest of Fire country, bypassing the roads for a trail that was rarely used except by shinobi and hikers. The autumn wind had turned cold as the morning progressed and while it was still too warm to snow, it was a reminder of the season to come.

"Who do you suppose he belonged to, un? Someone in Konoha? He doesn't have a collar or anything."

Itachi pursed his lips before speaking, "Probably. A cat that overweight probably wouldn't wander far. Maybe his owner died? He looks too spoiled to be kicked out on a whim. Unless he got chased by a dog or something and he's lost."

"Well, he's mine now!" Deidara declared happily.

"Think again, brat!" Sasori responded.

"Ha!" He threw a clay bird in the air and performed a jutsu right before grabbing the cat and jumping onto the now five-foot long bird. "Gotta catch me first, master Sasori!"

Itachi was sure that inside of the large puppet, Sasori was rolling his eyes in exasperation. Kisame, of course, was laughing.

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It was a few hours after midnight when Itachi and his companions arrived at the small cabin they were planning to use as a base while they plotted to steal the accounting ledgers from a man believed to be working for Danzou. It was about five miles from their target and, as cabins go, nicely furnished and well maintained. The front door opened into a medium-sized room that had a couch, dining table and chairs and a small kitchen that contained a propane stove and a large cabinet that was used as a pantry. There was no refrigerator. One wall contained three doors, all leading to small bedrooms.

"The bathroom is outside." Kisame replied calmly as he set a couple rolls of toilet paper on a small table near the door. "Just the basics up here. Take the paper with you and bring it back inside when you're done or it'll get damp setting out."

"Is this your house?" Itachi asked, trying to hide his surprise.

"Yep. Great place to hide when you need a vacation. Great fishing up here too, although I doubt we'll have time for that."

"Hmmm." Deidara looked around cautiously; the cat was napping in his arms with his chin resting on the teen's shoulder.

"Go ahead and set him down. Nothing here will fall apart if he scratches it."

"Okay, un." He let out a big yawn as he pointed to the wall with the three doors.

Kisame gave a short laugh, "Take the room on the right. Itachi, the center and mine is the left, of course. Sasori doesn't need to sleep so it works out fine."

"Three bedrooms. Did you build it or…" Despite his polite demeanor, Itachi just couldn't see Kisame building a cabin with guest rooms.

"Found it and fixed it up."

"Oh… its…" Itachi started sneezing, letting out a big sigh when he finished. "I'm going to bed."

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"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" Sasuke asked worriedly.

A young woman with straight black hair and a sleight build was fussing over the white-haired Jounin who was lying unconscious on a futon in her house. "He's just sleeping now. I guess that fight you guys got into was quite draining for him."

"Thank-you, Tsunami, for looking after him." Tazuna replied gratefully.

"How could I refuse, father? He's here to help you after all. And he saved your life already."

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall. He stole a glance at his teammates who were also displaying varying expressions of worry and fear over their Sensei's condition. It had only been a few hours since they had met one of the most infamous of all the Swordsmen from the village hidden in the Mist. Zabuza Momochi was well over six feet tall with hard, prominent muscles and even harder eyes. He carried a sword that was almost seven feet long – or it looked like it was anyway – and appeared to be very heavy.

Zabuza and Kakashi had fought – two high level Jounin ready to die if it meant their opponent died as well. Sasuke cringed as he remembered the overwhelming force of their chakra. It had taken all his willpower, and some he didn't even know he had, to keep from being dragged under by the feeling of helplessness that had overwhelmed him.

In the end Zabuza was brought down by a Mist hunter-nin who appeared to be one or two years older than them. Naruto had thrown a tantrum, not understanding how a kid could kill one the most powerful men in the ninja world; a man Kakashi was having trouble fighting. Well, Sasuke had to admit he felt the same way. However, Itachi had also been a child prodigy and could probably take out Zabuza just as easily.

"Was he going all out, or holding back because we were there?" Sai finally asked.

Sakura sighed before answering, "I could believe he would hold back. He said he would die defending us and he kept telling us to leave, so maybe if we weren't there he would have fought differently."

"Good thing we stayed." Naruto nodded to affirm his statement.

"Hnnnn." Kakashi blinked his eyes and slowly focused on a dark brown wooden ceiling.

"Kakashi!" Sakura scooted over to his side, "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. But it will be a couple days before I can move normally. Till then you four will have to guard Tazuna and the bridge. Got it?"

"Yes. Got it." All four kids repeated.

"At least that Zabuza guy is dead so that leaves just Goto for us to worry about." Naruto gave his sensei a big smile.

"I wonder…" Kakashi tried to sit up, but decided better of it when the room started spinning and laid back down on his back.

Sai spoke up, "Moving Zabuza like that was against ANBU Black Ops procedure… at least in Konoha."

"Exactly. It is in Mist as well. When it comes to disposing of Shinobi corpses all the villages tend to follow the same procedure." He went on to explain summarily, the process ANBU went through to dispose of shinobi killed in action. Sai and Sakura already knew the process, but Sasuke and Naruto had never even considered it before.

Tazuna, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up and took a couple steps toward Kakashi, "What are you implying?"

"This is the truth. Zabuza Momochi is still alive."

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"Hey… what are you doing sleeping out here?"

Naruto was roused from a deep sleep by a soft voice and as consciousness returned he realized that he had fallen asleep in the woods a mile from Tazuna's home. Opening his eyes the first thing he saw was several yellow rays of sunlight poking through the weak mists swirling around the many pine trees. The chirping of birds and buzzing of insects came next and the boy, who was still a little disoriented, had the feeling that it was still summer.

"You'll get sick if you sleep out in the open like this."

The voice spoke again and some of the disorientation disappeared as Naruto realized that his clothes were damp, probably from the mists and dew, and he was a little chilled after all. Sitting up stiffly he yawned loudly as he stretched then rubbed his eyes.

"I'm fine." Naruto smiled at the voice, now a person, sitting next to him.

"That's good to hear. Why were you out here?"

"Oh, me and my teammates were training and I stayed to practice on my own and I guess I just got tired and was going to rest my eyes for minute and here it is, morning. What are you doing out here, sister?" For some reason Naruto felt like he had just made a new friend. There was a calmness, a "familiarity" that radiated from the girl and put the boy instantly at ease.

"You should be more careful."

"I agree. I will. So what are you doing out here?"

"Collecting medicinal herbs. I like the morning best, there's no one out and it's so peaceful. So… are you a ninja or is that" She pointed at Naruto's Konoha headband, "a fashion statement?"

Naruto suddenly had an image of a bunch of teenagers at a mall on TV advertising forehead protectors as the new "back-to-school" fashion item and shook his head and the horrifying image. Quickly regaining his composure he pointed his thumb at his head and exclaimed proudly, "I'm a ninja."

"Is that why you were training?"

"Yep!"

"So… do you… have someone precious to protect?" The girl stood up, revealing a simple brown kimono and wooden sandals. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun with two decorative chopsticks and she had large dark brown eyes and perfect skin.

"What…" The question seemed to be a complete change of direction from the conversation they were having that Naruto was briefly confused, "Of course I do. I've got my friends and my village. I want to protect them all so that's why I was training."

"That's good to know. I've got to go now."

"Well, it was nice meeting you sister."

"Make sure you don't fall asleep like that again." She started walking across the grassy forest floor then stopped and looked back at Naruto, "And by the way, I'm a boy."

Naruto's eyes bugged out as he stared at the retreating figure in shock, "But he's prettier than Sakura!" Which of course was saying a lot, because Naruto actually considered Sakura to be the prettiest girl in Konoha and had a secret crush on her. A feeling he knew was not reciprocated. Sakura, of course, like all the other girls their age, were crushing on Sasuke and Sai.

"I forgot to as her… _him_… his name." Naruto stood up pensively. "Oh well. I guess I better get back!"

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"This village is in pretty bad shape." Sakura stated as she watched the small child running down the road, clutching a stolen loaf of bread to his chest. There were a lot of people sitting by the side of the road, either begging or setting up "house" because they had no place to live. They all wore expressions of hopelessness and defeat.

"Konoha was looking like this for a while." Sasuke responded, remember the months following the coup when money was scarce and many of the civilians or lower-level shinobi were suddenly out of work and without support.

He had seen his older brother empty his pockets for them on several occasions and their mother had stopped asking him to pick stuff up at the grocery store because he would return with empty bags – having given away all the food. Fugaku had not approved and, fearing that Sasuke would pick up his brother's bad habits had cut off his allowance. Of course, as Itachi consoled him later by informing him that since all the stores were closed there was nothing to spend the money on anyway. Now that he was officially a ninja he had a paycheck so he no longer needed to rely on his parents for spending money.

"Konoha's recovered pretty well now." Sai peeked through the door of a run-down wooden building with a sign in front indicating it was a grocery store, "This is it, guys."

"This is a grocery store?" Sakura muttered under her breath. It was tiny, only about forty square feet and most of the food bins were empty. She pulled out the list she had been given by Tsunami that morning before they left with Tazuna. "Well, we can only get two of things here."

"The other items are at the store at the end of the street." Tazuna, who had just entered with Naruto, looked over her shoulder.

"Oh. Okay." Sakura put the items down in front of the cash register as Tazuna pulled out some coins and laid them on the counter. As she stepped back she felt someone's hand rustle the fabric her red shirt and her eyes opened in shock as she realized how close that hand was to her rear-end. Swirling around she yelled "pervert" as she kicked a young man into the empty bins at the opposite end of the store. He landed with thud against the heavily-constructed wooden structure without even cracking it. However, as he stood up it was clear that he had taken some damage. Muttering angrily he limped out of the store and down the street.

"Hah! Thank-you very much young lady. That man has been robbing people blind for the last month and no one has had the guts to go up against him." The middle-aged, blue-haired woman ran around the counter and gave Sakura a friendly hug.

Caught off guard Sakura gazed up into the woman's eyes and gave a short laugh, "No problem. I was glad to be of service."

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"How's your new little friend doing, dickless?" Sai was getting way too used to that nickname as far as Naruto was concerned, but Kakashi had suggested that he might stop using it if he received no reaction so the blond buried his anger and responded to the question instead of the "insult".

The late evening was spent relaxing on the deck of Tazuna's house and all four of the young ninja were availing themselves of the opportunity for some "down-time" from the mission. The waves lapped against the piers supporting the deck in a steady rhythm that complemented the crickets perfectly. The only downside was the cool autumn breeze that blew threw their clothes.

"Inari is pretty bitter. His dad was killed by Goto after promising to always be with him to protect him. But I'm not going to give up. I'll show him that there are such things as heroes."

"Yeah right." Sai's response was just as bitter as Inari's, causing Naruto to furrow his brow in concern.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever. Just do what you want to do. I'm not going to stop you." Sai stood up and walked away, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Looking over at Sakura he was about to ask her what was up when she looked him in the eye and shook her head, silently telling him to back off. He glanced at Sasuke and saw that his confusion was mirrored on his friend's face as well. The pink-haired girl went back to staring at the ocean as if nothing had happened.

The three fell back into a comfortable silence until Tsunami came out to remind them of the time and suggest they go to bed. Sai was already asleep when Naruto and Sasuke entered the room and Kakashi was laying down, relaxing. Sakura was staying in Tsunami's room.

Kakashi looked up curiously at Naruto then glanced at Sai, as if asking what had happened.

Sasuke sighed, "We don't know. He just… he gets like that sometimes. Sakura seems to know something, but she's not telling."

"That's what I thought." Kakashi responded quietly. "Well, we'd better get to sleep."

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Itachi and Deidara stood at the top of a hill overlooking a secured compound of about five houses nestled deep in a forested valley. It was late afternoon and the sun had already gone behind the hill, making the forest very dark. Orange and yellow leaves swirled around them as the wind blew them off the trees.

"I haven't seen any reinforcements. I flew a ten mile perimeter search. And you didn't see anything from the ground. I wonder of Kakuzu's information was correct, un."

Itachi nodded, "It does sound off, doesn't it? If such an important set of ledgers were here, they should be heavily guarded. It might be a trap."

"I vote we pass on this mission and call Leader, un." Deidara reached up and adjusted his top-knot.

"You might be right about that." Kisame pushed his way through the brush and picked a couple twigs out of his hair. "Sasori said none of his puppet traps were triggered – meaning no person, shinobi or otherwise, has been near this place for the last five days since we got here."

"I didn't see anyone when I entered the compound. I entered two of the buildings but they were completely empty. The kitchen looked like it had never been used and there was no food, at all, anywhere." Itachi leaned back against a tree and sneezed a couple times. "You know, this is only a few miles from your cabin, Kisame. What if they knew you owned it and set this up?"

Kisame sneered, "I'll find them and kick their asses! However, I'm sure this is nothing more than a coincidence. There are places like this all over. Various Lords or regular citizens who just want seclusion. Within twenty miles there are fifteen compounds. Most are only used as summer houses."

"It is fall, un." Deidara resisted the urge to kick at the ground out of boredom. It would leave a mark and they were supposed to be here in secret.

"Well, let's go down and search for the ledger anyway." Itachi pushed himself off the tree and stood at the edge of the hill. "I think we're all bored and a little fight might liven things up."

"That doesn't sound like you, Itachi. We have no idea yet what's down there." Despite his words, Kisame definitely was looking forward to a fight.

"Hn." Itachi smiled, "If there is anyone down there, none of us were able to detect their chakra, meaning they are probably using some amazing jutsu to hide it or perhaps they are hiding underground. Although Deidara sent his sculptures into the dirt and didn't see anything, so I would assume that included tunnels. So, that means it may be protected by some kind of jutsu."

"That's no fun, un." Deidara had been excited for a couple minutes, but the thought of a jutsu-protected scroll vice a ninja-protected scroll was definitely far from exciting. "Shall we do this now, then?"

"Yeah." Itachi responded. "Deidara, take out anyone that tries to leave the compound. Kisame, you and Sasori watch the building I go into. I'm going to start in the center and work around in a clockwise spiral." He was the most experienced at jutsus so he knew his decision to search on his own was the best solution.

"Okay." Deidara agreed to do his part but was still feeling a little disgruntled, "But those two will probably kill anyone before I get a chance to fight, un."

"Blame Leader, not me." Itachi said quietly, not really caring if he was hurting Deidara's feelings or not, "He's the one who insisted on combining the two teams. We're overstaffed." Deidara took off on his clay bird without responding.

"Well, let's go! Adventure awaits!" Kisame jumped forward and in only two leaps landed at the base of the hill.

Itachi stared after his companion for a minute, slightly shocked at the man's declaration. "Adventure, huh? Are you _really_ that bored?"

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Next week: Team Seven and Zabuza face off, and the Akatsuki enter the compound to look for the ledgers.

This is a bit short this week, but I want to do the fights all in one chapter and if I started them here it would either be too long, or I would have to leave a cliffhanger.

Please review

Updates on Fridays


	26. Chapter 26 The Battle for the Bridge

**Thanks for all the review and fav's!**

**I really didn't think there would be a chapter this week. It's been, like 105 degrees here this week and the pollution was so bad the sky was brown and it stank outside. But it finally cooled off last night and I actually got inspired to write. This place is supposed to be cold rainy, what's with all the sun? **

**Anyway, no Itachi in this chapter, it ended up being longer than expected so I didn't get around to him. **

**Haku – yeah, I wondered if he was really a girl pretending to be a guy too. I do get tired of the "boy wears girl's clothes" theme in anime. To me it doesn't make any sense, other than being amusing.**

**The Akatsuki mission will be explained in the next chapter, Itachi is going to make a rather important discovery. They're just a little disgruntled right now because Leader is being paranoid and they are "overstaffed" for simple missions. That will be explained as well.**

**Okay – on to the story – **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 26 – Battle for the Bridge**

Early morning in the land of Waves was very familiar to the members of team seven, even if the activities of a fishing village were different from those of a land-locked ninja village. Despite their poverty, or because of it, people still got up early. Some to set fishing nets and lines, others to feed livestock, and a select few were seen walking in the direction of the nearly-completed bridge.

Fishing had always been the life-blood of Tazuna's village, but in the absence of any money the fish you pulled out of the bay that morning and the crusty bread and rice you scraped together was, more than likely all you would get to eat that day. Entire families, even toddlers, could be seen lining the shore with make-shift fishing poles. A few girls were seen walking through the water with short nets stretched between them. Many of the men and some of the older boys had left before dawn on their fishing boats and wouldn't be back until shortly before noon.

"Is there really enough fish to support this many fishermen?" Kakashi asked quietly, "it looks like the entire village is here."

"For the most part they share. Those girls you see out there will take their catch to the people who can't come down here anymore. The fishing boats sell their stuff, though. If you go down to the dock at lunch-time there'll be a fish market with several people from the mainland buying for restaurants and grocery-stores. The locals can't afford to go down there anymore. Inari and Tsunami fish off the deck of our house and most days they catch something. We have a little more money than most, so we can still go down to the market and buy food to make up for the difference.

"But… to answer your question… no, there isn't enough. Not many fish come this close to shore – for that you have to get out into the ocean. On the other hand, it is enough to stave off starvation. The bridge, of course, will change things. More people will be able to come to the land of Waves to conduct commerce. That's all these people have to hope for now."

Naruto gave Tazuna a big smile, "Then we'll protect this bridge with our lives and make your dreams come true."

"That's right!" Sakura danced in front of him then ran ahead a short ways when a young boy waved at her. Everyone recognized him as the child who had come up to her the previous day with hands outstretched begging for food. They watched as knelt down and looked inside an old wooden bucket and then hugged the boy. Returning, her smile was even bigger than before, "He caught a fish. It's little, but he said he's never caught anything before."

"Must be a good sign then." Kakashi smiled, causing the one eye not hidden by his forehead protector to crinkle shut.

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"Well, that's two more down." Tazuna walked up to the Konoha ninjas and sat down heavily on a stack of wood, wiping his sweaty face with a towel. "That Goto. He really pisses me off, you know?" Just as the shift was starting a couple of the workers had approached their boss looking sheepish and exhausted – as if they had been up all night.

"So can you still finish? Sasuke asked, concerned. He had been watching one of the workers nearby cutting boards and was amazed at how quick he could work with a simple saw. Unlike the construction workers than had come to Konoha several years earlier to rebuild after the coup, there were very few power tools being used to build the bridge. Tazuna had stated on their first day of guard duty that the country couldn't afford to pay him to use them so they were sitting in his storage shed. The fuel needed to power the equipment was beyond their means and Tazuna certainly didn't have enough of his own funds to donate any.

Tazuna's gritty, strong voice spoke with determination, "Oh yeah. No problem. I'll build this thing by myself if I have to." He stood up a moment later and returned to work.

"It makes me want to do something to help." Sakura sighed softly. "Sitting here doing nothing while they break their backs building this bridge…" her words drifted off into nothingness as she stared, unseeingly, at the partially finished deck.

"Can we help?" Naruto asked expectantly.

"No." Kakashi looked down at his students, he felt the same way of course, but there was no helping it. "We aren't skilled enough to build a bridge and it would just take the remaining workers away from their jobs if they had to train us. But you know, we are helping, Naruto, Sakura. Guarding this structure and keeping Tazuna alive is just as important a job as building this bridge. If something happens to him the bridge will never be completed."

Sasuke looked up at the mist enshrouded sky and wondered if the sun would be coming out later. It had been like this for three days. No sun, only the perpetual whiteness of a fog strewn world. He strained his eyes, but even with his Sharingan he couldn't see the shore – and it wasn't that far away either.

The worst part was the disorientation. Because you couldn't see the sun you had no idea what time it was. It could have been morning or an hour before sunset. It all looked the same. And sound was different too, although Sasuke privately though that may have been more of a psychological reaction to the "blindness" the mist was causing. When a hammer rang out it seemed muffled and echoed strangely - as if the sound waves were bouncing off the suspended water droplets instead of solid surfaces. Then again, perhaps that was what was happening after all and it wasn't his imagination.

Gazing down at Sai, he wondered what was going through his friends mind. He had been strangely silent since they had arrived in the village. Well, not that he was ever really very talkative, but in the last couple days he had even stopped teasing Naruto. Sasuke had spotted Kakashi and Sai a few hours earlier before they had left the house arguing about something. Sai never argued. If he disagreed with you, he just let it hang and went on with life. It was troubling him and he suddenly decided to push his luck and try to find out what was going on.

"So… Sai… Kakashi… what were you two fighting about this morning?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but Sai beat him to it, "I want to go look for Zabuza and spy on him – find out what his plans are. Kakashi doesn't think I should be unsupervised."

Again, Kakashi was interrupted before he could say anything, this time by Naruto, "But that's a great plan! Sai's a Chuunin after all, and Sakura could go with him. She's pretty good at that stuff because of her extra training." Sakura's "extra training" had consisted of several months as an unwilling Root student, but it had given her an edge that many of her peers were still trying to catch up to.

"Yeah! I can go with Sai!" Sakura balled her fists at her side and stared petulantly up at her sensei.

"Can I speak now?" Kakashi finally muttered as he gazed at the expectant faces before him. "It would be a good idea except for two problems. Fugaku does not trust Sai and does not want him left alone. He didn't want to send him on this mission either, but since at the time we thought it was a 'C' rank he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. This is a bit of a test for Sai, to see how loyal he is. Sakura as well, for that matter." He gazed knowingly at the young girl and she stared back unwaveringly. She had been steeling documents for the last two years and sending them back to Root – but with a twist. The documents were either altered or exchanged in order to purposely mislead the organization. She and Sai were, in effect, double agents.

"The other problem we are facing is of manpower. We already know Zabuza is going to attack. That's a given. I also know, from the bingo book and ANBU profiles that he always relies on his own power – that is Tai jutsu and his sword as well as an advanced repertoire of jutsus. So, basically, we already know what is doing and how he will do it. While the 'when' is what Sai wanted to find out I see that as secondary. There are five of us here so if he attacks that's a definite plus. If we split up and he attacks… Anyway do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"But if we know when…" Sai was not going to give up.

"It would help enormously, yes. It's just…"

Sai finished the sentence, changing Kakashi's words, "Fugaku doesn't trust me so you're going to put our mission on line." He mimicked Kakashi's voice, "Sorry Hokage, your son and foster son are dead, but rest assured, I followed you orders to the letter!"

The anger that flashed in Kakashi's one exposed eye made Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura cringe. However, Sai didn't flinch at all. "Listen to me, Sai, if I thought that breaking the rules would not only save the mission but keep you four alive I would do it in a second. But our first responsibility is the mission and often that takes precedence over our personal feelings and beliefs. I thought you understood that. Or are you testing me?"

The air around the two ninjas suddenly grew cold as they stared unflinchingly into each other's eyes. Finally Sai's emotionless face seemed to become even blanker than it usually was and he looked away into the dense wall of fog, as if he was seeing something. "I apologize. The mission is…"

"For what's it worth, Sai, I do trust you." Kakashi finally smiled and the tense atmosphere dissipated quickly. "If I didn't I wouldn't have allowed you to go on the mission or let you on the team. Just be patient. I've been doing this longer than you've been alive so I do have some experience in these things."

"Wow! When did you become a ninja?" Naruto's eyes opened wide with awe.

"When I was five. Made Chuunin at six. And Jounin at thirteen."

Sasuke stepped back once in shock, "That's two years earlier than Itachi and he's still not a Jounin! Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

"Ha ha ha!" Kakashi's laugh had an embarrassed edge to it, "Well, the war was still going when Itachi was young and if I remember right… the Academy had to close a few times because the teachers were called back to active duty. Kind of hard to graduate if there's no school."

"But why isn't he a Jounin? I mean, he's amazing!" Sakura asked.

"That's… Fugaku's business. He'll promote his son when he feels he's ready. There's a lot more to the rank than just being 'amazing'." Kakashi hoped they bought his explanation, and from the looks on their faces, they did. In reality, Itachi's "extracurricular" missions were of a very sensitive nature and as long as he remained a Chuunin he could keep conducting them without too much interference form the village. It also kept his schedule free so he could come and go when needed. A Jounin didn't have that luxury, and in fact most Chuunin didn't either, but it was easier for Itachi to get away with it as a lower rank.

"Hey Sasuke! Maybe we could make Jounin before Itachi!" Naruto was teasing, but he grinned when he saw his friend smile.

"That would be incredible wouldn't it?" Sasuke gave a short laugh, "But he'll beat me at that too, just you wait and see."

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"Hey! Midget! How would you like to run an errand for me seeing as how we're shorthanded?" Tazuna closed his lunchbox and slipped it inside his backpack. Team seven and the construction workers had developed a habit over their time together of eating lunch as a group. It was companionable and certainly eye-opening for the four young Shinobi who had rarely interacted before with anyone outside of Konoha.

"Sure. Is that okay Sensei?" Naruto was a little peeved about being called a "midget" just because he was the shortest of the four kids, but the opportunity to help out won over his anger.

Tazuna explained, "I just need him to take this letter to Tsunami. The three guys who quit today need their last paycheck. She's my accountant, you see."

"Well that's okay then. But hurry back Naruto." Kakashi laughed as Naruto grabbed the letter and took off at full speed.

Tazuna shook his head in wonder as he walked away, "I'll never get over just how quick you all run. He's probably half-way there by now."

"Kakashi!" Sakura jumped to her feet, followed quickly by Sai, causing everyone to look at her in surprise.

"I feel it." The Jounin stood up slowly as a thick fog moved in, reducing visibility to only a few feet. "Sakura, Sasuke, protect Tazuna. Sai, stand halfway between Tazuna and me."

"Yes!" All three kids ran quickly to their positions as a tall, bare-chested man carrying a large sword strode arrogantly into view. A few feet behind was a familiar face. A boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, wearing a Mist village headband and red and white ANBU mask.

"You!" Sakura cried out in alarm, "You were the one who carried him off!"

"Humph." Kakashi glanced quickly behind him to verify everyone was in position before returning his attention to Zabuza. "He's got some nerve showing his face around here again. What is he thinking, wearing that mask?"

"So he's pulling a scam, huh?" Tazuna growled. "I guess he's not really from Mist after all."

"What a jerk." Sakura added.

Sasuke glanced sideways at the pink-haired girl before dropping his voice an octave and adding his say, "What is he up to? Wearing a mask like a clown."

Sakura clasped her hands together and crooned, "Oh Sasuke, you're so cool!"

For some reason he didn't quite understand the young Uchiha felt his heart skip a beat and he gloated inwardly when Kakashi and Sai rolled their eyes at him.

"So the child isn't shaking anymore. How impressive." Zabuza mocked Sasuke, bringing up their previous encounter when the boy had become so panic-stricken that he had actually thought about ending his own life to escape the overwhelmingly dark and malignant chakra that was emanating from the two Jounin.

Sasuke wasn't going to let it get to him this time though and he activated his Sharingan. "I'm more than ready today."

"Ha ha ha! Well, Haku, it looks like you have yourself a rival." Zabuza's measured words were filled with humor.

Haku stepped away from his partner, "It certainly looks that way."

"Sasuke, go ahead." Kakashi instructed as he nodded to Sai, tilting his head toward Haku, silently commanding him to step in if needed. Sai nodded back,

About fifty feet away the cries of the other construction workers was heard and two of Goto's henchmen swaggered into view. "We took out the other's Zabuza. You're safe to continue."

Zabuza pulled his sword and banged the tip heavily onto to deck of the half-finished bridge, "What are you doing here?"

"Goto's orders. Seeing as how you messed up so badly last time, he ordered us to 'clean up' if you failed again. By the way, Tazuna, your family will be joining us very soon. Since you seem so unwilling to cooperate we're just going to have to take a hostage."

"Inari! Tsunami! Don't you dare touch them!" Tazuna growled

"Naruto…" Sakura muttered with disbelief. He was walking straight into a trap, and while the girl was sure she could take out Goto's men, if the two in front of her were an example of the rest, she wasn't so sure Naruto was that skilled yet. While they would keep the hostages alive to threaten Tazuna, Naruto certainly wouldn't be needed. She heard Kakashi growl under his breath, obviously thinking the same thing she was.

"Let's just get this over with." Sasuke stepped away from Tazuna and Sakura, making his way to Haku. "You're name's Haku, right? Well I'm Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha clan and I'm going to take you down."

Haku adjusted his mask to make sure it was still secure and grinned. "You're awfully eager. You're first fight, huh? Too bad it'll be your last."

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Naruto jumped through the trees, eager to deliver Tazuna's message he finally felt like he was being helpful. Albeit he was helping by being a delivery boy instead of a ninja, but anything was better than sitting around waiting for something to happen. The way through the woods was faster than the road and he figured it would only take about fifteen minutes to reach his destination. However, halfway there he stopped and stared down at the forest floor in shock.

A large boar, about the size of an ox lay dead with a large gash cut through its thick hide. He looked around but didn't see anyone. "If this was one of the villagers, they would be cutting it up for meat, I'm sure of it! So this means…" His eyes opened wide and he took off again, sailing through the trees, "I hope I'm not too late!"

Reaching Tazuna's house he skidded to a halt and stared at the door that lay busted up at his feet. Cautiously he walked into the house and gasped at the sight of broken dishes, overturned furniture, and small drips of blood leading from the dining area to the entry-way, where it suddenly stopped.

"So who was injured? Its obvious Tsunami and Inari were kidnapped. He walked to the kitchen area and stared at the counter, then reached over and turned off the stove. The pot of water that had been boiling away was about half full. Naruto knew from experience (and a whack upside the head from Mikoto) that leaving a pot boiling on the stove would eventually evaporate all the water and begin the burn the metal, leaving a very bad smell and possibly starting a fire if something fell against it. Some pans, he had been told, would even begin to melt.

"I've got to find them. But where could they be?" He walked outside and stared at the water as it gently lapped against the deck. "Probably to a boat! But they could have docked here if they wanted. Or maybe down the road at the pier!" Naruto took off running down the road, glancing to the right every so often to keep an eye on the bay in case a boat with his two friends floated by. A few minutes later he skidded to halt and hid behind a building, peaking out desperately as he watched two thugs drag an unconscious Tsunami down the length of the pier toward a small rowboat. They got about halfway when a much smaller figure ran up.

Naruto gasped in shock and muttered, "Inari no…"

"Let my mom go!" The boy yelled at the top of his lungs as he pointed at them authoritatively.

The two men laughed at him, "Or what? What's a little kid going to do?"

Looking closer, Naruto saw that Tsunami had a large bruise on the side of her face and Inari was holding his left arm close to his torso, as if it hurt. He watched as the boy charged forward, screaming out his indignation.

"Now's my chance." Naruto jumped forward and while the men were laughing and stepping back to avoid the irate child he grabbed Tsunami and deposited her on the ground in front of a surprised Inari. The two thugs blinked in surprise at the sudden loss of their prized hostage.

"What?" Inari stared down at disbelief at the unconscious form of his mother. He hadn't seen anything except an orange blur and then suddenly… there she was, safe and sound on the ground in front of him.

Naruto, who was standing between Inari and the men glanced back and smiled at the boy, "Heroes always arrive at the last minute, don't they?"

Inari laughed and relief flooded through him. "Yeah!"

"Take your mom and go back home. I'll handle things from here on out."

Inari dropped down to his knees to rouse his mother, but she was already blinking her eyes, a little disoriented, but seemingly fine nonetheless. They stood up and, after grinning gratefully at their savior, limped back off the dock in the direction of their home.

"Now that they're gone… Hey… Where'd you go?" Naruto looked around in disbelief, the two thugs were missing. And so was their boat. "Man… Sasuke and Sai are never going to let me forget this. And I wanted to fight them too." He kicked at a stray rock and walked half-heartedly back to the road. "Wait a minute… if they were here… then what's happening at the bridge? I've got to get back!"

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Sasuke lunged at his opponent, kicking him in the gut and sending him sailing twenty feet to land at Zabuza's feet. Haku shook his head to clear it and sat up, turning his head slightly when he heard his master mutter something in an amazed voice about how impossible it was for someone to be faster than him.

"Haku, if we keep going on like this we'll be the victims instead of them. Now get on with it!" Zabuza spoke matter-of-factly, but there was a tinge of anger in his voice that Haku couldn't ignore as he stood up and faced Sasuke.

Focusing his chakra on the air around him he pulled the water droplets from the omnipresent mists towards his body, surrounding it in a bluish-white aura. He lifted both hands and formed a series of signs then spoke sorrowfully, as if telling Sasuke his puppy had died, "I'm sorry to have to do this. Secret Jutsu – Crystal Ice Mirrors."

The aura that had surrounded the teen shot up about six feet into the air and a ring of several thin, perfectly formed ice rectangles appeared. More formed at ground level and Haku walked purposefully toward the nearest block and stepped inside. He seemed to melt into the object, as if his body were transforming from three dimensions into two.

Sasuke looked closer at the ice rectangles and saw a reflection. Awestruck he looked over the structure, "They're mirrors."

"No you don't, Kakashi." Zabuza moved to block the white-haired Jounin from moving to assist his student. "If you join this fight, you fight me."

Kakashi glanced over at Sai, who was dividing his attention between Sasuke's fight and Sakura, who in turn was keeping an eye on the handful of Goto's henchmen who were standing a little too close to Tazuna for comfort. If push came to shove, he would have to choose Tazuna over Sasuke. And Naruto wasn't back yet. In fact, he was late. Despite his words earlier about not splitting up the team, he had thought that a quit trip to Tazuna's house and back wouldn't make a difference. He hoped his mistake didn't prove fatal.

Kakashi glared at Zabuza, "Then we'd better make this quick."

Sasuke watched in wonder and alarm as Haku's visage suddenly reflected off of all the mirrors. Even with his Sharingan he wasn't sure, right off, where the teen had disappeared to. Or if he was even around at all.

"Now we begin." Haku's voice seemed to come from all the surfaces, meaning that sound couldn't be used to locate him. "I'll show you what speed really means."

A deluge of senbon shot out from the ice mirrors, cutting and piercing Sasuke's flesh until he was forced to drop his weapons. He pulled his arms forward to protect his face as he fell backwards onto his rear end.

"Sasuke!" He heard Sakura call his name in alarm and he remembered his earlier boasting and how good it had felt when she was crooning over him. So much for that. Haku was making him look like an idiot. Worse than that, if this kept up, he was going to turn into a dead idiot.

"Sai!" Sakura yelled again, but he couldn't hear the rest of what she was saying. Looking up he watched as Sai threw a Kunai at the ice structure.

"Sasuke! Catch!" Sai yelled as he jumped up and threw a kunai to replace the ones that were knocked out of his friend's hands.

Sasuke lifted a hand to catch it and watched as a hand reached out of one mirror to intercept it. Letting his hand drop to his side he sat back down on his knees and cringed as the pain from multiple senbon piercings coursed through his body. He decided that they weren't poisoned since he was still conscious, but if he lost any more blood he would probably pass out anyway.

_Crack_.

Looking up Sasuke watched as a rock hit the mirror that had caught the kunai. Another rock hit it and this time Haku fell out of the mirror, clutching his shoulder in pain. Looking around, everyone tried to see where the rocks were coming from when a bang and cloud of smoke erupted several feet behind the two combatants.

"The number-one, knucklehead ninja Naruto Uzumaki." Haku stated, half amused.

Standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a big grin on his face was an orange clad, blond ninja.

"Naruto Uzumaki is here!" The boy declared triumphantly. "Now that I'm here everything's going to be alright. You know how they say a hero shows up at the last minute? Well that's me!"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Sakura yelled happily as everyone else shook their heads in wonder at the boldness and very un-ninja like behavior of the boy in front of them.

"Sneaking in would have been better, Naruto." Kakashi mumbled to himself. He saw Sai give a small smile, obviously relieved that his friend was okay.

Sasuke fell to his side as the pain increased, but sat up quickly as he gathered his resolve. He looked at the scratches, realizing quickly that none of the wounds were in vital points. 'What's he getting at?' Sasuke asked himself.

Haku stepped gracefully back into the mirror as he spoke firmly to the newcomer, "You are next, Naruto, as soon as I kill this one." However, he fell back out as another rock shot forward, hitting him in the head.

"I don't think so." Sai walked forward, stepping between the ice mirrors and Haku.

Zabuza laughed, "You think one more Genin is going to change things? Haku has mastered his Kekkei Genkai. There is nothing those kids can do."

Kakashi gave a short laugh of his own, "Sai is not a Genin, Zabuza. He's Chunin, ANBU level and a member of Root. You've heard of them, of course."

"Yes." Zabuza stated under his breath. "So what's he doing here? Not that it matters of course."

Kakashi ignored the question, "Sakura over there was his subordinate until the two of them were placed on my team. The only _real_ Genin here are Sasuke and Naruto. But then again, Sasuke is an Uchiha – the strongest clan in Konoha and Naruto is his foster brother and receiving much the same training as Sasuke." He paused, then continued, as if stating a fact he had forgotten, "Oh, and Sai and Sakura have killed before. So the fact that you said those haven't killed before are weak shouldn't apply to them."

"I… you know about that?" Sakura whispered, placing a hand over her mouth when Kakashi gave her a stern look.

"We've got to destroy the mirrors so he can't use them." Sai stated.

Sasuke nodded his head then stood up and formed the seals for a fireball jutsu, shooting a large ball of fire out of his mouth a moment later. It glanced off the mirrors with no effect. Not a single drop of water melted from the hard ice.

"That won't work." Haku explained in a measured voice. "You would have to use a fire much hotter than that to melt my ice."

Sai suddenly jumped forward intending to attack, but Haku was faster. He leaped back into the mirror, barely missing the other boy's attack. "Now you'll have to fight on my terms."

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran forward through the gap between the mirrors a second before Haku extended the ice to close them.

Sai banged his kunai against the now-solid wall futilely. "Sasuke! Naruto!"

"Ha! You should have been paying attention to me instead of them, Kakashi." The mist thickened quickly and Zabuza disappeared. Instantly on alert, the Jounin clenched his fists in anger as he attempted to detect the assassin's location. A gasp from Sakura gave him away, and Kakashi moved quickly, using a jutsu to move between Tazuna and Zabuza. Except…

"You were careless, Kakashi." Zabuza raised his kunai to display a stream of dripping blood. "Letting me cut you like that. You really are loosing focus, aren't you?"

Screaming and yelling could be heard from the enclosed ice mirrors, but Kakashi kept his eyes on his adversary. "You think so, huh?"

"Humph." Zabuza squinted his eyes, as if thinking about something, but turned his attention quickly to Haku when he felt a sudden surge of chakra imbued with so much evil and dark intent that it made him shudder. "What is that?"

"That…" Kakashi didn't finish the sentence. At least not out loud. He recognized that chakra and what it meant. Eleven years ago he had fought alongside the other Shinobi of Konoha to protect the village from the nine-tailed fox. Afterward, the monster was sealed in the newborn Naruto. And now, it looked like that seal was breaking.

A red swirl enveloped the ice mirrors and Sai stepped forward, a curious expression on his face. He reached up with his kunai, as if daring himself to touch it.

Sakura yelled out, "Sai! Get back! Get away from there!"

Blinking his eyes, as if waking from a dream, Sai looked at her and then Kakashi, but he didn't move.

"Sai!" Sakura was screaming now. "Sai! Get away!"

"What is he doing?" Kakashi said, alarmed.

"Is he trying to kill himself?" Zabuza voice was full of surprise.

The pulsating grew stronger and the structure glowed red, as if the inside was on fire. Sai stepped closer, moving his head from side to side, looking for an opening. Suddenly he jumped back, his arms coming up to protect his face.

The ice mirrors shattered, larger pieces disintigrating into smaller ones with a force that propelled the shards outward for a hundred feet. A sound, as of a thousand glasses shattering, echoed across the bridge.

Sai landed and rolled until he was a few feet from Sakura. Jumping up he watched, along with the others, as Naruto stepped out of the quickly disappearing wreckage and stalked Haku, who had been flung about twenty feet onto his back and was now, slowly, standing up.

"I won't forgive you!" Naruto's voice had take on a darker edge that was deep and resonating. "I won't forgive you for what you did to Sasuke!"

"Sasuke! What happened Sai?" Sakura scanned the wreckage for her friend, but the mist was still swirling around and she couldn't see clearly enough. Which probably meant that he wasn't standing up. And if he wasn't standing…

"I couldn't see anything, but… I could hear them and it sounded like he died." Sai's matter-of-fact explanation struck Sakura with the force of a herd of stampeding oxen and she staggered back one step, trying to regain her composure. After all, she had been taught how to deal with this both in Root and at the Academy. And she had seen comrades die before. Sai's brother… a tear leaked out of her eye and she shook it away.

"That's… that's not possible…" Her words trailed off as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. The mists cleared temporarily and everyone was given a clear view of a boy with black hair, blue shirt and white shorts lying on his back on the ground. His motionless body was covered head to toe in blood.

"I'm going to kill you!" Naruto growled as he charged at Haku. The teen staggered a little as his mask cracked fell to the ground. At the last minute Naruto got a look at Haku's face and diverted his attack, hitting the boy on the side instead of the chest. Jumping back, he stared in disbelief at the person before him. Slowly, the nine-tailed fox's chakra dissipated until Naruto was himself again.

"What's wrong? You had a clear shot. Kill me. I've failed and because of that I am no longer of any use to Zabuza." Haku's face was strangely serene as he gazed into Naruto's eyes.

"You… you're that boy from before… in the forest." Memories of the kind boy who spoke cheerfully about protecting those precious to you fought against the memories of his friend, now lying dead behind him. How could the two possibly be connected? How could that boy in the forest be the same person now standing in front of him?

"Aren't you going to kill me?"

"I..."

"I killed your friend. You're justified, you know. Go ahead."

Zabuza suddenly jumped away from Kakashi, disappearing as he did so. Kakashi pulled out a scroll, unfurling it all in one motion. "I've only got one chance, this has to work." He bit his finger to draw blood and swiped it across the scroll. He cringed inwardly as Haku continued to beg Naruto to kill him. He would have to take Zabuza down quickly before those two kids did something stupid.

There was a yelp and a couple barks as nine dogs appeared out of the ground, each taking a bite of Zabuza. Immobilized, the assassin stared unbelievingly as his adversary advanced on him.

"I let you cut me, Zabuza. I knew you would use that jutsu again and the only way to track you would be by scent. The dogs tracked my blood on the kunai you used." He stopped a scant three feet from the big man and looked him in the eye. "I've been using someone elses Jutsus on you so far… after all the Sharingan is not my birthright. But now, I will use my own jutsu to kill you."

"How noble." Zabuza spat. "You actually have something you didn't steal from someone else?"

"Yeah. I do." He formed several handsigns and held out his hand as a ball of blue lightning formed in his hand. Several long, thin bolts shot out and the sound of a thousand birds screeching drew everyone's attention. Raising his hand he started to push forward when a hand suddenly closed over his arm pulled it off course.

"Sai what?" Kakashi stepped back in shock. Haku was now standing between himself and Zabuza, shielding his master from a killing blow. If Sai hadn't pulled his hand away…

Sai took advantage of the confusion to yank Haku out of the way and punch him in the gut. As the teen fell unconscious to the ground Kakashi reactivated his jutsu, but was distracted when a short, middle-aged man stepped forward.

"So, Zabuza. We leave things to you and this is what happens."

"Goto." Kakashi said as he released his jutsu. "So you finally show your face." The dogs disappeared as well, releasing Zabuza from his restraints.

"Someone's got to clean up this mess this incompetent fool created." Goto walked up to Haku and kicked him sharply in the back. "That's for breaking my arm, you little punk."

"Leave him alone!" Naruto stepped forward and turned to Zabuza. "Are you just going to let this man kick him?"

"He's of no use to me anymore. He served his purpose."

"What do you mean? He looked up to you! Respected you! Was ready to die for you!"

"Then he should have. Instead he's laying there unconscious. How pathetic."

"You know, I don't believe you really feel that way. Haku was a good person and I can't believe that he would just… that he would trust someone who didn't care for him back. No matter how messed up his life was… you can't really feel this way! You were everything to him!"

Zabuza knew the words were corny and absurd but for some reason, as he looked at the boy he had raised for the better part of eight years, he felt something… he couldn't really describe it. He had taught the child everything he knew, raised him to be a master assassin and a tool to be used at a whim. And Haku had rarely complained and always excelled. And now…

"You're going to die, you know that. What about him? How will he feel?" Naruto wasn't letting up and Zabuza continued to see images of the small, hungry begger he had rescued from the streets, growing up, laughing, training, going on missions. He was always there. Like a son or a little brother.

Shaking his head to clear it he pulled out a kunai and launched himself at Kakashi. There was still a chance…

Kakashi sliced into Zabuza's arm, severing the muscles and making it unusable. The man's strike time had gone down drastically and the Jounin had taken advantage of it. Crying out in alarm Zabuza lifted his other arm, only to watch in horror as Kakashi swiped across it as well.

"You now have no arms. I will finish this now." Kakashi lifted his hands, intending to create a Chidori, when Goto's voice echoed across the clearing.

"Zabuza. You're fired. You were supposed to be the best, but apparently you were the weakest. I can't believe I spent all that money on you and the boy. What a waste! You had a simple mission to kill one old man. Yet look where it has gotten you!"

"I'm fired huh? Well then Kakashi, it looks like I no longer have a reason to fight you." Zabuza relaxed a little, swaying as blood dripped down his arms.

"Seems so." Kakashi dropped his arms and stepped back. Years of experience told him that Zabuza was no longer an adversary. However, that same experience also told him that Goto was. And he had about fifty mercenaries standing behind him.

"Boy. Give me your kunai."

"Huh? What?" Naruto was a little taken aback by the request.

"Go ahead." Kakashi muttered.

"Put it in my mouth."

"Oh. Okay."

Zabuza gripped the weapon in his teeth and ran forward at Goto. Several of the mercenaries stepped forward to cover their boss but were either sliced or kicked out of the way by the stampeding ninja. After a few seconds Zabuza stood before Goto.

"I'm going to die here, Goto, and you're going with me. Hell is a great place they tell me. Full of demons like myself. I'll fit right in, I expect, but you… you will be in torment for the rest of eternity. And I'll be right there to watch." He swung his head around and sliced three times through the man's chest, then kicked him into the ocean. Goto's screams stopped suddenly when he hit the water.

Collapsing, Zabuza rolled onto his back and stared at the sky. He watched as team seven approached him, including… "So he wasn't dead after all."

"Nope. Just knocked out!" Naruto beamed as he slung an arm around Sasuke who was leaning heavily on Sai's shoulder.

"I'm glad. Haku… wouldn't have wanted to kill him. He was… always too kind hearted." Zabuza's words surprised everyone. "What will… happen to him?"

Kakashi spoke in a kind voice, "We can take him to Konoha with us. If he wants, he can become part of the village."

"He'd like that. But… you might have trouble convincing him in the beginning." Zabuza coughed and a large quantity of blood spilled from his mouth. "Look after him… he… deserves better than this. Than me. Tell him… I'm sorry… I never said thank-you…" His words drifted off as his life slipped away.

Kakashi bent down and laid a hand on his forehead. "I promise, I'll look after him."

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**Next week, the mission in the Land of Waves comes to a close and just what is Akatsuki up to anyway? We find out when Itachi makes an important discovery.**

**I watched the anime version of the Zabuza fight a couple times to get the gist of it, then rewrote it to include Sai and the more advanced versions of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura. You'll see more of Sakura's abilities in the next chapter. Remember, they still have all those mercenaries to deal with so I'm going to have Sakura fight some of them. Really, she's the only one left with a nearly full supply of chakra at this point anyway so it does make sense. I don't want her to be useless, I gave her a powerup for a reason and I hope I can actually show it. **

**Oh, and after watching the Zabuza arc – you know it really looks to me like Sasuke is flirting with Sakura, whether he knows it or not is another matter. He just likes to have his ego stroked. He is 11 you know, and despite his reserve wants to show-off and be praised and Sakura fills that void for him. So anyway, I hope you don't think that bit I added to the story was out of character. **

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	27. Chapter 27 A Chilling Discovery

**Last week team seven fought Zabuza and Haku.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Itachi comes back in this chapter – though the first bit is the completion of the fight from last week.**

**I'll try not to do anymore chapters without Itachi in them (did I say that before?)**

**I actually hadn't planned on last week being without him, but I just started writing and that's how it turned out. Actually, the last two chapters weren't so good. Maybe this one's better?**

**The mangas taking a few surprise turns, isn't it? You know, it's really hard (as in nearly impossible) for me to hate an imaginary character, but Danzou has made the list. And you know, it's making me feel more and more sorry for Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura. **

**Please review! Let me know if this chapter is better.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 27 – **

Zabuza's body lay prone on the deck of the bridge, covered in blood and sweat he was only a couple feet from the edge where he had, minutes earlier, kicked Goto into the cold, choppy waves, thirty feet below. Kakashi had promised the dying man to look after his young companion, Haku, who was also lying unconscious on the ground oblivious to his master's passing.

"What a mess." Kakashi finally muttered.

"But… it's good that he'll be coming back with us." Naruto grinned happily as he knelt next to his new friend.

"We don't know that yet." Sasuke wasn't too sure about whether the older boy should be allowed to return with them or not. "He may not want to come or dad may not want him in the village. Shouldn't we check first before bringing him? I mean…"

"It's okay, Sasuke. I know how to deal with this and it'll be my responsibility so don't worry about getting yelled at." Kakashi reassured his student, or tried to anyway. Sasuke was about ready to collapse himself and his mind was overloaded with stimuli. The Jounin wondered just how wounded the boy was and glanced at Sai, who was holding him up.

Sai nodded and when Sasuke refused to sit down he pushed him down, grabbed a leg and dragged him over to where Haku was. "Stay here. Wounded are easier to protect if they are in one spot."

"They're also easier to kill." Sasuke muttered as he laid back and let Naruto place a make-shift pillow fashioned out of a jacket under his head.

Tazuna, who was still trying to calm himself down from the adrenaline rush of seeing a ninja battle spoke hesitantly, "I'm not sure I should say anything, but I don't think you should take that boy with you either. We have a jail here… if you want…"

Kakashi answered, "You couldn't hold him. For good or ill, it's best if we take him with us. We have actually recruited many ninja in similar circumstances so we can deal with it."

"I was." Sai replied. "My brother and me… from Water country…"

Sakura interrupted, "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Sai."

He smiled, silently telling her it was okay, "Itachi found me and my brother. We were living on the street using jutsus to entertain for money or steel for food. I heard what Haku told you earlier about his family. I think I can understand a bit… maybe… what he feels…"

"What?" Sakura gave Naruto a confused look, she hadn't been able to hear anything from the dome of ice Haku had created for their last battle.

Naruto sat down on the ground and put his head in his hands, "He said his father killed his mother and tried to kill him because they had a blood-line limit. He instinctively activated his ice-jutsu and killed him then lived on the streets until Zabuza took him in."

Sasuke lifted his head, "That's what it's like there? Itachi and his girlfriend told me a little of their trip but…"

"Any description you may hear, Sasuke, the reality is ten times worse." Sai declared, his smile disappearing. "But I think we should continue this conversation later, when he awakens. A lot of it is going to depend on how he feels, no matter what we think, he may just want to disappear somewhere else."

"True enough." Kakashi admitted. Despite his promise, he had no intention of forcing the teen to do something he didn't want to do. But then again, he didn't want to break his promise either and he decided to get Haku back to the village even if he had to knock him out. The issue might be easier to deal with in Konoha once the young ninja saw what a village really was. After living on the streets and under the tutelage of Zabuza he no doubt had no idea what life in Konoha could be like.

"Besides, it looks like Goto's people aren't leaving. In fact, more of them showed up while we were talking." Sakura added, pulling a kunai out the pouch strapped to her thigh.

"Great. I'm about out of chakra." Kakashi knelt down on one knee as a wave of nausea passed over him. "This Sharingan eye of mine uses way too much of it."

"That's okay sensei. I'm still here!" Naruto spoke cheerfully, but his face was nearly white with fatigue, his hands were shaking and he was covered in sweat.

Kakashi knew that after releasing the nine-tails fox chakra the boy should be as drained as he was. "Stand down, Naruto. We'll leave this to Sakura and Sai. They have the most chakra left. If they can't handle it then we'll back them up."

"But…"

"Part of teamwork is knowing when to stand aside and let your teammates fight. Besides… someone needs to keep them from trampling over Sasuke and Haku." He glanced at the boys and saw that Sasuke had fallen unconscious again. He stood up and moved quickly to his side. "Sakura, Sai – make sure you inform me if you need help."

"Right." Sakura and Sai moved to face the growing crowd of thugs. They were all hardened sorts who looked like they were either escapees from a mental institution or a prison. They were dressed in various shades of black, gray and brown and adorned with leather, chains, fishnet mesh shirts, sandals, face paint and about a dozen other items. All carried swords and were grinning rather viciously at the two remaining shinobi. Most had scars across their arms, legs and faces.

"Where in the world did Goto dig these guys up?" Sakura muttered to Sai.

"Oh, I've definitely seen worse." Sai admitted, "Maybe he spent so much money on Zabuza he had to get a discount on the rest of his gang."

Sakura laughed in spite of herself, but straightened up quickly and raised her voice so everyone could hear, "What are you still doing here? Your boss is dead, you can leave now."

"Well, you see," A man, about six feet tall with long red hair and pale white skin spoke up, "Goto hadn't quite gotten around to paying us yet and we figure that town over there has to have something worth pillaging."

"And we're bored." This time it was a woman who spoke up. She stepped forward, as if challenging the two shinobi to contradict her.

"Then we're going to have to make you leave!" A young boy's voice drifted over the bridge, causing team seven and Tazuna to open their eyes wide in shock. Behind them was Tazuna's grandson, Inari, and about a hundred able-bodied men and women carrying anything they thought could be used as a weapon. Sticks, blocks of wood, kitchen knives, garden tools, and few even had swords and crossbows. Inari himself was armed with a small crossbow used by children to train with and a kitchen wok had been strapped over his head, no doubt Tsunami's doing, although perhaps Inari had thought it up himself.

Speaking of Tsunami, Tazuna was surprised to see his daughter standing next to her son, looking worried, but defiant nonetheless. He smiled as his chest warmed with pride and relief at their presence even though he knew he should be afraid for their safety and order them to leave. Not that they would listen if he did.

"You came!" Naruto called out.

"Heroes always come at the last minute!" Inari laughed.

"Well, let's get this started then." Sakura called out and rushed forward to attack, Sai close on her heals.

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The battle was almost finished before it started. Knowing that their adversaries were civilians Sakura and Sai set out to incapacitate instead of kill, although the remnants of Goto's "army" didn't know that. A few ran when the two shinobi started their attack, but the rest laughed indignantly at the thought of two children who barely came up to their chests besting them in a fight. How wrong they were.

Sakura's first act was to cast a Genjutsu. Quickly forming signs with her hands she made eye contact with one man after another, making them all think the bridge was collapsing. Sai used the opportunity to punch and kick them into unconsciousness.

The townsfolk surged forward as well, but a couple men who appeared to have some experience with fighting rushed forward ahead of them and engaged the henchmen on the fringes. Others pulled out ropes and started tying up those who had fallen.

"Sai!" Sakura rushed through more hand signs then pulled a kunai, her current adversary, the woman who had earlier said she was bored, knew how to break out of a Genjutsu, "I'm going to be busy with this one for a bit!"

"Got it!" Sai pulled a short sword from a holster on his back and turned it around so that he was using the dull side of it. This allowed him a greater reach and he burst his way through about three people who had decided to gang up on him.

Sakura gazed intently at her adversary, sizing her up. The woman was perhaps around thirty and had muscles bulging out of her exposed arms and legs. Unlike the rest she appeared to be carrying no weapons. Sending out her chakra she sensed that the woman was not a kunoichi – which meant she would tire easily in a fight. Jumping forward, Sakura aimed a kick after kick at the woman, only to be blocked every single time. Keeping it up, the girl watched as her adversary started to breath heavily and slow her reactions.

'Too bad she's not a kunoichi, I could just kill her right off and be done with it.' Sakura thought to herself. The fight wasn't exerting to a shinobi as she had her chakra reserves to draw upon to increase her endurance. Civilians had no such power, and even though the woman seemed resistant to Genjutsu, that had more to do with the way the mind was "wired" at birth than chakra so it likely wasn't something she had been taught. Sakura knew the moment the woman reached her limit and smashed her across the side of the head, knocking her out instantly. The whole fight had lasted about five minutes. Pretty good for a civilian.

Turning around Sakura prepared to continue the battle and instead dropped her hands to her side and blinked in surprise. Her red, split-seam dress swirled around thighs as the wind picked up, as it always did in the early afternoon. "Humph. I turn my back for one moment… what did you do Sai?"

Sai, and the two townsmen who had rushed in to help were surrounding the remaining thugs, about twelve, all of whom were on their knees with their hands in the air.

"They just surrendered." Sai, as always, understated the situation and Sakura gave a short laugh as several other townspeople rushed forward to tie them up.

Looking over the edge of the bridge Sakura watched as seven boats full of people rowed off into the distance. "I guess we're done then." She glanced at Zabuza and froze. "Wait… did he just… he…" She pointed a finger at the corpse and yelled, "_He just breathed_!"

"That's impossible!" Kakashi was at Zabuza's side in an instant. "Probably just expelling breath. Corpses do that. You die with your lungs full of oxygen, you know." He bent over the man and placed his ear against his chest.

"_I know that_!" Sakura stated petulantly. "But I saw his chest rise and fall! Twice!"

"The stubborn bastard. He's still alive." Kakashi sat up with a wide grin on his face. For some reason, this made him happy. "Sai, contact the village. There should be some black ops around here somewhere. They can take him back to Konoha for treatment. The village here can treat Sasuke and Haku without any problems, but Zabuza is too badly injured."

"Yes, Sensei." The boy used a jutsu to disappear.

"So how are they?" Sakura nodded at the unconscious boys.

"They're fine. Haku is severely chakra depleted and will sleep for a couple days. Sasuke lost a lot of blood and I gave him a soldier pill but he'll need a transfusion later. I also suspect he has a concusion, if that big bruise on his head is any indication."

Tazuna walked over and draped an arm around Kakashi, who was now standing. "This experience has been quite an eye-opener. For me and my family. For now, let's just get you all back to the house to rest. The townsfolk will clean up here."

Kakashi slung Zabuza over his shoulder as he ordered a perimeter to be erected around the sword as it would attack anyone but its user if touched. Two men picked up the injured boys gingerly, being careful not to jar any injuries. Naruto was chatting away excitedly with Inari and Tsunami was fussing over Sakura, getting her to promise to teach a couple of her moves to some of the women for self-defense – something Sakura was more than pleased to do.

"Sleep sounds good right now." Kakashi smiled as he followed everyone off the bridge. Their mission was almost over. A few more days and the bridge would be complete. Then… he had a surprise for team seven waiting back in Konoha and he couldn't wait to give it to them.

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Itachi gazed around the compound with a skilled eye, verifying that Kisame and Sasori were nearby and Deidara was standing at the periphery. Of course they were. If there was one thing that could be said about Akatsuki, it was that they were professionals. Bickering and personal feelings were always put aside once the mission started.

The door creaked softly as Itachi slid it open. Inside was dark and gloomy, just like the other buildings he had checked out that day. The place seemed abandoned, making the four men very suspicious about just what could be going on here. Kakuzu was in the southern part of Wind country, but he had heard that a set of Danzou's accounting books were kept here. That had propelled Leader into a desperate search for the items. He had called in two teams to combine forces to find them.

"This place is too quiet." Itachi mumbled. He rubbed his chest through his cloak and then popped a soldier pill in his mouth. He had caught a cold, but even though it hadn't been a bad one, it just seemed to linger on. His chest was very sore and his throat felt like he had a lump in it every time he swallowed. The soldier pills kept him from coughing and sneezing – something you definitely didn't want to do when you had to be quiet.

They had speculated earlier that the compound was actually a trap. But as Akatsuki – an organization composed of S-ranked ninjas – it was unlikely that, if it was indeed a trap – that Danzou's people knew it had been sprung. All four of them were experts at detecting such things, and so far the entire place looked like nothing more than a seasonal home or perhaps even abandoned.

The building he had entered appeared to be the living quarters, however it was small. An entryway with an empty shoe rack led to a hallway lined on both sides with plain tan-colored sliding doors. One was a small living room with a shrine inset into the wall, two were bedrooms, one bathroom and a dining room. It matched what he had seen already. One building was a kitchen, and another contained a large communal sleeping room. This building must be where the lord or commander lived. But still, there was no office.

Stepping back into the hall, Itachi considered his options. The books would likely be hidden, he had already assumed that. Closing his eyes he focused his chakra on his hearing, increasing its range. Listening carefully he heard something rustle slightly in the smallest bedroom. Opening the door again he peered in with his Sharingan. Night had fallen and the room was pitch black. While he could see chakra easily with his kekkai genkai, it did not give him night vision beyond a series of differing shades of gray. Useful if you didn't want to bump into anything, but in this instance it was useless.

Pulling out a small flashlight he flicked it on and a dim red light illuminated the room. It was a color that allowed the eyes to retain their night vision without blinding them and it could be overlooked at a distance. He searched for the source of the rustling and saw the lower end of a wall hanging billowing softly. Getting on his knees he pulled out a small box from and inside pocket of his black and red cloak and opened it. Very gently he extracted a small piece of tissue paper and shoved the box back into his pocket.

Eyeing the direction of the billowing fabric he moved the tissue paper over the floorboards in the direction of the wind. The paper fluttered slightly as it came into contact with a very small bit of wind. Placing his hand over the spot he could barely feel the air passing between the boards. He sat back on his knees for a minute before standing up and exiting the building.

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"I found a hidden room." Itachi informed the others a few minutes later.

"Are you sure it isn't just air from the raised foundation? Un." Deidara asked quietly. It was traditional for building to be built one to two feet above ground, rendering the underside empty of anything but weeds, bugs, snakes and mice. This often created drafty rooms if done improperly.

"I looked under the building and the center of it extends down into the ground."

"Then do you want to open it? I can send a couple of my clay spiders down to spy, un."

"That would be wise." Itachi agreed. He led Deidara into the building while Kisame and Sasori stood guard outside. Reaching the portal the two teens carefully knelt down on the floor. Itachi quietly worked a very thin, strong knife into the gap until he found the spring that opened the door. It popped open a couple inches, causing them to tense up for a minute as they waited to see if anyone or anything was going to come out at them. When nothing happened Deidara silently released four clay spiders into the hole then crossed his legs and forced himself to relax and enter a meditative state.

Itachi sat back and patiently waited. He had seen Deidara use this jutsu on several occasions and knew that it took time for the creatures to move. They could even be used in the dark, although, like with his Sharingan, they could only see in shades of gray.

"Finally." It was ten minutes before Deidara spoke, "The descent is straight down via ladder, un. My spiders used the wall of course, un, but the bottom is a huge room. There's light down here but it's dim. One wall has a row of cells and… above that, un… is another row of cells… it goes back up for a total of four stacked rows, un. It looks like forty cells. No sound, though. It's very quiet. I'm sending one spider to see what's in them." Deidara was quiet for a few more minutes, "There is an office here by the ladder and there's a man in there reading. The books must be in that room, if they're anywhere."

"It's a good place to start." Itachi agreed.

"Oh. The cells have corpses in them and… un." The one eye not hidden by Deidara's scope opened wide in shock and he broke the connection. "The bodies are horrendous, un! It looks like something from a horror movie! Five arms, multiple heads, hairy back… something very evil is going on here."

"Anyone else down there?"

"Not that I saw. There didn't seem to be any other, un. We'll see more when we get down there, of course, un."

"Hn." Itachi thought for a minute. Human experimentation was the dirty secret of the shinobi world. It was how new kekkai genkais were created and old ones reverse engineered. Cruel and merciless, people of all ages were subjected to horrors that the teen could only guess at. And one name stood above all the rest.

"Orochimaru."

"Him?" Deidara scowled. "Are you sure?"

"No. Not until we get down there. Let's pass this on to the others. I want Kisame to come with us and Sasori will likely want to send one of his puppets. Leader wants that man dead about as much as he wants to get his hands on Danzou."

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The cavern was large and the four ninjas looked around cautiously as they descended the ladder. Sasori had opted to go himself instead of sending a puppet and Itachi and Kisame had watched fascinated as a boy of about fourteen or fifteen exited the large beetle shaped puppet he rode around in. However, they quickly realized that the "body" Sasori was using was just another corpse puppet. Deidara spoke up and said it was Sasori's body, making the red-haired cherubic teen-ager seem more like a lead character in a horror film.

According to plan, Itachi and Kisame made their way to the small office while Deidara and Sasori moved over to check the cells out for survivors or anything else that caught his eye. Silently they peered in through the half-opened door at the middle-aged man, red-haired man perched comfortably on a cushion in front of a small table. several ledger-sized books, about the size of A4 paper. Dressed traditionally in a pair of tan hakama pants and an olive green yukata he looked for all the world like an ordinary civil servant taking a break.

Itachi kicked a pebble in the direction of their target and caught the man in a Genjutsu as soon as he turned his head. His eyes glazed over as his face took on a neutral expression.

"What is your name?" Itachi asked emotionlessly.

"Atsuho Itsuki."

"Show me your tongue." Atsuho stuck out his tongue, clearly displaying the rectangular seal Danzou had ordered applied to all his followers to keep them from talking. Itachi dropped the Genjutsu.

"Shit." Kisame muttered under his breath. "Well he's useless. Shall I kill him?"

"Hmm? No… we'll just take whatever books we find here and leave. If he knows what's good for him though he'll disappear before Danzou finds out the stuff he was guarding is missing."

"There's nothing here, boys." Atsuho replied matter-of-factly, mistakenly assuming they were there to steal something valuable like research papers or jutsus. "The place is shut down. Has been for a while."

"Hey, guys." Deidara returned and stood behind them, leaning against the side of the door opening. "Those bodies are decomposing."

Sasori continued, his voice had changed and he sounded more like teen than a grouchy old man, "Given the temperature, humidity and a few other variables I estimate the corpses are about a year old."

"But why don't they stink, un?" Deidara asked.

"A jutsu." Atsuho explained. "Can't work down here if I'm gagging all the time, now can I?"

"Guess that's obvious." Deidara muttered, suddenly feeling very stupid.

"So was this place Orochimaru's?" Itachi asked.

Atsuho smiled, "That was my guess, although I have to admit I haven't a clue. I really don't want to do any investigating, if you know what I mean. Pretty ghastly if you ask me. But it pays well. All I do is stay down here and read mystery novels all day and night."

"It would have to." Kisame agreed.

Itachi continued, "What is your job here?" Atsuho was behaving far too friendly – it was disconcerting.

"Just sit here. Sometimes people come and look through those book and write in them."

"What if we were to take them? What would you do?"

"Go ahead. No one told me to stop you – or anyone for that matter."

Kisame grunted, "That makes absolutely no sense at all. Now answer the question, what is your job here?" He slammed Samehada on the ground, cracking the rock floor.

Sasori spoke up, "You can either answer, or I'll do a little surgery on your brain and pull out the answers. And I won't put them back when I'm finished."

Atsuho sighed, "Akatsuki, huh? Itachi Uchiha, son of the Hokage of Konohagakure is a member of a criminal organization. Sounds like a nice little scandal, if you ask me. And let's see… Kisame Hoshigake, a member of the swordsmen of the mist and accused of assassinating the Daimyou of Water country. Sasori of the Red Sands, murderer extraordinaire, you have overthrown entire governments with your army of puppets but for some reason you never stay to reap the rewards. And last but hardly least is Deidara of Iwa – celebrated artist of his village people still collect your old works of art and despite your defection, the last piece sold for over one million ryou."

"I'm honored, you know our names." Kisame started to grind his teeth in anger, "Now what are you doing here? Why did Danzou post you down here?"

"Oh, that's where you are wrong, master Kisame. Danzou isn't the one who put me here." He smiled toothily as he "popped" out of existence.

"Clone." Deidara kicked a rock across the room. "The real one must be nearby. Can I go look for him?"

"No." Itachi surprised everyone with his declaration.

"Let's just grab the ledgers and go back to the house. Who cares about that nobody." Sasori stated matter-of-factly.

Itachi huffed when he saw the annoyed look on Deidara's face, "We don't care of Danzou knows we were down here or not. We just need to look in these books."

"But he said they aren't his, un." Deidara argued. "He said Danzou didn't send him down here."

"Orochimaru did." Sasori said quietly. "But that mark on Atsuho's tongue was Danzou's. I really wish Kakuzu had handled this himself."

"You're sure it's Orochimaru?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, Itachi."

"Humph. Orochimaru and Danzou are working together."

Kisame strode forward and started pulling books out of a bookcase and handing them to Itachi, who would take a quick look and either discard it on the floor or hand it to Deidara to hold on to.

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"You got quite a haul there." Sasori commented dryly when they finally reached the surface.

"Too many." Kisame agreed. "Let's get back to the house. The sooner we review these the sooner we'll finish."

"Why can't we just send the whole lot back to Leader, un? Why do we have to review them, un?" Deidara grumped. "Tobi or Zetsu would pick them up if we asked."

"Can't read a ledger?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Of course I can. That's how I know it's going to be a pain in the ass! Do we even know what he's looking for, un?"

Kisame tilted his head, "He's got a point. On the other hand, I am curious. You can skip it if you want, Deidara. But I want to see what's in these."

"Fine. Just tell me what to look for then, un." Deidara threw his arms up into the air in resignation. He knew he was going to loose the argument anyway.

"So you know accounting?" Kisame changed the subject as they began walking up the hill leading out of the small valley the compound was in.

"Yeah, I was… Kakuzu's unwilling student for a month a while back. I was convalescing and he made me work on his accounting stuff, un. It was the most boring thing I have ever done in my entire life, un."

"Suitable punishment for nearly blowing the both of us up." Sasori added, almost cheerfully.

"I said I was sorry." Deidara mumbled.

Itachi was surprised at this new information. It meant that instead of letting Deidara die, Sasori had actively sought medical attention for his badly injured partner. Anything that would take a month to recover from must have been life-threatening. To a ninja, anyway. It also meant that if he was put in a position where he would have to attack them, he might have to separate the team first. Unless, of course, he used his most powerful jutsus – but that was something he was saving for Madara.

Reaching the small house they quickly split the books up between the four of them. Itachi took his to his room while Kisame and Deidara stayed at the table and Sasori parked his puppet body in the living room. The large, fat cat that had been following Deidara around had taken up residence on the dark couch and stared at them with a bored expression. Neither moving nor twitching a tail he fell asleep a couple minutes later.

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Midnight found Itachi sitting on his bed, the last book open in his lap and a magnifying glass firmly planted over the rows. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he scanned quickly down the page. The books had been divided by date and the set Itachi was reviewing was from three months ago. They mostly detailed the day to day operations of an organization – payroll, utility payments, tax collection, and miscellaneous expenditures related to running Fire capital. However, something kept coming up. It was an expense related to a winter storm that had struck the southeast corner of Fire almost two years ago.

There area in question was next to the water and usually had a mile climate, but that winter had been very brutal. On three separate occasions temperatures had fallen so drastically that coal, firewood and heating oil had run low and emergency supplies had to be provided. Snow accumulated on roofs and after several days of thawing and re-freezing it turned to ice, collapsing buildings and ruining businesses and storehouses. Itachi had seen the devastation firsthand, but he also knew that by the following autumn, everything had been repaired and the region had recovered.

So why were expenditures still being made to rebuild the province? Large expenditures. A new high school in a northern province was constructed for just under two hundred thousand ryou, yet the one in the south cost two million. And that was just one example.

It was obvious that the unfortunate events of two years past were being used to funnel money to someone. And it looked like that someone was Orochimaru.

"Itachi? Would you like something to eat?" Kisame called out from the other side of the door.

As much as he wanted to say "no" he knew that if he refused Kisame would open the door and talk him into eating anyway. As he slid the magnifying glass into its leather pouch the door opened and his partner strode in.

"It would be easier if you wore reading glasses, Itachi." Kisame stated in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"Humph." He stood up and walked past his partner and into the dining area. His eyesight had become worse, and while Kisame was right, and he should wear glasses, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, his father didn't need glasses and he was using his Mangekyou Sharingan as much as Itachi was. It was ingrained into his very soul to show no weakness in front of his father, and surely the elder Uchiha would consider glasses just such a weakness.

Kisame had opened up several cans of stew and a pot and bowls were sitting neatly in the middle of the table. Deidara was already helping himself and, of course, Sasori never ate. Spooning a serving into his mouth Itachi winced in pain as he swallowed a chewed up vegetable. He wondered if he had caught some other virus and it wasn't a cold at all. After a couple more attempts to swallow vegetables and one of meat he gave up and just spooned the broth into his mouth. Oddly enough, that was almost just as painful to swallow as the solid food had been. Bowl half-empty, Itachi stood up and returned to his room. It was pointless to eat any more. Fifteen minutes later he was fast asleep.

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"You alive in here?"

Itachi was awakened the next morning by a rather petulant looking Deidara who was leaning on the doorjamb wearing a pair of shorts and carrying a fishnet shirt in his hand. He looked like he had just woken up.

"Kisame said to find out why you aren't up yet, un. It's noon and…" He turned around and yelled gleefully into the living room, "Kisame! I think he's dying! You got a shovel, I'll dig the grave!"

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Kisame's angry voice got louder as he approached the room, "Jeez Itachi, you do look like your dead." Reaching down he placed a hand on the teens on face, "That's quite a fever too. Guess it wasn't a cold after all. Deidara?" Kisame turned around and was surprised to see the young blond missing.

"He said he was going to go look for a shovel." Sasori stated calmly. "Personally, I think you should make him dig the grave with a teaspoon."

Kisame rolled his eyes and shook his head, but the image of the belligerent boy digging six feet into the ground with a spoon was too much for him and he started laughing. "That's good, Sasori. I'll remember that."

"I'm fine." Itachi cleared his throat several times, but the words barely came out. In addition to a fever he had laryngitis. Walking into the kitchen he grabbed a ceramic cup and filled it with cold water from a pitcher.

"Zombies have to be beheaded." Deidara commented as he walked back into the house and spied Itachi up and moving around. The teen gave him a dirty look as he sat down at the table, but chose not comment.

"Did you find a shovel?" Kisame asked, amused.

"Yeah. Just say the word and I'll start digging!" He gave everyone a big smile as he joined them at the table. "Did you see this yet, un?" Deidara passed one of the ledgers over to Itachi and opened up a book-marked page.

Itachi drank his water and tried to clear his throat several times as he squinted at the page. Usually he could read if he did that, but today the book was one big blur. "I have a headache," he lied, "what's it say?"

Kisame grunted, silently reminding Itachi of the conversation the previous evening. Closing his eyes, Itachi realized he wasn't going to be able to get away with his little ruse for very much longer.

Deidara, however, was clueless and retrieved the ledger. "My books were from four years ago. This section details the monies paid to Orochimaru, although it doesn't actually say his name it's still pretty obvious. It's millions of ryou."

Itachi straightened up in his seat, eyes open wide in shock. Danzou was working with Orochimaru that far back? But why? The man they had thought was Danzou back during the coup had an implanted Byakugan eye. Was that Orochimaru's work? He needed to get back to Konoha and tell them what was going on. But first…

He cleared his throat again and whispered, "What did Leader say?"

Kisame answered, "Zetsu will be here in a few hours to collect the books and Kakuzu is on his way to Rain to begin reviewing them. Leader didn't give any opinions on the matter, except to reiterate the already standing order to kill Orochimaru on sight. Other than that, the mission is a success and its over. We can all go our separate ways. Except for Deidara here, who has a meeting in Stone village."

"Stupid Kage." Deidara muttered. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because you're a charming, polite, and well mannered young man who will represent Akatsuki in a positive and straightforward manner." Kisame stated firmly.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Ha! Leader is using Akatsuki to run missions for other countries at discount rates. It's the same spiel you gave several other leaders. They like you kid. Your cute, forthright, and have a winning smile."

Deidara looked at the blue man sideways, "Kisame, you're scaring me."

"If it wasn't for the fact that you keep blowing stuff up and your awful temper you could probably sell used ox carts."

"I'm out of here. I'll go pack now, un. Can I leave the cat here for a few days? I'm coming back this way after the Stone thing, un, and there's someone I want to give him to." Deidara looked around and saw that the cat was, once again, sleeping in "his" spot on the couch.

Kisame laughed, "Sure. Don't see as how it could hurt anything. He probably won't even know you're gone. He'd have to wake up for that."

"True enough!"

For some reason, Itachi felt a chill run up his spine and as he turned his head to look at the lazy, fat, orange tabby resting calmly on the couch. The animal lifted its head and gazed directly into his eyes and… Itachi shook his head.

'Cats don't grin.' The teen said to himself.

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"I'm going your way for a while." Kisame stated as they prepared to leave the cabin. He had left a window partially open so the cat could come and go. Despite its lazy demeanor the animal had provided them with several dead, partially eaten rodents over the last few days.

"Hmm? Why?" Itachi whispered. It was three hours later and his voice was still showing no signs of returning.

"Because if you drop dead on the way I'll be given a different partner who will probably annoy me. Assuming Leader and Madara don't gang up to kill me first."

"Ah! You're my babysitter." Itachi whispered bitterly.

"Their idea, not mine."

"But… before…" Itachi hadn't meant to say anything, it just slipped out.

"When you had chicken pox?" Kisame frowned. "Just accept it as an act of goodwill and leave it at that."

"I never paid you back."

"And I said I'd let you know how to pay me back when the time comes. You worry too much, Itachi. Don't fret over it so much, I promise I won't ask you kill your mother or anything like that." Kisame laughed good-naturedly, "Now come on. Konoha's still a ways away and I'm not carrying you this time so you better stay conscious."

"I'll do my best." Itachi smiled.

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**Next week, Itachi enters the hospital and team seven returns from their mission.**

**I couldn't decide whether to kill off Zabuza or not. I may still do it. But then again he's a very powerful ninja and I keep thinking of ways to include him in the plot. Either way, he'll at least make it to the Konoha hospital. Haku will also be going to Konoha, but he definitely lives.**

**Okay, Orochimaru is coming back into the story. He's such a great villain. **


	28. Chapter 28 Sasukes Burden

**Last week Team 7 wrapped up their mission in Water country and Itachi discovered that Danzou has been funneling funds to Orochimaru for several years.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Wow, I didn't think so many people liked Haku so much, but he is pretty cool, isn't he? He'll show up again in chapter 30, working with Itachi.**

**And…The guy Itachi fought and killed during the coup that they thought was Danzou had a transplanted Byakugan. They still haven't figured out how he got it, and the body disappeared anyway so they don't even know who he really was. Danzou himself is still a mystery in this story, but, yeah, there is something under that bandage…Of course, those of us who read the manga could probably guess what xD You know, when I was planning that scene I was thinking it was probably a Byakugan or Sharingan. He's too mysterious for it to have just been an empty eye-socket. At least one of my crazy off-the-wall theories was sort of right.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 28 – Sasuke's Burden**

"Lord Hokage?" A tall, brown-haired man with a beard and a cigarette hanging off his lower lip stuck his head through the open door.

"Asuma. Your Genin finished their mission, I take it?" Fugaku replied without looking up from his paperwork.

"Yes. It went well. But I was at the hospital checking up on a friend and as I was leaving, Itachi was being led in by a large blue man with a rather imposing sword. Kisame Hoshigake according to the Bingo book."

"What's wrong with him?" Looking up quickly he failed to hide the shock that displayed on his face. His first assumption was that his son had been injured in a fight. His second assumption was a little darker.

"There was no blood but he was leaning on that guy and sweating. It looked to me like he was sick. Poison maybe? Anyway, I'll have my report later. I just popped in to tell you what was going on." Asuma turned around and left the office, bursting at the seams with curiosity over why Fugaku showed no concern over the presence of an S-ranked missing ninja in the village, or why Itachi of all people would be in his company.

Fugaku took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was not a good time for Itachi to get sick, but he had to admit that from here on out, it would be happing more and more often. Standing up, he called his aid to tell him where he would be and with an air of resignation, made his way to the hospital.

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"Thank-you for bringing him here. I know you didn't have to." Fugaku replied as he walked into the private hospital room and noticed Kisame leaning against the wall, staring as his sleeping partner. He had foregone the Akatsuki cloak, wearing only the blue pants and shirt that was the standard uniform of the organization. As it was of a style similar to what Shinobi usually wore he didn't stand out as much.

"On the contrary. Itachi is apparently very valuable to Akatsuki and leaving him to die would not be in my best interests." Kisame responded truthfully, then changed the subject. "So this is the illness I heard about."

"Dr. Yakushi confirmed it. I spoke with him before coming here."

Kisame rubbed his face and sat down, "That Yakushi looked sicker than Itachi. Can you trust him?"

"Yeah. Are you staying long?"

"Humph. No. Hadn't even planned on coming this far, but Itachi started having trouble breathing a couple hours ago. Thought it would be a good idea to make sure he actually checked into the hospital. Knowing him he would probably go home and try to sleep it off instead. Do you know why he's so important to Madara?"

"Haven't got a clue. I don't think Itachi does either." Fugaku admitted reluctantly.

"That's not a man you want breathing down your neck."

"True. By the way, you were partnered with Zabuza?"

"Yeah. Cocky little bastard. What's he up to?" Kisame grinned, showing several white, chiseled teeth.

Fugaku gave a small smile of his own. "Follow me."

"He's here?" Kisame stood up, shocked.

"My other son went to the land of Waves on a low ranked mission and his team ran into Zabuza. Kakashi killed him – or so he thought. ANBU brought him and his sword here." Fugaku led Kisame down the hall, down three flights of stairs and into a secure area of the hospital. Fifteen ANBU stood around a bed where two healers and three assistants were currently working on the tall swordsman. His arms and legs wore new bandages and a blue glow hovered over his chest as the medics attempted to heal the extensive internal damage the patient had suffered.

"Huh. That's him all right. Why are you healing him? Isn't he in your bingo book?" Kisame could see over the heads of the ANBU who, despite the presence of the Hokage, did not break position.

"It was a request from Kakashi. We're not busy right now so I saw no harm in granting it. We can always kill him later."

Kisame laughed, "That's true enough!"

Fugaku led him back out of the room and into the empty hall. For security purposes the secure wing was kept clear of anyone who didn't have direct business with the patients, thus reducing traffic considerably.

Kisame leaned against a wall and smirked, "I doubt he knows any more about Madara than Itachi does, Fugaku."

"So you guessed _my_ reason for keeping him alive. Well, I still plan on questioning him. Though I'm pretty sure if he did know something, Madara would have killed him himself."

"That's a pretty safe bet. I mean, Madara didn't even bother to show up in Mist until after Zabuza's failed coup, he was that sure it would be a bust." Kisame pushed himself away from the wall and glanced down the hall. "If you would be so kind as to escort me out of here I'll be on my way."

Fugaku stood in back of the hospital, watching Kisame fade into the distance. The Akatsuki ninja had been waiting in Itachi's room to speak with him, Fugaku realized. The statement about how important the teen was to Madara, while delivered off-hand was a warning. Kisame wouldn't be the only one hurting if Itachi died. Fugaku would also find himself on the wrong side of Madara's wrath.

However, Fugaku had turned the tables to a small extent. He had taken Kisame to see Zabuza. One of the only men to ever go up against Madara and survive. Albeit indirectly, but somewhere in that man's memories had to be something Fugaku could use. And now Kisame would no doubt go straight to Madara and report what he had seen.

"You may have the power of life and death over us right now, Madara, but slowly and surely we will take that power away from you. Even if we have to move an inch at a time."

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Itachi slowly opened his eyes, as feelings of nausea, pain and disorientation washed over him. He barely remembered entering the hospital and he definitely did not remember being put in a bed. Had he passed out? Breathing in and out was still painful, but it seemed a little less painful than before.

"Itachi, you're awake." Kisa sat down on the bed and leaned over, kissing his forehead. "Your fever has gone down quite a bit and they cleaned a lot of gunk out of your lungs. You were coming down with pneumonia."

"Pneumonia?" Itachi's voice was scratchy, but at least the laryngitis was gone. "How did I catch that?"

"Complications from your cold and soldier pills make things worse because when you suppress the coughing your lungs don't clean themselves of excess mucus."

"Oh." Itachi knew there was a risk when using stimulants, but this was the first time they had affected him this badly.

"Your… 'condition'… Dr. Yakushi said this will begin to happen more and more often. You should be careful…"

"Don't worry so much, Kisa." Itachi gave his friend a big smile and she blinked twice in surprise before returning it.

"I'm sorry. It's just… We got word that Sasuke was almost killed on his mission and then you show up like this… If I lost either of you… I don't know what I would do…" Kisa wiped a tear from her eye.

"Wait! Sasuke was injured?" Itachi pushed himself up and grabbed his friend's arm.

"Yes! But they treated him in Wave and he's fine now. He and his team came back last night."

"It was supposed to be a low ranked mission… no danger…" Itachi was interrupted by Fugaku, who walked quickly into the room.

"We can talk about that later. For now, did you find those books you went after?" Fugaku was all business as he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"I think you should wait…" Kisa started to speak.

"It's been three days since he got back…" Fugaku was interrupted by a rather surprised Itachi.

"Three days!"

"Your report? I don't have all day, you know." Fugaku ignored his son's surprise.

"Oh. Okay." Itachi related everything he had seen and a feeling of dread settled over him as he once again relived the discovery of Orochimaru's abandoned lair, the hideous monsters lying dead within and the money Danzou was funneling to the snake sannin.

"Any idea where Orochimaru is?"

"None."

"I see." Fugaku stood up and clenched his fists as he walked over to the window. "Kisa, go tell the doctor Itachi is awake. I want to know when he will be released. Then send a message to Mikoto and give her an update."

"Of course." She stood up and silently left the room without looking back.

"Sasuke will be participating in the upcoming Chuunin exams. I do not believe he can pass, but Kakashi is insistent. In fact, all the rookie Genin are participating. I can't explain it… but I have a bad feeling about this. I was about to refuse his application when I remembered the problems you had… when the council refused to allow Uchiha from participating because they feared us."

"So you are putting your political needs ahead of Sasuke's safety?" Itachi wasn't surprised at the news and his voice held no accusing tone in it.

"Yeah. Some things never change, I guess. But it is very important that he participate. For both the clan and the village."

"How long until the exam begins?"

"Six days." Fugaku walked towards the door, but paused just as he was about to open it, standing with his back to his son, "You… it's started Itachi. Yakushi said that the first signs usually aren't this bad. This isn't good. The clan elders will be pushing for you to step down as my heir. However, Sasuke's injury during his last mission did not sit well with them and he was badly chastised for it."

Itachi frowned, "Was it his fault?"

Fugaku avoided the question, "They are comparing him to you, forgetting that you are a genius the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades."

"I will provide my own heir. Sasuke does not need to bear that burden."

"Itachi…"

"Sheeta will…"

"Itachi!" Fugaku turned around, yelling his son's name.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Humph." Fugaku snorted in derision.

"There are fertility jutsus, are there not?"

Fugaku's face visibly paled, "Think very carefully about what you are suggesting, boy. You are over fifteen now, a legal adult in the eyes of Fire country and Konoha, but that status does not automatically come with wisdom. If you alienate Sheeta, you will regret it. Don't forget what happened with Mikoto and I."

Itachi nodded and laid back down, "How do you really feel about it? As leader of the Uchiha clan and not as my father?"

Fugaku gulped once, realizing his son had just backed him up against a wall, "As leader of the clan… I support you of course. Passing your genes on… your kekkai genkai abilities… it can only strengthen us. But… Itachi, are you really looking at the clan or are you thinking only of your brother? You think of the two as separate entities, but Sasuke is a part of the clan. He will marry an Uchiha woman and continue the lineage. He isn't a piece of glass to be kept on a shelf and protected."

"I… admit I don't think very often of the clan… I used to see them as arrogant and introverted, but after the coup and Danzou… I began to understand how and why they act the way they do."

"Think about that some more, then. I've got to get back to work. Remember, your reasons should be Sasuke _and_ the clan, not Sasuke _or_ the clan."

Itachi nodded as his father exited the room. It was just two little words. "And" versus "or". But it made a world of difference. He realized he wasn't just playing with his own life or Sheeta's or Sasuke's, but the entirety of the clan. They were people too, with feelings, concerns, and hopes for the future. They looked to their leader to protect them from the threats of the world as well as give them a sense of belonging and family. He had heard the words a thousand times in the last sixteen years, but now, he thought that perhaps he understood what it meant to take them seriously.

Sighing he stared at the white ceiling and thought about what he was about to do. He had sworn to provide an heir so that Sasuke would not be burdened with the role of clan chief. In reality, what he should be doing is providing the clan with an heir that would be strong enough to defend them and stand up to any rivals – Danzou for example – and in so doing he would, by default, protect his brother as well. And if that person was Sasuke… then despite the burden that came with the position, his brother would be happy as long as the clan thrived.

But… he had to admit… he wanted a baby with Sheeta. He had thought about it so much since declaring his intentions to his father three years earlier that dying childless was no longer an option for him. And his second chance. His father had saved him from making a terrible mistake back then. Otherwise, Sheeta would be dead right now, rotting alone in a grave and he would be in Akatsuki full time, wandering the world with no hope and no future. As he wondered what kind of a person he would have become he closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

"In six days the exams begin. Mother and Sasuke will be out of the house. Father will leave if I ask him, or at least I have a feeling he will. Before then… I will make my decision…"

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The last thing Itachi wanted to do after getting out of the hospital was attend a meeting of the Uchiha clan elders. Unfortunately, they had other ideas. The meeting was held in the main house and all the elders, Fugaku and Sasuke were in attendance, as well as a handful of other clansmen. Fugaku sat in front on a small dais overlooking everyone. Itachi and Toshiro sat directly in front of him and Sasuke parked himself behind his big brother. Kisa and Sheeta stood in the back. Itachi snuck a glance over his shoulder and wished he could join them. For one thing, when the yelling started he would be closer to the door.

Sasuke was very jumpy and cringed visibly whenever someone addressed him. Itachi wished he could sit next to his brother, but status-wise it wasn't appropriate. Technically, the younger boy was a member of the side branch and not allowed to mix with those of higher status during official functions.

"Let's start this meeting." Fugaku spoke loudly and the room became instantly silent. Dropping his voice to a normal level, he continued. "The Chuunin exams begin tomorrow. Sasuke is participating on behalf of the clan and Konoha. There will be no favoritism shown him during the judging and if he fails, then so be it. The responsibility is his, and his alone. Is this understood?" There were scattered voices affirming his words, causing Itachi to wonder if someone had approached his father about favoritism. It was probably to be expected. On the other hand, that could make it harder for the boy. If Fugaku was so dead set against showing favoritism he might judge his son harder than the others.

Fugaku continued, "The Uchiha clan will be in the spotlight this time around because there are so few children in the clan. Many more people will be attending the final match than usual and Sasuke will be the main attraction – should he make it that far, that is."

"He'd better make it that far." And elder, a man in his eighties spoke up angrily. "You've coddled him far too much for his own good. He is nowhere near where his brother was at that age. Itachi would have won that fight in Wave country and not gotten a single scratch." Several people echoed his sentiments.

Glancing behind him he saw Sasuke staring at the ground with such a look of anger on his face that Itachi actually stared for a few short second before turning his attention back to the front of the room. He had to admit, he had never seen a look like that on the boy before. In fact, Sasuke rarely lost his temper. He was more open with his feelings and tended to let off steam a little at a time.

"What do you know?" Itachi was broken out of his thoughts when Sasuke's voice interrupted the elder's criticism. "You weren't even there! You never even asked for my side of the story!"

"That is unnecessary. A loss is a loss." A different elder spoke this time.

"Really?" Sasuke stood up, fists clenched tightly at his side. "Well, Haku is here in this village now. I challenge you to fight him instead of just sitting around and criticizing me!"

"Sasuke, you are out of line. Sit down." Fugaku's stern reprimand made Itachi cringe inwardly.

"No! Not until they back off!" Fugaku used a flicker move and instantly appeared next to his son. Raising his arm he slammed it down heavily across the boys shoulder's knocking him to the floor. Sasuke started to get up, but Itachi moved quickly and put a hand over his brother's head, pushing him down into a kowtow.

"Apologize, Sasuke." His calm voice increased the tension in the room until it was so thick it was stifling. The seconds ticked by and the boy made no sign of speaking. Itachi tightened his grip until he saw Sasuke cringe, "Apologize."

"No."

Fugaku bent down to grab Sasuke, but Itachi moved quickly to stand in front of him. Looking directly into his father's eyes he spoke to Sasuke. "Apologize, and this will all be over."

"It's not my fault! They started it!" He waved at the old men who were sitting on their mats various expressions of disgust and disbelief written on their faces.

"You are correct," Itachi replied, further shocking everyone, including Fugaku who opened his eyes wide in surprise, "but they are still your elders and proper protocol demands that you, the junior, take the blame."

Sasuke bent forward and placed his forehead on the ground, "I'm sorry you're all idiots."

The silence was absolute.

"You think you are going to get away with that?" One of the elders asked, this time it was a woman.

Itachi and his father were still staring at each other, but the expressions on their faces had turned from defiance, to surprise, and finally to a small measure of respect. Even with Fugaku's forceful personality, he would rarely go up against his council. Preferring instead to guide their thinking to his own opinions though discussion rather than orders. Both had known that Sasuke was one to speak his mind, but this level of forwardness was definitely an eye-opener.

"Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact. Because I have to go to some stupid exam in the morning so you all can save face!"

Fugaku nodded at someone over Itachi's head and too late the teen remembered that Toshiro had been sitting next to him. Turning around, he watched as the older man reached out with his hand and grabbed Sasuke by scruff of the neck and slammed his face onto the wooden floor. Blood splattered out and several people gasped, shocked that he would do such a thing.

Slowly, Sasuke sat up, both hands covering his face. His nose was bleeding profusely and there was a large gash on his forehead that was dripping blood into his eyes. Sheeta raced out of the room, returning a few seconds later with a wet towel. Kneeling next to the boy she wrapped one arm around him as she cleaned his face. He leaned on her shoulder and Itachi could see tears dripping out of his eyes.

"Was that really necessary?" Itachi asked angrily.

"Yes." Fugaku stated arrogantly. "Apparently I have been too soft on the boy, but that ends now. I will not tolerate disobedience or temper tantrums. Sasuke, if that's the way you behave on missions, then I can tell you right now you _not_ cut out to be a Chuunin or a ninja. Itachi was twice the person you were when he was eleven, he would never have behaved like that. Think about it."

Itachi cringed as he watched his brother trying desperately to stifle his sobs as he held on tightly to Sheeta's shirt. Fugaku knew that comparing Sasuke to his elder brother was akin to stabbing him both in the heart and the back. Sitting back down next to Toshiro he could feel his own anger rising up, but oddly enough he found it was directed at the elders instead of his father or Toshiro. A small minority of them were manipulative, mean-spirited and tended to live in the past, and they were the ones who spoke up the most and the loudest.

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"I hate them." Sasuke muttered morosely. He had met up with his older brother in the park after the first exam and they two boys were sitting on a bench secluded by several bare trees and shrubs. The grey, overcast sky had threatened rain all day, but as evening began to fall none had appeared.

"They are difficult to like, aren't they?" Itachi responded. "If it makes you feel any better, they are very old."

"And will probably outlive us both so don't pull the 'they'll be dead soon' argument on me. I'm not that stupid."

Itachi smiled, "Apparently not."

"I'll never be good enough, will I?"

"Don't say that. It's just…"

"Don't defend them Sasuke. I heard what they said. I'm not learning fast enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not smart enough."

Not really knowing how to reply, Itachi stayed silent and focused on a small black ant who was trying to lift a discarded potato chip. It was much smaller than the other ants, probably newly hatched.

Sasuke continued, "They never bug you. Why is that?"

"They do. It's just… over the years…"

"They beat you into submission and now you bow your head to their ever whim. Some great clan chief you're going to make." The sarcasm was not lost on Itachi and he reflexively clenched his hands and fists.

"I'm not like that. You have no idea what I've gone through so don't make assumptions."

"Well, you're putting up a pretty good act then."

Itachi clenched his teeth together and spoke in an over-calm voice, "Sasuke, I know you're upset right now, and you have every right to be so I'm not going to take that personal. But please don't make presumptions about my past. There are a lot of things you don't know about and I'm…"

"Save your breath. It doesn't matter anyway."

"Sasuke…" Itachi wondered what he was supposed to say to that. He truly did not want Sasuke to know about his early training, the conflicts with their father, and the missions that had scarred his life, but he also knew that without that knowledge his little brother had no choice but to assume that Itachi's life had been like his own. It was human nature to think that way.

"So… what don't I know about your life?"

"I thought you just said you didn't want to know?"

Sasuke was quiet for a few minutes, "Why are you the way you are?"

"Why…am I…"

"You were tricked by that Danzou guy into trying to kill us. I know that much. You were a double agent for a while. And you leave on those mysterious missions. Those guys in the black and red cloaks that saved us from Root were friends of yours. What are they? Who are they?"

"They…" Itachi actually felt a burst of pride at his brother's deduction.

"Ha! You don't have an alibi thought up, do you? You know, you could always tell me the truth."

"I'd rather think up an alibi and answer you later." Itachi laughed and Sasuke joined in a minute later as the mood lightened a bit. "Let's get back. Kisa wanted to make you, Naruto and Hinata a special dinner before your foray into the Forest of Death begins tomorrow and we don't want to be late."

"Let's go then! Kisa's a great cook. You know, I'm looking forward to the next test. A week away from the elders will be such a relief."

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"Big brother?" A boy's voice interrupted Itachi's sleep and he sat up as Sasuke and Naruto slid open the door and entered his bedroom. It was still dark, but according to the clock the sun would be rising in thirty minutes.

"What is it? Are you leaving now?" Itachi noted that both boys were dressed for a week in the woods. The November weather was turning cold and they both wore long sleeves, thigh-length pants and bandages were wrapped around their lower legs to keep them warm.

Nervously, Naruto poked his two index fingers together, "We… were wondering if you could do us a favor…"

Sasuke also seemed nervous as he moved from one foot to the other, "Yeah. It's just that… we sort of…"

"Found a cat. And if you could…"

"A cat." Itachi interrupted as a sudden feeling of dread settled over him. Sure enough, a large orange tabby walked into the room and jumped rather un-gracefully onto the bed and stared at him. He pointed a finger at the animal and yelled, "You!" The cat gave a single meow and dropped down onto his side.

"You know him?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"How did you get this cat?" Itachi was now wide awake and contemplating the murder of one blond, pony-tailed artist-turned-ninja.

Naruto answered, "We got a message a few days ago. It was pretty cool, this white bird thing flew in and gave it to Sasuke. It was from a friend of yours, you know, the one who saved Sasuke. He said his name is Deidara."

"So the message asked us to come out into the woods and he gave me the cat. He said it was a get well present. I told him it was two years ago that I got hurt, but he said he found the cat and needed to give it to someone and he had wondered how I was doing anyway so… yeah. That's how we got the cat." Sasuke sat down on the bed and started petting the animal, who promptly turned over to expose his tummy, purring loudly.

"Does father know?" Itachi wondered why they were keeping the animal hidden.

"Um… We figure Fugaku wouldn't mind, but Mikoto will get mad if we have a pet." Naruto explained.

"True. She hates cleaning. Maybe Hinata…"

"No! It's my cat and I want to keep it. You see… if we take care of it then when mom comes back we can show her that the house is still in one piece and she'll let us keep it."

Itachi sighed and dropped his head down onto his hands. "Fine. I'll watch the cat while you're gone. What's his name?"

"Tama."

"That's original."

Sasuke ignored the jibe and gave his brother a big smile, "Thanks Itachi!"

"Yeah! We were afraid you'd refuse because you're so busy all the time." Naruto added.

"Boys? Are you watching the time?" Fugaku called up the stairwell.

"Coming!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled as they dashed out of the room. Fugaku entered a couple minutes later.

"So they pawned it off on you, huh? I was wondering what they were going to do."

"Yeah, well… you're not going to throw it out?" Itachi suddenly realized that their father had known about the cat all along.

"No point. That's up to Mikoto. Frankly, I don't care one way or the other."

"Do you know where the cat came from?"

"Huh? I just assumed it was stray they picked up around town somewhere. Why?" Fugaku was suddenly on guard.

"Deidara."

Fugaku let out a long breath, "That's not good."

"I think we should tell them about Akatsuki. Sasuke is already starting to figure some things out, and Naruto…"

"Yeah. I've been contemplating the same thing. Especially with the wedding in a few weeks. Sasuke will be in contact with Madara and… I know Madara wants his… wants Sasuke." Itachi quickly noted his father's reluctance to refer to Sasuke as Madara's son. Fugaku scratched his head and turned around, "This is something for me and your mother to discuss. Something… we should have talked about years ago."

"All right." Itachi lay back down as his father exited the room. The cat boldly stood up and strode over, looking the teen directly in the eye. "What do you want?"

"Meow."

"Deidara really hates me, doesn't he?"

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**Next week Team 7 enters the Forest of Death, but an ominous fate awaits them there. Meanwhile, Itachi has the house all to himself. **

**Sasuke is having a hard time and Itachi and Fugaku are taking his feelings too lightly. He's more like a normal kid and neither of them have much experience with that; they're trying to treat him like an adult. This isn't going to go well.**

**I know, there hasn't been any Madara in a while… After the Chuunin exams he'll be back when everyone goes to Mist for the wedding. In the meantime, Orochimaru is pretty fun to play with, isn't he?**


	29. Chapter 29 The Snake and the Beetle

**Last week Itachi learned that his illness had taken hold, and was progressing faster than expected. Sasuke got into an argument with the clan elders and lost.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs.**

**I started playing Sims 2 (got a copy from a friend who upgraded) and man is that addictive! My Itachi sim bought a candy store and is arguing with customers instead of selling, Madara sim picked up Karin after Sasuke told her to get lost and they had a baby. He then divorced her and kept the kid and now Sasuke is kicking garbage cans and walking around depressed because he doesn't have a girlfriend. He's trying to hit on Sakura but she's with Deidara and only wants to be friends. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but for some reason I can't stop playing xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. We don't know yet who owns Sasuke, but its been narrowed down to either Madara or Danzou.**

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**Chapter 29 - The Snake and the Beetle**

The heavily overcast sky drizzled a soft mist of rain as Itachi made his way through the damp autumn streets of Konoha. Morosely, he tilted his head and let the rain fall over his face before opening a tall gate and entering the garden surrounding a large traditionally constructed house. Kabuto stepped out just as he got halfway to the front door, dressed in his ninja gear and obviously in a hurry.

"I just heard… when did it happen?" Itachi stated as his childhood friend joined him on the garden path.

"Last night, just as his shift was starting. Father just… he collapsed and they couldn't revive him." Kabuto's face fell and a tear escaped from one eye. "He's been sick for years and no one could get him to take any time off. I thought he was in remission – that's what he told me – but his doctor said he was lying to me to keep me from worrying too much."

"I'm really sorry. He was the best healer since Tsunade."

"And a great father. I'm very lucky he was the one who adopted me. And he let Yota live with us… until he was killed…" Kabuto's voice drifted off.

"Kabuto…" Itachi's voice trailed off and he lowered his head, gazing guiltily at the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the teen's hands were trembling.

Kabuto dropped his voice to a whisper, "Sasori didn't order me kill him, Itachi. It was multiple tumors. Every time they removed one another popped up. This was going to happen no matter what. The fact that it happened now… I guess there is no good time to die, but perhaps… oh, I don't know what I want to say."

"You still going to participate in the Chuunin exams?"

"Yeah. Father would be seriously pissed off if I didn't go… but it will be hard. My teammates too… they really want to pass this year and I can't let them down. The funeral is later today, a friend of his is handling the arrangements for me."

"I'll be sure to attend. Well, I don't want to keep you." Itachi watched as Kabuto took off at a run. Following at a slower pace he made his way back home.

About half an hour after Sasuke and Naruto had left a messenger had arrived at the house for Fugaku, bearing bad news. Dr. Yakushi was dead. The man had been such a huge part of Itachi's life that he was having trouble wrapping his head around the fact. The healer had been invaluable to the health of the various kekkai genkai clans in Konoha, and his discretion was invaluable. Itachi figured the healer had probably known more about the Uchiha's blood-line limit than he did.

Halfway to the house Itachi stopped when a familiar face popped into view. "Jiraiya. Haven't seen you in a long time."

"Yeah, well, been busy doing research for my new book."

Itachi thought the man sounded a little down and he gave him a curious look. "Humph. So what are you up to?"

"Not much. Heard my godson was in the exams this year. If he makes it to the third exam I wanted to be here to see it. And…" His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"I'm going to steal him for a while from Fugaku after the exams finish. I think I found Tsunade and I'm going to use Naruto to get her to come back."

"And?" Itachi had a feeling there was something Jiraiya wasn't telling him.

"I heard he wanted to take Naruto with him to Mist for the wedding. I can't allow that." Jiraiya locked eyes with Itachi.

"It wasn't a definite thing. But finding someone willing to watch over him while we're gone has been nearly impossible and you know after what happened during the coup Fugaku doesn't want him left on his own."

"Yeah. It's got to be hard on the kid. But I thought long and hard about it and I decided that I needed to take a more active role in his life."

"Have you talked to Fugaku yet?"

"No. He's busy today, so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Was he looking forward to the wedding?"

"Not really. Naruto feels like an outsider at clan activities and doesn't really like to go to them. He only does because Sasuke and sometimes Hinata are there."

"Is Hinata going to Mist?"

"Yeah. Three Hyuugas have already been assigned as body guards for the trip. She's going on her first official visit to a foreign village as clan leader." Itachi gave a short laugh, "I'm pleased to hear you will be watching over Naruto."

Jiraiya dropped his voice, "Are you being pressured to collect his demon yet?"

"No. I don't know what happened, but after we sealed the first two Leader suddenly ordered us to hold off. And right now he's obsessing over Danzou for some reason."

"Hmmm. That can't last forever. Well, I'd like to stand here and talk to you all day, but the hot springs open in a few minutes and I've got research to do!" Jiraiya threw his arms into the air exuberantly and disappeared.

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The dark green foliage and moss blended together as trees larger than office buildings and thorny plants sharper than a kunai and more dangerous than a cobra rose out of the earth to heights unknown. The canopy of branches and fir needles covered the sky so effectively that one could easily imagine that it no longer existed, and many who had spent long periods of time in the forest had even found themselves forgetting how bright the sun could be.

The three teammates walked silently through the undergrowth, pushing branches away from their faces and brushing bugs out of each other's hair. They did have a small bit of excitement shortly after entering the forest when a single Rain ninja attempted to disguise himself as Naruto and steel their scroll. The ruse had been so poorly executed that Sakura had broken down in fits of laughter while Sasuke beat the shit out of him. Naruto had emerged from his "potty break" behind the bushes a few minutes later and when he asked what was going on with a straight face, Sasuke found himself unable to hold back and joined Sakura, falling to the ground laughing. It had been quiet since then.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto stopped walking and squatted down. "You look like your thinking of something."

Sasuke stopped walking and stood with his back to his two friends, "When Itachi took the exam his team took out all but one other team. We can't do that, can we?"

"No." Sakura replied, "But you're not Itachi and no one expects you to be."

"The elders do."

"Oh." Sakura already knew that, after all Sasuke had explained to them, in detail, how he had gotten the bruises that covered his nose and forehead. "Well…"

"I really dread the end of this exam. I'm beginning to wish I hadn't entered. It's just… it's just one more way for them to prove that I'm not as good as my brother. I wish I could just disappear sometimes." Sasuke dropped to the ground and leaned back on his hands. "If you guys weren't here I would just fail on purpose and be done with it."

"Sasuke…" Sakura sat next to him and took his hand, forcing him to sit up. "I... I wish I could help. But quitting just to prove you're a looser isn't going to make things any better."

"That's right Sasuke! You should work harder and then when you do become great you can shove their words right up their ass holes."

"Yeah! Otherwise the rest of your life you'll hear them say things like 'I told you so'." Sakura smiled broadly, but it quickly turned to a frown when Sasuke refused to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry. My clan isn't like yours. We aren't organized and we don't have rules or anything. It's more like a regular family even though we call ourselves a clan. I don't even live with them, I live with Ino. I guess I just don't understand what you're going through."

"Its okay, Sakura. Naruto's right. I need to work harder. I already knew that of course, but… whenever they start yelling at me… and now that Itachi is sick I know it's going to get worse. I feel like… working harder isn't enough. There has to be something else I can do as well. Something that will make me stronger."

"Why do you want to please those jerks anyway? Why can't you just ignore them?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know… I just… I can't ignore them. Everyone listens to them, no one contradicts them. Even Itachi took their side. I bet he thinks I'm really weak too. He's just too nice to say it out loud."

"Sasuke… I didn't know you felt that way…" Sakura gasped as Sasuke suddenly sat up straight and blushed bright red.

"Oh. I'm… ummm. Forget it. I didn't mean to say anything." Extremely embarrassed at exposing his feelings like that he suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to hide and beat his head against a tree.

Naruto gave a short laugh and scratched the back of his head, "It's okay, we won't tell anyone, will we Sakura?"

Sakura grinned, "Nope. My lips are sealed."

Sasuke sighed as the color in his face returned to normal, "Thanks."

"But you know, _I_ might say something." A woman's voice, strong, yet sibilant in tone echoed through the small clearing the kids had stopped in, causing all three to turn in surprise. A woman, perhaps in her early twenties and dressed in the garb of a Grass Shinobi stood about twenty feet away from them. "Unless of course, you hand over your scroll."

"Not on your life!" Naruto yelled as all three jumped to their feet and readied for battle.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to play with you until you do give it up."

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"You sure have been watching a lot of movies lately. Giving up on reading?" Fugaku found his son planted in front of the TV gazing listlessly at an old movie. He noted that even though the funeral had ended two hours ago, the teen was still in his mourning clothes.

"Yeah, well… I don't feel like reading right now."

Fugaku sat down on the couch next to his son and grabbed his chin, turning it until he was looking him in the eyes. Itachi tried to pull away, but Fugaku grabbed the back of his head with his other hand and held him still. The fold of skin that formed between his eyes and his nose caught Fugaku's eyes, and he thought about how, sometimes, it made the boy look like an old man. This was one of those times.

"Itachi, your vision… you need to have it checked."

"No."

Fugaku released his son's head and sighed in exasperation. "Tomorrow, ten AM. I already made the appointment. If you don't show up, as Hokage I will remove you from active duty. Is that understood?"

Itachi opened his mouth once and shut it, then nodded. He should have guessed this would happen.

"Here's the scroll you wanted. It is a forbidden jutsu, usually only doctors use it so make sure you don't loose it."

Itachi took the scroll and opened it. It was a jutsu used to override the birth control jutsu, resulting in pregnancy. Virtually the only time it was used was when Kunoichi were sent off to "breed" with strong ninja of other villages in order to increase the gene pool of ninja clans. A hundred years ago that had been a common practice. Now, the act was so rare that most people didn't even know the scroll existed.

"You should just wait another two or three years, though. We have competent doctors here that can treat you…"

"I spoke with Dr. Yakushi before I was released. He said the disease is progressing very quickly and he was quite surprised at the damage already showing up in my lungs. It will spread to my heart. I can wait two or three years, but… then…"

"You wouldn't have much time to spend with your family? Is that what you're thinking? Itachi…" Fugaku didn't like discussing feelings, and he didn't like to see his son displaying them so openly either.

"Don't worry about it. It's my problem."

"Your mother is going to kill me, you know."

"Yeah, well. Sheeta will probably kill me so maybe we can save the priest some time and have a double funeral."

"Ha! Well I've got to get back. Sarutobi is handling a lot of the details of the exam, but I still want to keep a hand in it. I'll be staying at the tower in the Forest of Death tonight so you'll have the house to yourself."

"Still have a bad feeling?"

Fugaku rose from the couch and sighed, "Yeah. Can't shake it. Something is wrong. I keep wishing I had sent you in to trail Sasuke. I'm sure it's just that I'm over-protecting him. This is the first time he's been alone."

He smiled, "He'll be okay. He's a strong kid. He's an Uchiha after all." As he watched his father exit the living room Itachi shuddered involuntarily. His mother had said the same thing before Sasuke had gone of on his Wave country mission – and he had been attacked by a Jounin level ninja and nearly killed.

"It's just one thing after another isn't it?" Itachi spoke to the cat in a defeated voice.

"Meow."

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"So you're going to make this hard?" The Grass Kunoichi spoke calmly as she reached up to her face and used her fingers to open one eye. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were instantly caught in the strongest Genjutsu they had ever experienced. Fear overwhelmed the trio as, laid out before them, were their own violent and bloody deaths.

Naruto screamed, a high pitched, blood-curdling screech that sent dozens of birds hurtling towards the unseen sky in a desperate attempt to escape. Dropping to the ground he buried his head in his hands, trembling violently. Sakura dropped down onto her knees and gazed straight ahead, eyes wide open and tears streaming down her face. She could feel the horrendous ripping that rent apart her chest, exposing her vital organs and spraying blood in an arc over her head.

Sasuke watched in horror as his own death played out before him. Fear ate up his conscious mind as he struggled to dispel the Genjutsu. No matter how he tried, he couldn't break out. Slowly, he moved his hand toward his kunai and in one deft motion pulled out three knives, throwing two to distract the Grass Kunoichi and one which he promptly used to stab himself in the leg. Dropping down to the ground in pain he grabbed hold of Sakura and Naruto as the Genjutsu fell apart.

"Sasuke, you're hurt!" Sakura stretched her hand out, but quickly drew it back when she saw how badly she was trembling.

"So my prey is smarter than I first thought." The woman laughed, "But can you escape the predator's next move?" As she disappeared, the three Genin jumped up, landing on a branch about fifty feet above the forest floor.

"Where did she go?" Naruto started scanning the area as Sakura hugged herself, trying desperately to recover. Glancing over her shoulder she grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and pulled him around.

Sasuke found himself face to face with the largest snake head he had ever seen. Panicked, he jumped up into the air and threw several throwing stars, striking it in the throat and sending it spiraling onto a nearby tree.

"It's dead." Naruto breathed a shaky sigh of relief. However, his relief was short lived. As Sasuke landed next to them the trio watched in horror as the woman broke through the skin of the snake and stood upright in the middle of its remains. The carcass fell away, making a sickening "splat" sound when it reached the ground.

"Ha ha ha ha! What will my prey do next?"

"No matter what we do… she's more powerful!" Sasuke was close to whining, but in his fear he didn't feel any shame over it. His instincts were kicking in, and they told him to stay alive at all costs. "We'll have to give her the scroll!"

"No way!" Naruto yelled. "Not on your life!"

"But it is our life!" Sasuke yelled back. "If we die then who cares about the stupid scroll!"

"We can get another one, Naruto! Just let him give her the scroll." Sakura was feeling much the same way as Sasuke and she put her hands together, instinctively begging her friend to see reason.

The Kunoichi laughed, "It is the way of the prey to offer up something equally precious to the predator, hoping they can escape."

"Here!" Sasuke pulled out the scroll from his hip pack and tossed it into the air. As the Kunoichi raised her hands to catch it a streak flew by, intercepting it.

Landing next to Sasuke, scroll in one hand, Naruto raised his fist and punched his friend for all he was worth, "When did Sasuke become a coward? Huh? Just what is going on with you?"

"Give him the scroll, Naruto!" Sasuke screeched.

Naruto screeched back, "Coward!"

"Naruto, Sasuke watch out!" Sakura screamed as a second snake, this one larger than the first dropped down over the top of them. Jumping off the branch in three different directions Sasuke found himself targeted as the large reptile bore down on him at a tremendous rate. Just when he thought it would strike, Naruto jumped in front of it, holding it back with his body. Staring into his eyes, Sasuke saw that his friend had changed. The whiskers on his face were more defined, his eyes had turned a dark shade of red-orange and the chakra emanating from him was darker.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered, his voice failing him.

"When did my friend become a coward?" Naruto hissed. "Is this the person you wanted the elders to see? The person they think you are?"

Sasuke blinked, as if waking up from a bad dream. If he gave in then all he would do was prove that he was weak. He would never be able to stand before his clan as a proud, strong ninja and… "I made a promise three years ago when I found Itachi was sick that I would protect him and his family when he became too weak to do so himself. I had forgotten… I… I can't go back on my word. No matter what I must be strong!"

Naruto was suddenly snatched by a long tongue and pulled up into the air. Sasuke saw the woman's lips moving as she spoke quietly to the blond boy. Raising her hand, fingers forward, she thrust them onto Naruto's belly, sending him flying. He bounced off a tree, only stopping when a kunai Sakura threw caught his jacket, leaving the unconscious boy dangling precariously over the forest floor.

"What?" Sasuke blinked in surprise over how quickly the woman had taken out his friend. Glancing back at Sakura to verify her position he leaped up into the air to prepare an attack of his own. He reaching into his pockets and pulled out several tiny exploding tags and as he dropped down in front of her he threw them then fell to the ground, feigning exhaustion. She walked closer, gazing at her "prey" with an amused smile. Meanwhile, Sasuke was counting down and when he reached zero a small explosion caught the hem of the Grass Kunoichi's skirt, making her trip.

Momentarily distracted, Sasuke used this opportunity to spring back up into the air and pull on several nearly-invisible wires that were now attacked to the woman's body – via the tags. He jumped around the tree and pulled, dragging the Kunoichi with him.

"The triple Shuriken windmill attack. Very good." The woman was now firmly attached to the tree. Sasuke landed several feet away and executed a Phoenix Fire jutsu that caught his prisoner in a burst of fire. A horrendous screech filled the air as she burned alive. However, it was followed by laughter and a strange cracking sound.

The grass kunoichi was burned to a crisp, but what they saw next was much more terrifying. Hands extended up out of the charred mouth, followed by arms, a head and a torso. Soon, it wasn't the Grass Kunoichi standing before them, but a man dressed in the same garb. The man had white pasty skin, long stringy black hair and purple paint outlining his eyes. His mouth was held in a sneer and his eyes seemed to draw them in with their lust for power.

As he spoke, his voice changed from a woman's to a man's, "Truly you are his brother. A born Uchiha with all the power imbued with that bloodline. Indeed, I do believe you eyes even surpass Itachi's." Stretching out his tongue he grabbed Sasuke and pulled him closer. "My name is Orochimaru, and I have a gift for you, Sasuke. The power you desire, I can give it to you. And when this test ends and you have attained the highest score of all, we will meet again."

Sasuke had never felt pain on the magnitude of that which he now experienced as Orochimaru sank his fangs into his neck. It was a thousand times more intense than when he had been stabbed, or beaten up by Haku. He suddenly felt someone at his side, holding him. Vaguely, he was aware that it was Sakura and that she was crying. Vaguely, he was away of his own agonizing screams. Vaguely, he registered that perhaps, he was about to die.

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"Lord Hokage, Lord Sarutobi!" An ANBU operative rushed into the Hokage office without knocking, putting both men on alert.

"What's happened?" Fugaku felt the anxiety that had been building for the last week settle in the pit of his stomach as he stood up from the couch where he and Sarutobi had been drinking tea.

"Orochimaru! He's here! In the Forest of Death! Anko confirmed it and went after him. He's disguised himself as a Grass Kunoichi."

Fugaku let loose a string of curses before forcing himself to calm down. "What kind of backup did she take with her?"

"None. But she requested the deployment of two ANBU squads to follow her."

"Give the order then." He glanced at Sarutobi, "We'll go immediately to the tower and wait for her update."

"He can't have Itachi or Shisui, so now he's after Sasuke." Sarutobi spat bitterly.

"Damn it!"

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Itachi's nerves were on edge as he tidied the upstairs living room and his bedroom. He had read through several romance books and watched a few movies, but he wasn't naïve enough to believe that seducing his girlfriend would be that easy. It didn't help either that he was now starting to feel guilty. He had considered coming straight out and asking her to marry him now, but there was no way she would consent to that. He was positive of that. But perhaps he should ask anyway?

"It'll be okay. Quit worrying about it." Itachi tried to reassure himself as he shoved the fertility jutsu scroll into the top drawer of his armoire.

"Itachi? Are you up there?" Soft footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs and Itachi took a deep breath as he exited his bedroom.

"Hi Sheeta you look…" he had been about to make the standard compliment about her looks when he realized that she had completely gone all out. Her makeup was perfect, outlining her dark eyes with beautiful eyelashes and a hint of blush and maroon lipstick. Her long black hair was pulled back and two braids wove their way through the long tresses in an intricate style that must have taken an hour to prepare. She was dressed in a short, strapless red dress that flared out at the hips with a black ribbon that wound around her waist. She was swinging a pair of black high heeled shoes from one finger. Itachi looked down at her feet, bare on the hard wood floor and perfectly manicured.

Gulping, Itachi started over, this time speaking a little more careful, "You look beautiful, Sheeta."

"When you asked me to come over… you said you were alone tonight." She stopped swinging her shoes and blushed. "I… um… thought… we could spend some time together."

'Does she mean what I think she means?' Itachi thought to himself.

"Um… yeah… no one's here. Except me. And you." Itachi cringed inwardly. Those weren't the type of words the men in those books and movies used. He thought he sounded like an idiot.

"Well, good. I could use some time away from everyone. You were really sick, Itachi. I was worried. And you're away on missions all the time so I hardly ever see you. And… um… you look amazing." Itachi was dressed in a long sleeve black dress shirt with a thin red tie and long black pants that went down to his feet. His waist-length hair was tied back with a red leather strap. He stepped into his room and came out a few seconds later carrying a pair of black dress shoes.

"We're going to a restaurant for dinner, Casa Masashi. It's the best tasting five star restaurant in Konoha. Have you been there before?"

"No. Nui told me about it though. I'm really looking forward to it."

The restaurant was very high-class, considering it's location in a ninja village. Decorated in a Baroque style and staffed by pretentious waiters and uppity waitresses Itachi and Sheeta, nevertheless, had a very good time. Of course it helped that, in their positions as heirs to the head family of a clan, they had been taught methodically good manners. They knew what each fork and spoon was for and the name and order of each glass placed in the setting before them. The head waiter was very pleased to serve them and on their way out the chef even came out to meet the handsome couple that the staff was bragging so much about, making them promise to come back again soon.

As they walked back to the house Itachi felt a twinge of regret as Shisui passed through his thoughts. He may not have had a normal childhood, but he was positive that a night like this was something he was supposed to brag about to his friends. He supposed that, technically, with the passing of Yota and Shisui, Kabuto was probably the only friend he had left in Konoha. Yet they hadn't spoken but a handful of times since he had joined Root shortly after making Chuunin. This morning had been an exception. He wondered if he should really even consider the white-haired boy his friend anymore, but it was hard to think of him as anything else.

"What are you thinking about Itachi?" Sheeta asked quietly as they crossed one of the many bridges that arched over the river.

"Oh. Um… Kabuto Yakushi, Yota Hyuuga, Shisui and me used to all hang out together when we were kids. All that's left is Kabuto and I rarely see him anymore. I went by his house this morning when I heard his father had died, that's probably why I'm thinking of him now."

"Yeah. I think I feel that way about Aya. We had a good time and all, but it was different. There was something… a distance between us or… I don't know. Even though we were talking like it was old times, it just felt forced at times. She's changed, and I probably have too."

"Sometimes change is good. If I was the same as I had been when Aya was here…" Itachi hadn't meant to refer to his traitorous plan to kill the clan and clamped his mouth shut in shock.

"Fugaku gave you a second chance, Itachi. Be grateful."

"I am, Sheeta. He and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but… he does his best I suppose. He's had a hard time too. You know, he didn't have any parents to raise him. He lived alone in our house for years until he got married."

"That must have been very lonely. But Toshiro was there. He's older than Fugaku, but they're great friends."

"Yeah." They were both silent the rest of the way home, but it was companionable and held a familiarity that only people who had known each other for years could feel.

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Loosening his tie, Itachi pulled off his shirt and threw it on the couch in the upstairs living room. "Much better." He sighed. "Dressing up for dinner is okay, but I guess I like my ninja clothes better."

Sheeta's cheeks took on a bit of color as she blushed at the sight of Itachi's bare chest. He had started to finally fill out and hard muscle was starting to take the place of the skinny little kid he had been all his life.

"There's something we forgot to do earlier, Sheeta." Itachi moved closer and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Huh?" Distracted she looked up into his eyes and blinked as he lowered his face, capturing her lips with his he quickly deepened the kiss. His hands moved down until they rested on her lower back. Once he was sufficiently convinced that she was distracted his lifted his hands and formed several hand signs. Chakra sprang from his hands and, still kissing, he carefully turned her so she was leaning with her back to his chest. Lowering his hands once again he placed them over her abdomen.

The medical jutsu gave him a heightened sense of awareness as he broke through Sheeta's birth control jutsu and then moved an egg into place, ready for fertilization. The guilt he had been feeling all day reached a crescendo as he finished. She hadn't noticed anything, or if she did she hadn't said anything or reacted.

Pulling back Itachi remained standing behind his girlfriend and placed one hand on the zipper of her dress and pulled it down and inch. "Is this okay?"

"Um… y…yeah… I mean…" She was blushing a bright red, "We're betrothed anyway… so it's okay even if we aren't married… right? That's what the contract says… or tradition… or… hell with it." In one fluid motion she pulled off her dress and grabbed Itachi's hand, pulling him towards the bedroom. "You only live once. Let's go have some fun."

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"Fugaku… why is there a bra outside Itachi's room? Is there something about him you're not telling us?" Toshiro's voice broke through the late morning fog that swirled around Itachi brain as he struggled to wake up.

"He's special, Toshiro, but until recently we didn't know how special."

"What's going on?" Sheeta whispered. In her sleep she had wrapped herself around Itachi and her head was resting comfortably on his chest.

"He's a cross dresser." Toshiro sighed.

"Oh god." Itachi whispered back in exasperation. "What are they doing here?"

"I thought you said no one would be here?" Her whispered panic made Itachi smile. It was very cute.

Fugaku continued, "Yes. We tried to hide it, but… it's just too hard."

"Sheeta U." Toshiro said slowly. "I thought only nerds wrote their names on their underwear?"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god!" Sheeta was panicking now. "Why did I throw my bra outside into the hall?"

"I think I did that, actually." Itachi confessed. "You threw the panties."

"Oh god!"

Fugaku slid the door open as Sheeta dived under the covers. Itachi gazed up at his father with his usual blank expression. "Orochimaru attacked Sasuke yesterday afternoon."

Itachi sat straight up, "Is he okay?"

Sheeta dragged a blanket with her as she also sat up, fear written in her eyes and her face as pale as a ghost.

"Anko tracked Orochimaru down last night. He told her he gave Sasuke a curse mark. The same one she received as a child. She said there is a one in ten chance he will survive."

"No! Please don't let him die!" Sheeta pleaded.

"There is nothing we can do, but wait and see what happens. There is no treatment for this. The bright side is I don't think he would have done that to him unless he thought Sasuke had a good chance of surviving. He's always wanted an Uchiha and he's not about to throw away his one chance to get one by killing him. ANBU found team seven early this morning and are keeping an eye on them. They won't interfere unless it's a matter of life and death, then they have been ordered to remove the kids from the field." Fugaku spoke matter-of-factly but his eyes were tired.

"But what do they consider life and death?" Sheeta grabbed Itachi's arm and hung on tightly.

"More death than life." Itachi replied. Glancing at the clock he let out a sigh. "I missed my eye appointment."

"Forget about that for now. This is the second day of the test; there are three more days. I want you to use your sources to find out any information on what Orochimaru might be up to. While he no doubt is after Sasuke, I suspect there is something else going on here."

"Yes."

"Have you met Haku yet?"

"Yes. The boys brought him by while I was in the hospital." Itachi remembered that the teen had looked worn out and rather down-trodden.

"I want you to team up with him. Everyone is on alert to keep their eyes open for any menace. Haku is currently on a sort of 'parole'. If he can prove himself then I will let him join the village. He seems eager, but his heart's not in it. I want you to take this time to evaluate him. Both Naruto and Zabuza told me that Haku doesn't actually want to be a ninja. After talking to him I have to wonder if he would be happier in the medical corp."

"I'll meet up with him later."

Fugaku turned around to leave, but just as he was closing the door he gave his son a look that Itachi had seen only a few times in his life. Unveiled of the harshness that covered his soul and the awkwardness that ruled his emotions his eyes revealed all the sadness and worry that he kept locked away in heart. Itachi dropped his gaze, knowing full well that he was the cause of some of it. Especially today. As the door slid shut Itachi bent over, putting his head in his hands.

"Itachi…"

"Sheeta… I'm… I want to apologize, but I'm… I'm not really sorry. But I feel really guilty about what I did… I want you to understand…"

"What did you do? Are you… are you seeing someone else?" Sheeta couldn't think of anything else.

"No. Never. It's just… Armoire – top drawer."

Sheeta slowly slid out of the bed and grabbed Itachi's robe, wrapping it around her to ward off the chill. Opening the drawer she pulled out a scroll. Her face hardened as she read the contents. Slowly and methodically she put it back and closed the drawer.

"How could you?" She whispered. "I trusted you. Do you know how hard that is for me?"

"Yes. But…"

"But?" She paused, waiting for him to continued, but he remained silent. "So now we're having a baby." She gave a nervous laugh before continuing, "If you would have asked… I would have said yes. I love you, you know. Why did you have to trick me?" she dropped to the floor as bitter sobs wracked her body.

"Because… I…" Itachi didn't know where to start. His feelings were so complicated that he barely understood them himself. "I'm sick, Sheeta and I want a family with you because… because… I thought three years ago that would never happen. And if I waited I might get too sick to be with you and our children. I want to see them now."

Sheeta gave a short, bitter laugh, "So what you're saying is that you're a spoiled child who couldn't wait to unwrap his Christmas gift."

"We don't celebrate Christmas. We're Buddhists."

"You know what I mean!" Sheeta snapped. "And I had better get a Christmas gift from you this year!" She had no idea why she added that last bit, it was out before she could stop herself.

"Fine. I can do that." Itachi promised. He sat quietly for a couple minutes before standing up and kneeling down in front of the girl. She was sitting dejectedly with her hands in her lap and her face staring at the ground. The sobbing had stopped, but there were still tears leaking from her eyes.

"Is it… is it really that bad?" Itachi asked quietly.

"No. I want a baby. You know that. I just… you tricked me. I don't think I can forgive you for that."

"You don't have to, Sheeta. I made a mistake. I…" he sighed and changed the subject, "What do you want to name him?"

"Maybe it's a 'she'." Sheeta sniffled.

"No, it'll be a boy."

"It's a girl." Sheeta kept sniffling.

"Boy."

"Girl."

"Boy."

"Are you trying to push my buttons?" Sheeta yelled angrily. Her crying had stopped and she was now clenching her fists and glaring daggers at her boyfriend.

"It got you to stop crying."

"Jerk."

"Yeah."

"You'd better get going. I think we should probably worry more about Sasuke right now."

Itachi pulled Sheeta along with him as he stood up and started to walk towards the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Sheeta asked, annoyed.

"_We_ are going to shower before having breakfast."

"Jerk."

"Yeah."

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"Good boy." Fugaku pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and made his way downstairs, where Toshiro was waiting. He had hoped Itachi would tell Sheeta the truth. Deep down in his heart he really hoped that neither one of his sons repeated the many mistakes he had made with Mikoto. And now that Itachi was going to be a father, he prayed he had learned more about how to be a parent from his mother than from him.

"Are you okay with this?" Toshiro had turned serious.

"As clan chief, it's my duty to see that good genes are passed on. As a father… as a father… I really had absolutely no idea what to do to stop him."

Toshiro laughed to lighten the mood, "Wait till Mikoto finds out she's a grandma. She'll give you a few ideas on how you could have stopped them."

"Don't remind me." Fugaku mumbled. He knew he had made a big mistake, but just as he had just mentioned, he had no idea how he could have stopped his son. 'I really fail as a parent, don't I?' He said to himself as he walked out of the house. 'On the other hand… Mikoto will have fun spoiling her grandkid. Maybe she won't kill me too badly.'

"Fugaku…" Toshiro was still standing in the entryway when he called out in a rather uncertain tone, causing Fugaku to stop in his tracks and turn around, "I know you were raised to handle things yourself, and you carried that through your entire adult life… but… the next time you feel pushed into a corner like this, ask for help. Kids can be… raising a kid isn't like running a clan or a village."

Fugaku nodded once and turned around, continuing his trek across the porch and down the stairs before stopping, "Perhaps you are right. But Itachi isn't a normal kid. He never was. And Sasuke… when he learns the truth… I have a feeling no amount of advice is going to help us over that bridge."

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**Next week Itachi and Haku go on patrol and the second exam ends. Also, Sheeta gets devious.**

**Don't worry, Sheeta isn't letting Itachi off that easily. Right now she's just in a bit of shock. I was going to have her storm off and not speak to him, but that doesn't really fit her personality. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't see her doing that. She tends to be confrontational and outspoken, more of the in-your-face type of person. I see her as sticking around so she can make Itachi miserable. **

**(If you don't know by now, "Kabuto" means beetle xD)**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	30. Chapter 30 Fate Moving Forward

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 30 – Fate Moving Forward**

"You're late." Haku was perched on a rock wall overlooking the river in the shopping district. With his hair pulled back in one long pony tail and dressed in light brown hakama pants and a puffy maroon jacket he looked like he was ready to spend the day out in the autumn weather.

"Argument with my girlfriend." Itachi muttered quietly. "Besides, there isn't a lot we can do right now. This patrol is just to appease the visitors from the other villages. No one expects us to actually catch up to Orochimaru. He isn't that careless." He felt pretty useless, to tell the truth. Torn between wanting to run out to the Forest of Death and be with his little brother and following orders, he knew that his father was correct. Orochimaru must have had a pretty good idea what he was doing when he put his curse on Sasuke. Meaning the boy would live through it. But leaving him and his team out in the forest… Itachi didn't feel right about that.

"Ah. I suspected as much. I read his ANBU profile this morning. He certainly is powerful."

Itachi changed the subject, "So how is Zabuza doing?"

"He's healing… but… I don't think he knows what he wants to do. The Hokage offered him a position in ANBU if he behaves himself. Kakashi has been to visit him a few times and is trying to talk him into accepting, but he's been a missing-nin for so long that I think he feels a little constrained. It'll be a couple months before he's fully healed so at least he doesn't have to decide right away."

"Hn." Itachi gazed into the flowing water.

Haku continued, in a more subdued voice, "I'm… sorry about your brother. I guess he got in a lot of trouble because he lost that fight with me."

"Don't worry about it."

"Still… I feel bad. I saw the bruises when I went to wish them good luck before the exam yesterday and Naruto told me what happened."

Itachi sighed, not knowing what or if he should say anything. This boy was obviously far too sensitive to be a ninja and he wondered how he had made it as far as he had. "Fugaku mentioned that you might want to consider being in the medical corp."

Scratching the back of his head, Haku gave a short laugh, "Yeah. He told me that too. It is tempting. I've already studied it somewhat. I had to learn anatomy during my training, and I took it one step further and studied several medical jutsus as well."

"Medics are always needed. It's a hard discipline to train people for. But… we should start patrolling the village instead of sitting around talking." Itachi stood up and gazed around at the open shops and cheerful customers. Even in gray November with the heavens threatening rain, it still managed to cast an atmosphere of lighthearted optimism. It was so different from three years ago when the area was torn up and half the buildings were nothing more than rubble.

Falling into step beside Haku, Itachi thought back to his discussion with Pein. Shortly after Sheeta had left he had pulled his ring out of its hiding place and contacted the Akatsuki leader. It had been short, as neither of them tended to be especially talkative. Basically, Akatsuki had no idea what the snake Sanin was up to but he was very interested in Sasuke – something that instantly put Itachi on guard.

Originally, the fox demon was to have been sealed in Sasuke – that was why Mikoto had been pushed to have a second child. The infant would then have been moved to Rain to be raised by Pein and Konan. Luckily Madara's plans had been thwarted. However… Pein's interest was disturbing. He wasn't one to make idle conversation so when he had asked for updates on the boy's condition Itachi felt he had no choice but to become concerned. Obviously, Sasuke was a person of interest to Akatsuki.

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"Sheeta, it's too early to test if you're pregnant or not. Come back in two or three days." Nui sighed in exasperation. She had been in the middle of her shift at the hospital when her younger sister had practically dragged her into the nearest empty room – which happened to be an exam room.

"I know that!" Sheeta snapped. "You taught me that stuff, remember?"

"The question is, do you remember?" Her anger abated somewhat when she saw a tear leak out of her sister's eye and many different scenarios drifted through her mind. "You were with Itachi… right?"

"Yeah. He… he…" Sheeta tried to keep control, but it was impossible. Breaking down in tears she told her sister what had happened the night before. "I thought… I thought it would be like the movies… I didn't think he would betray me…"

Nui pushed Sheeta down onto a chair as her patience completely disappeared. "This is why we tell you not to watch so much TV. I am familiar with that jutsu by the way, and I also know that there is no way in hell he could have used it without you knowing it. In fact, most women have some nausea or pain afterward. In rare circumstances it's even caused severe internal bleeding leading to death. Seriously, both you and Itachi need to have your brains examined. That jutsu is labeled 'forbidden' for a reason. Even when it was used a long time ago it was mostly for mission-related reasons. Moving the egg like that… it speeds up the cycle too much and the body can't handle it. Normal contraceptive jutsus cooperate with the body, giving you a month to adjust before you can get pregnant. That's why everyone uses those now."

Pulling a chair up next to her sister she sat down as chakra flared up in her hands. Placing them a few inches over Sheeta's abdomen she concentrated on detected the first tell-tale signs of a new life. In spite of her anger she smiled.

"Congratulations, mama."

Sheeta, who had been expecting to get yelled at, or even slapped blinked through her tears as she gazed up at her sister.

"I don't blame you Sheeta. Really, if Itachi wanted this bad enough your cooperation would not be needed. He's that powerful. My point… I guess my point is that you should have known something was wrong. There have been attempts throughout the years to kidnap Uchiha and Hyuuga women and impregnate them – thus gaining a Sharingan or Byakugan child for whatever twisted reason the kidnappers want him for. You have to be more careful. Even if a trait is recessive and requires two Hyuuga parents or two Uchiha parents… the kidnappers don't always know that or think that far ahead."

Sheeta nodded and blew her nose with a tissue Nui handed her. "I felt something… but because I'd just eaten… and I was really nervous… I thought it was just nerves." Taking a deep breath she walked over to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. "Is it a girl?"

Nui groaned, "Don't tell me you're already arguing over the kid's sex?"

She turned away, slightly embarrassed, "I… um…"

"It's too early to tell. But you know…" Nui's eye twinkled with even intent.

"If it's a boy I could tell him it's a girl, and if it's a girl I can tell him it's a boy." Sheeta gave a short, rather maniacal laugh.

"I like the way you think!" Nui declared happily.

"Oh, believe me. That's just the beginning. He will rue the day he ever messed with me!" She started cackling, causing Nui to shake her head in disbelief.

"You really have been watching too much TV." She couldn't help but notice that despite her sister's new-found joviality there were still tears leaking from her eyes.

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"Day two of the exam ended rather eventfully for Sasuke." Fugaku stated as Itachi entered the kitchen after his patrol. It was almost midnight and the elder Uchiha was sitting cross-legged on a cushion in front of the table drinking tea and eating rice crackers. A scroll was laying open on the table in front of him.

"He's okay then?" Although Itachi was sure his brother was fine, any word that could confirm that would be welcomed.

"Yeah. He slept for about eighteen hours. In the meantime Sakura and Naruto were attacked by a team of Sound ninjas. Apparently they know Orochimaru and knew about the curse mark, although they don't know why it was placed on Sasuke."

"The ANBU is still tailing him then?"

"They have been ordered to keep watch until Sasuke reaches the tower and only intervene if Orochimaru shows up. Anyway, it was apparently quite a fight. Sakura and Naruto held them off, but sustained a few injuries. The kind that bleed a lot and look worse than they are from what I heard. Sasuke woke up, saw this, and overreacted."

"Meaning?"

"He activated the curse seal, pulling a tremendous amount of chakra out of it and attacked the Sound ninjas. All three are now incapacitated and resting in the hospital. They are damn lucky to be alive from what I understand."

"Humph. So why didn't he kill them?" Itachi knew that if it had been him, he probably wouldn't have been able to stop.

"Sakura stepped in and… apparently Sasuke responded favorably to her pleas to stop and pulled back."

"Sakura… could do that? How? Was it a jutsu?"

"The ANBU I spoke to said he thinks Sasuke probably has a crush on her, but who knows? Those kids… all of the kids from that graduating class… are very close. It's not something I've seen before."

"Me either." Itachi admitted. He wasn't even sure anymore who the other kids in his class had been, they had made no lasting impression on him. Plus, his graduation exam had consisted of just him and two other kids – Yota Hyuuga and Yuri. It had been a setup because, with the war still going on, the trio was needed to run missions. As far as other teams went, he had been close to Shisui's team – one of whom had taken Yota's place after he died – but that was it.

Itachi continued, "I do know that Sakura has a crush on Sasuke. In fact most of the ten to thirteen year old girls he comes in contact with are in love with him, from what I've observed. He doesn't even do anything and they fall head over heels. He says he hates it, but I think in a way it makes him happy, too."

Fugaku wadded up the empty cracker bag and threw it across the room into the garbage can. "Well, I guess he is getting to that age. I'll have to make sure he understands that he will be placed in an arranged marriage. It won't be good if he complicates things by falling in love."

"Yeah." Itachi agreed reluctantly.

Fugaku creased his brow, worried, "You do understand why that has to be, don't you?

"There aren't enough children in the clan to pass on our genes and the best way to ensure that happens is for two Uchiha's to marry. Also, because we are all cousins to some extent it lessens the impact of inbreeding." Itachi repeated the lesson, in monotone, learned many years earlier.

"A long time ago it wasn't an issue. I do hope Jiraiya really has found Tsunade - we really need her now that Dr. Yakushi is gone. And… I'm starting to get suspicious… we had thought there was something genetic that prevented our clan from reproducing… but…"

"There have been seven babies born since the coup." Itachi re-iterated. "All healthy and without complications even though a couple of the mothers were in their forties. Nui was questioning it as well."

Shortly after Nui gave birth to a healthy daughter, right on schedule and without any problems, the clan took it as a good omen and a mini baby-boom spread throughout the compound. It was perplexing.

A soft scratching sound drew their attention, forcing them to glance at the floor where Tama was batting the wadded-up rice-cracker package across the room with kittenish enthusiasm. He would knock it around with his paws for a few passes until it hit the bottom of the cupboards then pick it up in his mouth to return it to the middle of the room and start over.

"Itachi… that package made it into the garbage…" Fugaku spoke quietly.

"Yeah."

"Did you see him take it out?"

"No."

"There's something odd about that animal."

"Let's serve him for dinner and tell Sasuke and Naruto its chicken."

"We'll have Kisa cook it."

The cat stopped playing and looked up at them, packet still in his mouth. His eyes narrowed and, as if understanding the conversation and determined to express his disastifaction, squatted down and peed on the floor before jumping out of the kitchen window without letting go of his new toy.

Fugaku stood up slowly and shook his head. "That cat really hates you, Itachi. Take care of that mess. If you leave it for Sheeta she'll kill you. For real."

"And what are you going to do?" Itachi wasn't so willing to let his father off, after all he had joined in the joke.

"I think I should have my summons check Tama out. If there really is something fishy it would be better to deal with it before the kids get back."

Itachi doubted Deidara would have dropped the animal off to spy on them. He didn't really trust the mad bomber of Akatsuki, but he understood enough about his character to know that Deidara would never resort to such underhanded tricks. He preferred to fight in the open and use his "art" for information gathering. Since the cat was not made of clay that pretty much left him off the hook. It wasn't a puppet so Sasori wasn't sticking his nose into things either.

"Okay." Itachi sighed in resignation.

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The next two days saw heavy rains and colder temperatures. Several more exam candidates were pulled out of the forest in various states of injury and in the case of one team from Rain, crushed dead. However, none of the Konoha rookies were among them, making Fugaku wonder out loud if he had underestimated his youngest son and the boy was actually going to stand a chance at passing.

"You sure have awful weather here." Haku broke Itachi out of his thoughts.

"Usually it isn't like this…" Itachi was interrupted.

"Oh, I'm not complaining." Haku gave a short laugh, "Just making conversation. You sure don't talk much, do you?"

"No point, I guess." That was the one fault Itachi found with the Haku – he talked too much and expected actual two-way communication. Something the young Uchiha was not used to or good at.

"I get it." It was quiet for a while as the pair made their way through the forest on their way to one of Orochimaru's old hideouts. The cold rain dripped off of the mossy trees onto the ferns and dead leaves below, forming tiny rivulets of water running endlessly into and out of numerous puddles – some of which had become rather large and deep.

The pair moved slowly along a narrow path listening carefully and sensing for other chakra sources. About five miles outside the village the trail narrowed even more until it was about one foot wide as it wound its way around a large stone cliff covered with thick green moss, vines and more ferns.

"His hideout is just ahead." Itachi broke the silence as he stopped to double-check the area.

"The trees are a lot smaller here, normal size." Haku observed, "They look brittle."

"They are. You can't jump on them because they'll break. The water table is right at ground level almost so there is too much water for the big trees to take root. They just fall over after a few years so if you see any they'll be on the ground covered in moss and other plants." Itachi spoke confidently as he started walking again. His thoughts drifted back to Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata. He had brought them along this same trail numerous times for training. It was one of his favorite places, very peaceful.

"It smells nice here, too." Haku took a deep breath, "I can tell you really like it here, Itachi."

Blinking a couple times, Itachi smiled and nodded his head. "I don't get to come here as often as I like. There are a lot of medicinal plants around here as well so sometimes you find herbalists from the village wandering around collecting."

Haku laughed, "Still pushing the med-nin angle?"

Again, Itachi nodded, "You don't have a clan pushing you, Haku. You're free to make your own choices. Not many of us get second chances. We should take advantage of them when they come around. The few times we've discussed it… I can see your demeanor change. It's slight, you are good at hiding your emotions, but not good enough to fool me."

"Ha ha ha! You certainly live up to your reputation. Zabuza was telling me this morning to watch out for you. Apparently he met you a few years back and was quite impressed."

"Yeah, well… I guess back then I thought he was a cocky teenager who talked too much. But he said some things to me that buried themselves deep in my soul."

"He can be blunt at times." Haku admitted. "But… getting back to Orochimaru… who do you suppose those guys up ahead are?"

"Hmm… We're the only ones patrolling this sector and the civilians have been asked to stay in the village until the end of the second exam." Four shinobi were ahead of them, hidden by the winding trail they had yet to come into view.

"Also, didn't you say Orochimaru's hideouts were all under ground? With all this water, shouldn't this one be flooded?" Haku lifted one hand, forming a series of seals that grabbed several droplets of water on the way to the ground, converting them into ice that circled around the smiling teen like a halo.

"Should be, yeah. But he used a mechanical water pump when it was active so if he's back it's possible it could be dry." Itachi watched as Haku sent the ice crystals sailing through the air toward the unknown chakra. They both waited silently for a few minutes as Haku closed his eyes and concentrated. When he finally opened them he shook his head lightly and smiled, "They're only Sand ninja. Probably doing their own patrol. I heard the Kazekage's kids are in the exam."

Itachi breathed a small sigh of relief. "Then let's go check out that hideout. No point in bugging them."

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"Oh. Lord Fugaku, you're home early." Sheeta was sweeping the already-spotless hallway rather absent-mindedly. Her pale yellow dress was covered with a white apron and her hair was tied back with a white scarf.

"It's ten in the evening, Sheeta. Why are you still here? Go home and get some rest."

"I promised Lady Mikoto I would take care of you all while she was gone, of course." Sheeta gave him a fake laugh and went back to sweeping the non-existent dirt off the floor.

Fugaku stepped forward and removed the broom from her grasp, "If you sweep anymore you'll wear out the floor-boards. Now why are you really here?"

Sheeta met his eyes for a second, but when she couldn't read what he was thinking she dropped them back down to the floor. "Your son's a jerk."

"Like father like son."

Not knowing how to react to that without insulting the powerful clan lord she decided to keep her mouth shut. Sheeta had always been a little afraid of Fugaku and it didn't help when Mikoto had told her, rather bluntly, that he wouldn't think twice about knocking her down if she bad-mouthed him the way she did everyone else.

Fugaku spoke again, "Now why are you here?"

"I… think Itachi and me need to talk." Her voice was smaller than usual and she wrapped her arms around her body.

"About what?"

"I… I don't really know." Sheeta admitted truthfully. She had avoided her boyfriend for a whole day, but this morning she had decided that she preferred confrontation and had come over expecting to wait around until he arrived. But as the day wore on she was less and less sure about what exactly she wanted to confront him about. It wasn't like they were poor, or homeless, or without support. The only issue that really kept going through her mind, over and over, was his betrayal. It stung horribly and she had found herself reduced to tears several times.

"You really are too young, Sheeta." Fugaku sighed.

"I…I'm sorry." She didn't know why she apologized.

"Go upstairs and lay down on Itachi's bed and try to get some sleep. He and Haku went to see Zabuza at the hospital so he'll be back soon, probably." Fugaku looked over the girl standing in front of him, and he was suddenly struck with just how thin and frail she appeared. With a build similar to Itachi's and only a couple inches shorter she differed from the boy in that she had remained sinewy instead of building muscles. Where Mikoto was strong and confident, Sheeta seemed weak and unsure. It annoyed him. The girl turned around and started to walk silently towards the staircase.

"Sheeta…" Fugaku called out in a stern voice, "as the future wife of my heir you have a reputation to uphold. Both yours and Itachi's. That cannot be accomplished if you are unable to mask your emotions and stand beside Itachi as a powerful matriarch. As of now, you are no longer a child."

Stopping just short of the stairs Sheeta turned around and gazed at the clan chief as the color drained from her face. "What… I…"

"You were chosen to be his wife because of a shortage of females his own age. However, that doesn't have to be the case. There are other women in the clan still in their child-bearing years as well a branch in Mist. Remember that before you do something you would regret."

"I… would never hurt my baby!" Sheeta gasped, not understanding what Fugaku was getting at.

"Of course not. However, I do sense you would like to hurt Itachi. And while that can't be accomplished physically, you could, no doubt, do severe damage to him mentally. In case you hadn't noticed, he isn't exactly 'normal'."

Sheeta found her nerve and spoke up, "So I should pussy-foot around him? Is that what you're saying? Manipulate him instead of being straight-forward?"

"That does work best when dealing with Itachi, yes."

"I can't believe you just said that." Sheeta nearly whispered, "What kind of a father does that to his own son?"

"The kind of father who knows what his psychopath of a son is capable of."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"Sheeta… are you forgetting what Itachi tried to do three years ago? Or that he tried to kill another kid when he was only five? Or his fascination for spilled blood? Or the many breakdowns he has had throughout the years?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Sheeta wrapped her arms around her torso and realized she was shaking.

"Itachi is the kind of man who puts people on pedestals and worships them. Obito, Shisui, Sasuke, you… He believes none of you can do any wrong and would fight to the death to prove himself right."

"You're playing mind games with me. You're making it sound like I don't know Itachi at all. I grew up with him, remember?"

"You think so? Itachi has a lot to talk to you about Sheeta, but he will, no doubt, take his time about it. Remember… those who worship at pedestals aren't always as saintly as those they revere. Now go get some rest." Fugaku turned around and headed toward the kitchen, hoping he had made an impression on the troublesome girl. While he worried about the reputation of the head family – image was very important to him after all – he found himself worrying more about his eldest son's well-being and he didn't want Sheeta to get in the way of any happiness Itachi could squeeze out his remaining years.

And also… "I don't want to see what happens when he realizes that the people he worships are just as human as he is." The destruction the Mangekyou Sharingan was capable of in the hands of a half-mad Uchiha was not something Fugaku wanted to see. His thoughts turned to Sasuke and the part of the fight he had not conveyed to Itachi. The ANBU who had been observing team seven's fight in the Forest of Death had relayed the words the young Uchiha had uttered as he awakened the seal. Shuddering, Fugaku closed his eyes and cursed Orochimaru for the millionth time. Sasuke had always wanted to be like his older brother. To be as powerful as Itachi and be recognized by the clan. Well, now he had that power, and with it would no doubt come recognition – for good or bad.

"_So powerful… this is the gift he gave me… I will use this… even if I have to sell my soul to the devil."_

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**Next week the second exam ends and the third exam begins. Orochimaru makes an appearance as well. Also, what happens when Mikoto finds out what Itachi has been up to?**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	31. Chapter 31 A Week to Remember

**Last week the Second exam began and Itachi and Sheeta began their first steps towards parenthood.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs, they really are great.**

**Sorry this is a little late. The site was having problems this morning and I couldn't upload. I converted the word doc to html and it uploaded... don't know why it worked but anyway... here it is... **

**Well, it removed all the quotes. I'll get those added back in... Okay, hopefully I just fixed everything. I don't know why they disappeared. I guess the upload conversion program FF uses didn't like them for some reason.**

**Updated again - I just fixed some spelling and grammer mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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The large house was quiet as midnight approached. Well maintained and in near perfect condition there were hardly any of the noises one would expect in a sixty-year-old wooden structure. Outside was another matter, though. Voices drifted up through the partially opened window, indistinct and far away, no doubt someone taking a late night stroll on the lake's beach.

Rain was also dripping from the eaves as a soft mist accumulated on the clay tiles of the roof. The sound was comforting, but Sheeta refused to be comforted. She was lying on Itachi's bed, on top of the blankets and trying to resist the urge to count the wooden slats in the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come, and truth be told, she didn't want to sleep. Itachi wasn't the only person she was thinking of. She was also worried about what she was going to tell her mother and Mikoto. Her father wouldn't care. He was a loyal clansman who would consider her pregnancy a duty she should be proud to undertake and probably go out and buy a hundred different stuffed animals before the kid was even born.

"Maybe I'll have him tell mother." It was cowardly, Sheeta knew that, but she wasn't feeling particularly brave at the moment. She remembered clearly how upset Emi had been when Nui announced her pregnancy two years earlier. The woman had even tried to attack her sister's fiancé.

"Tell them what?" Itachi's soft voice broke the silence as he quietly stepped into the room and switched on a lamp.

"That you're an idiot." Sheeta replied in tired voice. Now that Itachi was here she felt all the worries of the day surge over her, leaving in there wake an overwhelming exhaustion.

"I haven't seen you for a couple days. Did you go to Nui? Are you pregnant?"

"Y…yeah."

"Why did you wait here for me instead of going home?"

"We need to talk."

"You should sleep. You're very pale. Are you feeling ill?" Itachi quickly slipped off his cold, wet clothes and pulled on a pair of red pajamas before switching on the oil heater. "It's also cold in here. You need to be more careful." He adjusted the window so that it was only open a couple inches for ventilation.

"I didn't notice."

"I realize that. I have some extra pajamas if you want to sleep here." He pulled out a long red plaid nightgown and held it up, "I bought it for you because winter is coming and it gets cold in the house."

Sheeta stood up slowly and stared sleepily at the heavy flannel garment not knowing whether to be shocked or to laugh, "I think most boyfriends want to buy their girls something a little more revealing than that."

Itachi shrugged and draped it over the back of an upholstered chair before reaching back into the drawer. "Is this better?" This time he held up a very, very short red nightgown crafted with sheer silk, black fur trim and thin shoulder straps. "I have to admit, I'd rather see you wearing this. You look really cute in red."

She shuddered as she remembered Fugaku's words, spoken just two hours earlier. _"Sheeta… are you forgetting what Itachi tried to do three years ago? Or that he tried to kill another kid when he was only five? Or his fascination for spilled blood? Or the many breakdowns he has had throughout the years?"_

"Why is red your favorite color, Itachi?" Sheeta finally asked.

"Why?" He spoke hesitantly, not expecting such an odd question.

"Is it… because it's the color of blood?"

"Perhaps… I had… quite a fascination for blood when I was younger." He remembered how he would watch the red liquid drip off his sword with a fascination that bordered on obsession.

She wrapped her arms around her torso and shuddered, "And now?"

"I think I've gotten over that. Sheeta, I just spoke to Fugaku and he told me he talked to you. I guess he tried to scare you."

"He pretty much said you're mental and I shouldn't upset you." She didn't want to repeat the conversation.

"I am, I guess. That's what they said a few years ago anyway. They thought I might be a sociopath or psychopath or whatever word you want to us - but I was too young to be evaluated. I think they're probably right. I have killed a lot of people without a second thought." Itachi wondered where this conversation was going. It didn't seem to make any sense. "You have also killed, Sheeta, but unlike me you weren't happy about it."

"Does killing make you happy?"

That was a blunt question and Itachi frowned, creasing his brow as he contemplated an answer. "I… guess not to tell the truth. I have… I have felt a deep satisfaction over some of the deaths I have caused. I guess satisfaction and happy aren't necessarily the same thing."

"Some?"

"I've had assassination missions where I killed people I personally didn't want to see injured. That was not satisfying. But sometimes… I just seem to loose it… I don't stop… can't stop… until the target is dead." He was watched as Sheeta fingered the flannel nightgown, deep in thought. "What's wrong?"

"Don't know." Her tired voice was soft and eyelids were drooping.

"Did Fugaku tell you he sent a hawk to deliver the news to Mikoto this morning? He asked her to pass on the news to Emi. It's too bad the hidden villages don't allow phones to be connected to the outside world. We could just call her… oh wait…"

"Water country doesn't have any phones." Sheeta finished, "The rebels kept cutting the lines and the government eventually gave up repairing them so she couldn't even travel to another village to call. But we'll see them after the third exam."

"At any rate… we should be getting a reply soon."

Sheeta sighed as she picked up the flannel nightgown and started walking toward the bathroom, "I'm only staying because I'm tired. I'm still mad at you. And we are talking in the morning."

"You don't have to hide to change anymore." He stated matter-of-factly.

Sheeta stopped walking and stood with her back to Itachi. "The next time you see me naked," She looked over her shoulder and gave the teen a big smile that literally sparkled, "it will be a cold day in hell and you're 'anatomically correct' parts will be so frozen they will have fallen off."

Itachi's eyes opened wide in shock as he watched his girlfriend slide the bathroom door shut behind her. Looking down at his groin he contemplated the implication of Sheeta's threat. "Don't worry," He said consolingly to his "anatomically correct" parts, "I'm sure she didn't mean it."

But even so… even if hell did freeze over… he had a feeling it would be a long time before she let him get close to her again. "I really am an idiot."

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"That cat's nothing but a pain in the ass." Fugaku scowled as he dished rice out of the cooker.

"Did your summons find anything out?" Sheeta asked politely as she placed exactly one grain of rice in Itachi's bowl and set it in front of him. Itachi frowned at his "meal" before averting his gaze to the girl's full bowl. His miso soup bowl consisted only of cold water and his fish was nothing but bones. Fugaku, on the other hand, had a full meal with the addition of toast, orange juice and a fried egg. Sheeta was eating rice and soup, opting for something lighter.

"He's a ninja cat - that much they know for sure. Apparently his master died or kicked him out or something… Tama won't elaborate. He did give the name of a missing nin who also happens to be in the bingo book. Given that Tama's only a little over two years old I would hazard a guess that his ex-master is dead. Ninja animals can be sold for big bucks and I can't imagine anyone being dumb enough to kick one out."

"Humph." Itachi picked up his chopsticks and started eating, "So he stays, huh?"

"Yeah." Fugaku sighed. "After all Sasuke's been through this week I really didn't want to have to throw away his new pet. But I can't help but feel that Tama is just freeloading until a better opportunity comes along. And we can't dismiss the possibility that he could be working undercover so I've ordered him to be followed."

"Itachi…"

"Yes, Sheeta?"

The girl picked up her bowl, which now held exactly one grain of rice. Her miso soup bowl was full of cold water. Looking at Itachi, who was eating a full bowl of rice and sipping warm soup she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"You are far too easily distracted, Sheeta." Itachi stated after setting down the now-empty soup bowl.

"Hmmm." Sheeta filled her rice bowl and took a bite before answering, "You think so?"

Itachi smirked, but grabbed his stomach as his insides cramped. Jumping up he ran to the bathroom.

Shaking her head she rolled her eyes as she continued to eat. However, Fugaku caught her attention and she set her bowl down. "It's just a mild diuretic Kisa taught me how to make a while back. It'll only last about fifteen minutes."

"Interesting." Was all Fugaku could think of replying. The girl was rather clever after all. She had known Itachi would switch the bowls of food and so, had poisoned her own breakfast. "I could compliment Mikoto on her training methods, but I have a feeling you were born sneaky. You are definitely a kunoichi."

"Ha! A kunoichi who hasn't been on a mission in years." Sheeta said bitterly.

"Give Itachi two children and you may play kunoichi to your hearts content. Mikoto continued for about a year and half after Itachi was born, but decided she didn't like to be away from him and quit."

"I'm actually thinking more in terms of joining the cryptology squad. I like numbers and I went to their recruiting seminar a couple months ago. The test to join is in the Spring so I've been studying a lot."

"That's a hard test. High level math in a village that doesn't teach anything above calculus is difficult to learn on your own."

"Tell me about it." Sheeta mumbled bitterly.

"Oh. Itachi," Fugaku diverted his attention as the ashen-faced teen re-entered the kitchen. "The test ends tomorrow at noon. I want you and Haku there to backup Kakashi if something goes wrong with Sasuke."

"I shall be there, father." He turned his attention to Sheeta who was eating rice and pretending to ignore the conversation. Stepping forward he grabbed the front of her shirt, picked her up and slammed her into the wall. Her eyes opened wide as she met his gaze. Expecting to see anger, she was shocked at the passionate way his eyes were devouring her. Fugaku chuckled as he stepped calmly out of the kitchen, leaving the two teens to their own devices.

"That was the first time in years anyone has tricked me." He bent town and captured her lips with a heated kiss that made her heart pound and her legs turn to jelly. His hands roamed up and down her arms, then reached around, pulling her closer to his body. Tangling his hands in hair he pulled her head back to get a better angle as Sheeta reached up to grab his shoulders. Eventually they had to come up for air and when they did, Itachi's smile was open and full of admiration, "I like tricks, but I think I like the treat that comes afterward better."

As he descended for another round of kissing, Sheeta wondered if he had tricked her not get a baby, but to play "trick or treat". She wondered if he was that devious.

She sighed with contentment as she closed her eyes, loosing herself in the moment, 'If he keeps this up, I might forget why I'm mad at him.'

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"I'll take care of this." Kakashi muttered as he disappeared off the dais with a transportation jutsu, appearing a second later behind Sasuke. The boy was sitting on the ground, swaying slightly back and forth as he fought to remain conscious. The young Uchiha had just won the first "sudden death" elimination match – set up to reduce the number of candidates for the third exam. Six teams had finished, a total of eighteen people. Kabuto had withdrawn at the last minute, surprising everyone and leaving the final number at seventeen. That meant seven people had to be weeded out – at least.

The fight had been one-sided at the start. The man Sasuke fought was one of Kabuto's teammates – Yaroi Akado. A ninja who could pull chakra out of his opponent and use it against him. However, the curse mark had activated, pulling even more chakra out the boy. Utilizing all the willpower he could muster, Sasuke had pushed back the seal and used a jutsu he had copied from a fellow Konoha Shinobi – Rock Lee - to win the fight. It was a battle fought completely without his Sharingan.

Kakashi bent down slightly and addressed his student, "Come with me, Sasuke. I'll seal that curse mark for you. Then you can rest."

"But I want to see the rest of the fights!" Sasuke could barely speak above a whisper as he rose shakily to his feet.

"Not happening. Consider yourself lucky we even let you fight. Now come on before you collapse."

Glancing up at his father Sasuke saw the expressionless face boring holes in him. He didn't dare disobey Kakashi. Frowning he headed for the exit. Happy, at least, that he had won. He hoped his father would be pleased as well. And Itachi… why was he here? And why were the other senseis congratulating him earlier? What had his brother been up to in the last five days?

"We're going into that room on the right, Sasuke." Kakashi said sternly. He watched as Sasuke had to make two attempts to open the door. The boy was so exhausted his hands didn't seem to want to work right.

The room they entered was pitch black. Lighting a torch with a small fire jutsu, Kakashi used it to light a few more on some columns surrounding a fifteen foot wide circle. Sasuke looked around curiously, wondering how bit the chamber was. Even though there were about ten torches burning around them, the periphery was still pitch black. The room must have been enormous for that to happen. Resisting the urge to activate his Sharingan to give his surrounding a better view he looked at Kakashi for instructions.

"Take off your shirt and sit in the middle." He pointed at the circle then unrolled a scroll and pulled out a kunai. Everything had been set up earlier in the day in preparation so it would go pretty fast. Pricking his finger, Kakashi drew it across the scroll and made some hand signs before slamming his hand on the floor. Immediately, small kanji symbols flowed out of the scroll and covered Sasuke's body.

"I'm going to start now. It will hurt a little, but don't move until it's over."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, bleary eyed and near collapse. Nodding once he returned his gaze to the floor then screamed when Kakashi slammed his hand onto the curse mark. "Hurt a little" had been a massive understatement. A few seconds later all the kanji had made their way back to the scroll and the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come. He heart Kakashi saying something about willpower holding the seal in check, but he was unconscious before he finished talking.

"So tired he didn't even argue." Kakashi smiled warmly at the sleeping boy, breathing out in relief that his pupil was finally safe and back in his care. When he had sent his three students into the forest he had nothing but trepidation in his heart, but that had quickly turned to fear when heard about Orochimaru.

"Very good, Kakashi." The sibilant, mocking voice echoed in the large chamber causing Kakashi to turn around suddenly in shock.

"You! What are you doing here?"

Orochimaru slowly stepped out from behind a column. "I heard about the team that attacked him out in the forest and had to come see the boy that put them in the hospital. He's quite a find, isn't he?"

"What do you want?"

"That's new, isn't it? You didn't have that the last time we met." Orochimaru gazed at the Sharingan hidden behind Kakashi's mask. "I want one too. After all, it's only fair. The power of the Sharingan should be mine as well."

"I'll never let you have him! Now leave here!"

"Leave? If I stay, what could you possibly do to me?" Orochimaru mocked the younger man as he stepped methodically closer. Dressed in a dark brown Jounin's uniform he was a couple inches shorter than Kakashi and rather thin. He was using a jutsu to hide his pasty white skin and the purple eye-liner he was so fond of was nowhere to be seen.

"Then one of us will die here!" Kakashi activated Chidori and the chamber was instantly filled with the sound of a thousand birds as a ball of pure electricity appeared in his hand. Bolts of lightening shot out at every angle, lighting up the area with a blueish-white light.

Orochimaru laughed, "I bet it won't be me! Humph. I'm not ready for him yet anyway. I'll let him grow up some more. And when the time comes… he will come to me."

Kakashi dispelled his jutsu as the snake sannin disappeared. Lifting his hands he saw that they were shaking. "I can't believe I threatened him. Who do I think I am? As if I could ever beat him."

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Itachi breathed a sigh of relief when Sasuke and Kakashi finally left the arena. He had been on pins and needles for the last twenty-four hours, worrying about what would happen if the cursed seal took control of his brother during the match. Thankfully, it had all been for nothing.

"He's quite powerful, isn't he?" Anko muttered to herself. She rubbed her shoulder, as if remembering an old injury – and she most likely was. "He shouldn't have been able to do that."

Fugaku glanced at her, then at the Third, who had growled under his breath at her words.

"He is a true Uchiha, Fugaku." Sarutobi said quietly. Fugaku nodded once, almost imperceptibly, at the compliment. After all, the genes that gave the boy the power to overcome Orochimaru's curse had not come from him. For the first time since Sasuke had entered his life, the bitter taste of jealousy squeezed at his heart. He wasn't even sure Itachi could have overcome that curse – although he would like to think he could. The sheer willpower that boy had pulled out of his soul was unique. Madara would no doubt be gloating when he found out.

"The next match…" The proctor interrupted his thoughts and the matches continued. Sakura fought Ino and won, something that was expected considering the Root training she had received. Naruto's fight was rather unexpected… he used a fart to win against Kiba, a boy from the Inuzuka clan with a nose as sensitive as a dogs. It wasn't the most dignified of fights, but then again, ninja fought any way they could and did anything it would take to win.

Rock Lee had been incapacitated, perhaps permanently by Gaara, a boy from the village hidden in the Sand. Because only seven people needed to be weeded out from a total of seventeen the other two members of his team didn't have to fight, but given what everyone saw Gaara do with his sand jutsu – the way his could use it to crush his adversaries – it was assumed the other two must be pretty powerful as well.

The last fight pitted Hinata against her cousin Neji. The boy who had been harassing her off and on for the last three years. It was obvious to Fugaku that the match was a mistake from the beginning. While Hinata had improved dramatically during her stay with Toshiro and Kisa, she was still rather timid and tended to hold back. Itachi had tried, and succeeded somewhat, to pull her out of her shell, but whatever was causing it was very strong. Toshiro, who had heard about her father's draconian training methods suggested trauma as the cause and he and his wife set about to build her self-esteem. But there seemed to be something else as well. There was a wall that the girl seemed unwilling to punch through.

"The spoiled little heir of the Hyuuga has no place in this test. Go home and get your beauty sleep Hinata." Neji practically spat venom with his words, making Hinata cringe.

"No!" Hinata dodged as Neji jumped forward, attempting to touch her and cut off her chakra with his Byakugan. "I will change and become powerful and I can't do that if I keep backing down!" The words were firm and spoken with resolve.

The fight went on for a few more minutes, but Hinata was still no match for her cousin and as the last of her chakra was finally cut off she still refused to stop. This angered the boy and he upped the stakes. The killing intent coming from him was easily felt by Fugaku and he trained his eyes on Neji, activating his Sharingan. He could feel Itachi doing the same thing behind him.

Neji continued to deliver blow after blow, knocking the girl to the ground she pulled herself up and continued to carry on the fight. However, her heart had been hit as was beating erratically. Clutching at her chest she dropped to her knees.

"Stop!" The proctor jumped into the arena, a few feet behind the pair. "This fight is called off."

Neji ignored the proctor as Hinata collapsed onto the floor. Fugaku watched for about five seconds as the boy continued to pummel the girl with his attacks. They were no longer cutting off chakra, but actually attacking internal organs. Jumping forward, Fugaku grabbed the boy by the back of his jacket and slammed him onto the floor.

"When you are given an order, it is your duty as a ninja to fulfill it! You are disqualified!"

"Shit!" The medics had rushed forward and were now hovering over the unconscious girl. "We need to get her to the hospital immediately, the damage is too extensive."

"What?" Fugaku replied sternly, tightening his grip on Neji as his anger grew.

"Her spleen is ruptured, one kidney is probably done for… her heart is messed up…"

Fugaku interrupted him. Lifting Neji up off the ground he stood him on his feet and glared down at the boy. "What, exactly, was the purpose of this fight to you? It was supposed to be a fight to determine your worth as a Chuunin. Not a grudge match. Is that what being a ninja means to you?"

"Humph. Look who's talking!" Neji spat at him.

Fugaku punched the boy in the stomach, sending him careening painfully into the wall. "You are not only disqualified, but you can consider yourself remanded to the Academy."

"Lord Hokage. I beg of you to reconsider. He was just…" Maito Gai was standing behind Fugaku bent down at the waist in a formal bow.

Fugaku turned around and glared at the green-clad Jounin. "You should not have recommended him for this exam, Gai. If I hear anything else from you about it I will be forced to reconsider your position in this village as well." He nodded to the proctor to continue as he stepped back up onto the dais. Itachi was standing motionless next to Anko. There was no expression on his face, but his gaze was directed solely in Neji's direction. The teen cared deeply for Hinata – and she, in turn, had dubbed him her "unofficial" big-brother.

"Itachi," Fugaku moved close to his son and bent down so he could whisper in his ear, "leave Neji alone. It'll just make a bad situation worse."

"He's been causing problems for a while now." Itachi whispered back.

"I'll deal with him later." While the people responsible for killing Hinata's parents and much of the main branch of the Hyuuga clan had been imprisoned or executed, there were still others at large. If Neji got involved with them – or was already involved – Fugaku wanted to find a way to pull him back. The guilt he felt over Hiashi's death was still overwhelming and the man's nephew was not going to suffer the same fate. Even if he had to lock him up to protect him.

"There are no winners in this fight!" The proctor yelled in order to draw attention back to himself. The stadium had become quite noisy but quieted down quickly when they heard the announcement. "That concludes the fights. Would all the winners please assemble down here for further instructions? Everyone else, go back to the balcony."

There was a lot of murmuring and shuffling as people moved around. Finally, standing before the dais in single row were eight of the nine candidates. Sasuke had not returned, having been admitted to the hospital for observation. The proctor took a deep breath and continued, "Since there was no winner in the last fight there will be nine people competing instead of ten. The final test will be held thirty days from today. It will consist of a series of one on one battles, the winner of which advances to the next round until one person stands above the others."

"Does that mean only one person becomes a Chuunin?" Shikamaru raised his hand as he asked the question.

"No. You can loose a fight in the first round and still become a Chuunin. The purpose of the final test is to show what you are made of. Exhibit your skills and demonstrate your ability to fight at an advanced level."

"Why thirty days?" Sakura asked.

"That ready to continue, huh? I would have thought you all would want to rest up a little." The proctor gave a short laugh when the girl opened her eyes wide in surprise, then blushed a soft shade of pink.

"During the second test you let the other participants see your jutsus. You should take the next month to practice new ones or better hone the ones you already know. Use it wisely. To help – we will decide right now who your first opponent will be…"

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"So the people who are in the third exam are you, Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Ji, and Shino." Itachi was sitting on a chair next to his younger brother's hospital bed explaining, in detail, how the remaining fights progressed and what his schedule would be for the next month. "Your first opponent is Gaara of the Sand village."

"He'll be a challenge, it sounds like. If Lee wasn't able to beat him… I'll have to work on something." Sasuke took a deep breath and expelled it slowly, contemplating the implications of fighting someone that powerful.

"That's where I come in." Kakashi was standing in the doorway, smiling at his student. "Get better fast, Sasuke, I have a jutsu I want to teach you."

"Kakashi!" Sasuke grinned widely, "I was wondering where you went off to. It's been three days."

"Well, you know, a convention of old ladies carrying shopping bags needed help up this really steep hill…"

"Don't believe a word he's saying, Sasuke." Sakura poked her head in through the door and Naruto pushed his way in, unbalancing the older Jounin and forcing him to hop on one foot to keep from falling over.

"How are you doing?" The blond asked happily.

"Better, but they still won't let me go. Did you see Hinata?"

"Yeah, but they wouldn't let us stay long. She's being kept unconscious so she can heal faster, or something like that." Naruto's smile disappeared and he looked at the floor, "Fugaku said we aren't allowed to touch Neji though, no matter how much we want to beat him into the ground. But I was thinking… if we arranged a little accident…"

Itachi shook his head and groaned, "Please, Naruto, just keep your hands clean of this. There's something else going on here that you don't know about…"

"Then tell me!" Naruto yelled, "Hinata is my friend and I don't like seeing my friends get beat up like that! I'm not going to sit back and let her suffer!"

"Perhaps you should just tell them." Kakashi replied as he pulled out his "Make-Out Tactics" book and opened it.

"I don't know..." Itachi sighed, then made up his mind. "Please don't pass this around too much, but something happened a few years back… something that scarred a young boy's heart and set the events of today in motion."

"Huh?" Naruto frowned, not believing that anything could have led up to the beating Hinata had undergone, or that it could possibly be justified.

Itachi continued, "Leaf and Cloud had been fighting for years, but finally a treaty was ready to be signed. The Kage of Cloud travelled here and there was a celebration to honor the cessation of hostilities. However, the Hyuuga did not attend. It was Hinata's third birthday and she was formally indoctrinated into the clan as its heir. That day… the four-year-old Neji was branded with the Hyuuga curse mark that sealed away part of his power and put his life directly under the control of Hiashi, Hinata's father and the chief of the clan. That evening the Raikage broke into the main house and kidnapped Hinata. Hiashi quickly responded and ended up killing the Raikage. Cloud demanded retribution. They wanted Hiashi dead or they would attack the village."

"But it wasn't his fault!" Sakura's eyes opened wide and she clenched her fists firmly at her side.

"Exactly. However, the village elders agreed to their terms. Peace at any cost was their motto."

"That's stupid." Naruto muttered.

Itachi sighed, "Yeah, I learned that myself the hard way. Anyway, Hiashi had a twin brother, Hizashi. Neji's father. Hizashi committed ritual suicide at the urging of Hyuuga clan elders so that he could take his brother's place. Because they were twins Cloud was none the wiser. However… Neji and much of the side-branch never forgave Hiashi for what he did. Hinata, as Hiashi's daughter, is taking the brunt of that event and is being forced into a position where she must atone for her father's… well I want to say 'sins' but… the village elders…"

"Danzou you mean." Sasuke piped up, bitterly.

"Yeah…"

"You're thinking they may have had a reason to kill off Hizashi?" Sasuke had been putting pieces together in the last three years, but this bit was definitely too big to miss and also too big to completely understand.

"No… perhaps not… except Danzou did believe in peace at any cost. He was even willing to wipe out our clan, he refused to allow Sarutobi to negotiate with us, influencing the council to refuse any mediation. Hiashi, in his opinion, was disposable. As was anyone in the village who stood in the way of his plans. Hizashi was a convenient stand-in."

"I understand then, I think." Naruto replied. "But if it diverted a war… was it really a bad thing?"

"A third of the village died when Uchiha staged their coup. Most of those were killed by Danzou who tried to blackmail us by blowing up the evacuation tunnels. Yet he felt justified because he believed their deaths would lead to peace. How many others has he killed over the years? He ordered me to kill my clan, Naruto, but if I had… what would have been the result? Would Konoha see peace for a few years and then fall back into war when the truth was found out? What would the other clans in the village do if they learned of such a thing? That their own people were wiped out because the elders refused to negotiate?" Itachi clenched his jaw tight and closed his eyes, a surge of anger washed over him as an image of his family, buried six feet underground entered his mind, and his child that would never have been born. Opening his eyes his Sharingan was activated and his face was set in an expression that was a mixture of anger and determination, "People are not disposable. Throwing away one to save the rest… I can't live with that… I won't live with that."

Kakashi spoke up, "Besides… back then… the war had weakened both our villages. There was every possibility they were bluffing. Our intelligence told us that they couldn't keep up the war and were currently living off of rations. Our village was pretty close to the same situation. Itachi is right… throwing your comrades to the wolves so you can escape while they are being eaten is no way to live the rest of your life. You just spend your time looking for the next wolf and the next sacrifice."

Sakura growled under her breath, "And eventually, your sacrifices throw you to the wolves. What a shitty way to live. My parents were his sacrifices too."

"And Choji and Ami and… and…" Naruto couldn't finish. Dropping down onto a chair he looked out the window for a minute before standing up with a big grin on his face, "Then it's come to this! We'll just have to find a way to make Neji our friend!"

"What?" Sasuke and Sakura said at the same time.

"Yeah! Then he'll understand he isn't alone and everything will be alright!"

"I love your optimism, Naruto." Kakashi replied bitterly, "I would like to think you will succeed, but don't get your hopes up. Some scars are just too deep."

"We'll try though. We'll help you Naruto." Sakura promised, then looked at Sasuke, waiting for his input.

"Fine, whatever." Sasuke responded. He was starting to get tired again. The pain-killers he had been given were pretty strong, after all.

"So… have you told Sasuke the news yet?" Naruto prodded Itachi mischievously.

"Huh? What?" Sasuke lay down on his bed as he looked up at the teen who had suddenly decided the floor was very interesting. "Tell me, Itachi. What is going on?"

Itachi finally spoke, and oddly enough he was embarrassed, "Well… Sheeta's pregnant."

"Sheeta? You mean with a baby?" Sasuke blinked when he realized how stupid that had just sounded.

"No, it's a puppy." Sakura laughed.

"Is it yours?" Sasuke put his foot in his mouth again and cringed.

"It's mine, Sasuke." Kakashi spoke up. "We've been having an affair for years now, but Itachi and I have worked it out. We're going to both marry Sheeta."

Itachi opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to figure out how to answer that. He wasn't used to such light-hearted joking and finally decided to smile, "I'll remember that when we need a babysitter."

"Ha ha ha!" Kakashi was very amused.

Sakura turned serious, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you told him to show up at eight he wouldn't come until eleven. The next day."

"True." Naruto and Sasuke responded, just as seriously.

Itachi shook his head in resignation, "When he does have kids, they'll probably be the only babies in Konoha who can change their own diapers."

"How did this conversation get turned around to be about me?" Kakashi wined unconvincingly as everyone broke out laughing.

"Mom's going to be mad, I bet." Sasuke finally said.

"Yeah… I got a message from her this morning. She was quite upset. As was Sheeta's aunt. I expect they'll get over it in the next month. If not, you, my dear brother, will become an only child, apparently, if either of them follow up on their threats. Sheeta's uncle is happy as anything and is already buying her stuff. Fugaku… I don't think he cares one way or the other but he's not mad." Itachi stood up and reached over to adjust Sasuke's blankets. "We should be going now, you're only half-awake and…"

All attention in the room suddenly diverted to the large orange cat who was now sitting comfortably next to Sasuke's thigh.

"T… Tama?" Sasuke blinked in surprise. The cat, happy that he was recognized, moved closer, allowing the boy to scratch his head.

"Apparently he's a ninja cat without a contract. Good luck with that." Itachi walked cheerfully out of the room, followed by everyone else. A couple minutes later, Sasuke was fast asleep with Tama curled up at his side purring softly.

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Time passed quickly as it usually does when you're busy trying to work towards a deadline. The nine Chuunin candidates filled their days and nights with training while ANBU investigated a string of murders they were sure could be directly linked to Orochimaru. Unfortunately, one of the dead was the proctor of the exam. The other was a Genin from the Sound village who, along with his teammates, had decided to hang around to watch the final exam even though they had been disqualified when they ended up in the hospital halfway through the second exam. There were also three other deaths, all ANBU who were investigating the first two murders.

Kakashi trained with Sasuke everyday, along with about four Uchiha's who were assigned to guard them in case the snake sannin put in another appearance. Or Kabuto.

While Sasuke had lain in the hospital unconscious, Kabuto had showed up, disguised as one of the medics. Ordered to snatch the boy he had, instead, tried to kill him, but was interrupted by Kakashi. It was a huge shock to find out the teen had allied himself with Orochimaru and several people who had been acquainted with him over the years were now beating themselves over the head, wondering how they could have missed something that huge.

Ebisu, a Special Jounin whose job it was to provide customized training to ninja's (and act as Konohamaru's private tutor) trained Sakura. Her perfect chakra control, when added in with her aptitude for Genjutsu wasn't exactly the best match for Ebisu, but his experience as a personal trainer meant that it didn't matter. He could skillfully observe a Shinobi's abilities and improve upon them easily.

Naruto, on the other hand, had undergone a different kind of training. Introduced to his godfather for the first time he had been very skeptical and, turning to Fugaku, demanded to see his fathers' will, not believing that the fourth Hokage would do something as stupid as give his only son to "Pervy Sage", as he had nicknamed him after tricking him with his "sexy jutsu". Fugaku hadn't said anything, just walked away shaking his head in resignation, leaving Naruto and Jiraiya to get to know each other on their own terms.

And if all this wasn't enough, Itachi had stepped in to give both Sasuke and Sakura Genjutsu lessons. Naruto was considered to have a low aptitude for the jutsu and instead was instructed on how to break out of a Genjutsu.

It was indeed a very busy month. When the day of the exam arrived everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that, in just a few hours, the results of their month of hard work would be revealed and tomorrow they could all rest. However… that day proved to be much more eventful that anyone ever imagined.

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**Next week The third exam in all its glory!**

**I hope the ending wasnt too rushed. I spent some time with Sasuke and Kakashi during the sealing because that scene Orochimaru showing up always gives me the creeps. **

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	32. Chapter 32 Another Long Day

**Last week the second exam ended rather eventfully and the third was set to begin.**

**Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Well, about Neji… yeah, he's not my favorite. But… this is an AU fic and there are a few things that are different from "canon". So… just remember what Fugaku said about the situation in the last chapter and keep reading. It's still a few chapters away, but the situation will be resolved.**

**Man, I wish in the manga Sasuke would hurry up and get to Danzou… and that Madara is pretty sneaky, isn't he? I bet Naruto needs a change of underwear about now (I hope he packed some)… xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 32 – Another Long Day**

"You could have returned to Konoha, Lady Mikoto. It's pretty obvious you're upset about missing Sasuke's battle." Emi spoke softly as she poured tea into two dark-green earthenware cups.

Mikoto took a sip of the tea and closed her eyes in resignation, "But then I would have to turn around and come back again in a week and travel through Water country is so difficult that… I hate to say it… but since they're video taping the event it just isn't worth the trouble. But I do feel incredibly guilty about it."

"I see your point…" Emi's voice drifted off as she turned her attention to the open door and the fog shrouded garden beyond. "I should be with Sheeta right now. But at the same time… I should be with Aya… and since I'm already here… Aya wins. It's so hard to choose."

"I just wish I knew where Madara ran off to." Mikoto changed the subject. "Aya wasn't concerned at all, considering her wedding is only a short time away."

Emi bent over the small table and spoke in a low voice, "I don't think she really wants to marry him. There is no warmth between them and he treats her like a kid instead of a fiancé."

"I noticed." Mikoto hadn't told her that Aya actually had no choice in the matter. Madara wanted her for some, as yet unknown reason, and Fugaku had "negotiated" an exchange. If Aya stayed in Mist, then an Uchiha female from that village would be sent to Konoha to marry Sasuke. The short conversation, conducted after the fight with the fake Danzou had probably been Madara's idea in the first place, now that Mikoto thought about it. The man had elevated his deviousness to the level of an art form.

Looking down at her now-empty cup she realized she probably knew exactly where Madara had run off to. After all, he wouldn't want to miss one of the most important days in his son's life.

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The excitement was palpable as nearly a quarter of the village filled the stadium to capacity. Many were carrying blankets, warm coats and thermoses of hot tea, as well as umbrellas in case the overcast gray sky decided to pour rain down on them. It was still too warm to snow – but only by a few degrees.

The large quantity of people attending the final test of the Chuunin exams was attributed solely to the presence of an Uchiha in the competition. The same thing had happened years earlier when Itachi had competed and exaggerated stories of his prowess had been running rampant for the last month as news of Sasuke – who just _happened_ to be that geniuses little brother – spread. The fact that he was the son of the man who became Hokage via coup was also a big draw.

As happened years ago, the entire clan walked as a group to the stadium, this time Itachi led the way with Sheeta walking beside him and Sasuke following close on his heals, trying to hide from the spectators. Fugaku was already at the stadium, along with Sarutobi. Since the Kage from the village hidden in the Sand was also attending they had gone early to meet with him. Naruto had gone with him as well since the boy always felt out of place at clan events, and when he heard Sarutobi was going early he decided he wanted to visit with Konohamaru.

"Big brother?" Sasuke asked quietly.

One of the elder's shushed him with a kind voice before he could say anything else. "Be quiet until we reach the stadium." Luckily it was one of the nice ones and the boy gave the woman an apologetic smile. Most of the elderly members of the clan had decided not to attend the match. Unable to deal with cold temperatures because of assorted ailments caused by their advanced age they had opted to watch the clan photographer's video tape later. Of course, that pleased Sasuke, who was still at odds with several of them.

Itachi sighed in resignation and glanced over at Sheeta who was staring straight ahead and pretending to ignore him. Or perhaps she really was ignoring him. It was hard to tell sometimes. Especially lately. She had been feeling ill in the mornings, which made Itachi feel even worse about what he had done.

The stadium was set apart from the other buildings in the business district, allowing for larger gatherings of people outside its walls before and after events. While it was well known as the final venue of the Chuunin exams, it also played host to a variety of other events, including sports, training and cultural events. Weekends in the summer found it booked solid. However, it was now early December and the only people who regularly used it in the winter were the soccer enthusiasts.

"Okay, Sasuke, what did you want?" Itachi turned to his brother and gave him a hesitant smile as the rest of the clan entered the stadium, including Sheeta who hadn't so much as glanced in his direction as she walked past him.

Sasuke looked up at his brother hesitantly and frowned, "D…dad doesn't think I can pass, does he?"

"How long have you been worrying about this?" Itachi got the feeling this was what had been causing a lot of the introspection he had seen the boy exhibiting over the last few weeks.

"Always. It's just… I really trained hard with Kakashi and you were a big help and Naruto even sparred with me in the evenings. It's not fair. It's like he's already made his mind up. I have gotten stronger."

"I can see that, Sasuke. And so can he. Father… he… he wants you to be strong, but I think… its like he wants to hold you back as well. He's worried about you I guess is what I'm trying to say. "

"The curse mark was sealed. I can use my Sharingan. And Orochimaru hasn't come after me and it's been a month so everything's okay. He doesn't need to worry." Sasuke reached up and placed a hand over the seal on his shoulder as he spoke. It had become a habit that he probably didn't realize he had picked up.

Itachi reached up and removed Sasuke's hand from his shoulder and held it tightly in his grip. "Orochimaru will come for you, Sasuke. That is a given. He's wanted an Uchiha for decades and you have been placed at his doorstep. Father is worried for a reason. He isn't the type of man to waste his time on things that don't matter to him. Remember that Sasuke."

"I know he cares for me. That's not what I'm saying. It's just…"

"You don't think he shows much confidence in you?"

"Yeah."

Itachi released his brother's hand and close his eyes, wishing Mikoto was here to deal with this instead of him. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and hesitant, as if he were unsure of himself, "He had too much confidence in me. I… don't think it did me any good and he knows it. After the coup and my… attempt at betrayal… he realized a lot of things about how he raised me… I don't know how much of it he actually regrets but… he doesn't want to do the same things to you so… I think he thinks if he just stays away and expects the worst then you'll grow up happy and well-adjusted."

Sasuke was silent for a couple minutes as he watched people file past them into the stadium. The air was filled with the happy chattering of a village expecting a good time. Finally he took a deep breath and expelled it slowly, "He really is messed up, isn't he?"

"Yeah. And he knows it. And I know it. And now you know it. Frankly, it doesn't change anything, does it?"

Blinking his eyes a couple times, Sasuke tried to digest what Itachi had just told him, "I'm not sure what you're talking about… but… I'm going to kick Gaara's ass in an hour and win this tournament anyway. Father and the elders will have to think I'm great then!"

Itachi laughed, "That's right, Sasuke! Stay positive! For what it's worth, I do think you can pass."

"Thanks big brother!" Sasuke took off running towards the participant's entrance.

Turning around, Itachi made his way into the stadium, quickly finding the spot reserved for him next to Sheeta. Reaching over he took her hand and squeezed it lightly.

"So is Sasuke feeling better?" The old woman who had rebuked him earlier asked in worried voice. Several people turned around, concerned about what Itachi was going to say.

"Yeah. He's pretty happy right now, I think." Itachi smiled at them before turning his attention back to Sheeta. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I had to throw up again after we got here. Luckily the bathrooms are right behind us and I brought my toothpaste and toothbrush." She leaned against him and closed her eyes as Itachi wrapped his arm around her. Nui caught his eye and shook her head helplessly. She had tried to convince her younger sister to remain at home but the stubborn girl insisted that she wanted to see the fights.

Childish laughter made Itachi turn around and he saw the twins Arata and Yori. Both their grandfathers had grabbed one boy each and were tickling them in an effort to distract them from the tedium of having to sit still in a stadium. The four-year-old boys were very active and, finally, learning to talk. They had been split up, each living with one set of grandparents, but as far as Itachi could tell, they spent so much time together that it probably didn't matter.

"May I have your attention?" The proctor for the third exam, Genma Shuranui, yelled across the stadium, forcing everyone to turn their gaze to the Genin lined up in the center of the field.

As the stadium turned silent, Sheeta suddenly jumped up on her chair and waved her arms over her head, "Woooo wooooo! Sasuke! Sasuke! We love you Sasuke!" The stadium suddenly rang out with the shouts of teenage girls yelling the same thing before the proctor finally asked them to save it for the match.

Itachi gave a short laugh and smirked, "That was evil. He's blushing redder than a tomato and Naruto is laughing his head off."

Sheeta shrugged her shoulders non-committaly, "Just wanted him to feel loved."

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"That's quite the little hellion your son snagged. Can't wait to see how the kids turn out." The Kazekage spoke in a deep voice from behind the white cloth that covered his face from the nose down.

"You can say that again." Fugaku mumbled. He wasn't pleased over Sheeta's rather ostentatious display of fandom, but it was amusing nonetheless and he could see Sasuke visibly relax somewhat afterward. Perhaps she had known what she was doing after all. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't seem all that nervous at all. Of course, he had a different set of expectations placed on him. While Fugaku and Mikoto did have a strong desire to see him succeed, their clan loyalties meant they didn't expect him to be as good as Sasuke and Naruto had learned that if he worked just hard enough to trail behind his foster brother he wouldn't get in trouble. However, once the boys became Genin Naruto began to take things much more seriously, making Fugaku wonder if the blond boy was going to grow up to surpass his father. That would definitely be a pleasant surprise.

The fights began. First up was Naruto versus Ji Kim. Facing each other, both boys smiled expectantly at the opportunity to display their month of training. Naruto had spent his time with the frog sage honing his chakra control and learning how to summon frogs while Ji had spent the month with his father and uncle honing his earth jutsus.

Naruto started things off. Running toward Ji he quickly formed hand signs, bringing forth about twenty shadow clones that ran closely behind him. Ji countered by jumping up into the air and sending a surge of chakra into the earth. Rocks shot out of the ground, pelting the clones and making them "pop" out of existence, one after the other. Landing in a crouch, Ji rolled out of the way as Naruto aimed at kick at his head.

"Missed me!" Ji taunted as he stood up and jumped backward until he was fifty feet away from his adversary.

"That's what you…" Naruto didn't get to finish as the earth shook under his feet. Looking down he saw the ground start to undulate, as if it had suddenly turned into ocean waves. Jumping up he saw the entire area under him roiling up and down. It reminded him of the lake in the Uchiha compound during a storm. He started to fall back down to earth when he suddenly saw a large "wave" rise up and engulf him. Unlike water, however, he was still able to breath as the dirt and rocks wrapped securely around his chest.

Naruto growled in frustration as he tried to release his trapped arms. He found he could move his arms slightly and with great effort he moved them until they were directly over his stomach. Grateful that Ji was holding back – he could sense that the jutsu could have easily crushed or at least suffocated him – Naruto formed the hand signs for another shadow clone jutsu, dropping to the ground in a crouch as his opponent was besieged by ten copies of Naruto.

Falling on his back, Ji brought his hands up in preparation for another jutsu but instead found himself flung twenty feet when Naruto's clones grabbed him by the legs, swung him around once to gain momentum and threw him. Naruto himself appeared quickly beside the boy and kicked him in the lower back as Ji attempted to stand up. A short Tai Jutsu battle ensued with both boys easily avoiding each others kicks and jabs.

Growling again, Naruto jumped back and scowled at his opponent. He wasn't getting anywhere. Ji was just too good. Of course, he was a teammate of Shikamaru, who was second only to Sasuke.

'There must be a way to win this.' Naruto thought to himself as he stared down his opponent. Ji wasn't talking, just returning the stare. Naruto remembered the boy telling them that the more your opponent knew about you, the more likely he would find an opening and strike you down. Therefore, silence was crucial in battle.

Glancing over at the uneven and rock strewn ground Naruto played the battle back in his mind. 'He held back. He could have crushed me.' Naruto remembered thinking that as he had moved his arms. 'So he doesn't want to hurt me… which means if I go all out I might be able to knock him out.'

Naruto formed more shadow clones and sent them forward to attack Ji, who repeated the first jutsu he had demonstrated and threw rocks at the clones to dispel them. Meanwhile, Naruto kept forming more and more clones to replace the ones that were destroyed as he moved closer to his opponent.

Ten feet away from Ji, Naruto saw a soft patch of dirt nearby and, too late, found himself pulled into the ground as the "Ji" he had been running toward turned into a small log and the real "Ji" climbed out of the dirt next to Naruto. Smiling he took one step forward, only to open his eyes wide in shock as Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and he found himself being pulling down into the ground.

Naruto climbed out of the soft dirt and stepped back, looking around and trying to sense for more traps, but apparently the "Ji" he pulled into the dirt was the real deal.

"It looks like I win." Naruto gloated.

"Yeah." Ji finally spoke up, "My uncle is going to kill me."

"It's okay. You just need to quit holding back. You had me, you know."

"I know."

"So that's it?" Genma asked as he stepped closer to the boys.

"Yeah." Ji said quietly. "Can you pull me out, please?"

Genma held up his right hand and yelled, "The winner of the first match is Naruto Uzumaki! The second match will begin in ten minutes." As he turned around to pull Ji out of the ground, Naruto started to jump up in down in glee as the crowd clapped and yelled its approval.

"Ouch!" Ji yelled as a sharp pain radiated through his leg. Dropping to the ground he grasped the appendage and pulled it close to his body.

"Your leg is broken." Genma raised his hand again signally for a medic.

"I'll help you." Naruto bent down and lifted his friend up by the shoulder, draping one of his arms over his own shoulder he moved slowly toward the participant area.

"The next match will be Shikamaru Nara of Konoha and Temari of Sand."

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"Naruto surprised me." Sarutobi stated plainly. "He saw that Ji was holding back and used that to formulate a plan."

Fugaku responded, "Ji was disappointing in that regard. His uncle is the clan chief, as is training the boy to take his place. I expected better of him."

"He has no children of his own?" The Kazekage asked quietly.

"No. Apparently he caught a virus as a teenager that made him sterile." Fugaku answered. It was gossiping, he knew that, but it also wasn't a secret. The Kim clan leader, besieged by questions about his childless status after arriving in Konoha decided the truth was probably the best way to deal with it. He was right, after a couple months no one asked him about it anymore.

The Kazekage shook his head slightly, "Pity. Indeed our lifestyle is fraught with many perils. Wandering around as they once did, his clan probably didn't have access to any healers at the time either. This next match, though, should be better."

"Hmm. Your oldest I believe?"

"Temari is a remarkably intelligent girl. I am quite proud of her."

Fugaku clenched one hand as he contemplated the man's words. He had met the Kazekage many times over the last twenty years and he had never once heard him refer to his children. In fact, the one time he had seen them it had not ended well. The two oldest were playing tag and ran into the reception area of the Kazekage's mansion. Upon seeing their father they had responded with abject, undisguised fear. Yelling for the nanny, he had ordered her to "get those god-damned brats out of my sight".

Something was obviously off. He had met with the Kazekage in person a couple times in the last two years and had detected no change in his attitude towards his children. Why, all of sudden, was he expressing positive feelings towards his daughter?

Turning his attention back to the match he watched closely, impressed greatly by Shikamaru's use of the shadow jutsu to trick Temari. Unfortunately he ended up loosing anyway when he ran out of chakra and forfeited. Glancing back at the man next to him Fugaku waited to see what he would say.

After a couple minutes the Kazekage spoke in a voice that seemed pleased. "Not the best of outcomes, but I am not displeased. Shikamaru is definitely Chuunin material though, in my opinion."

"Agreed." Fugaku and Sarutobi echoed.

Genma yelled out across the stadium, causing the trio to turn their attention back to the proceedings, "There will be a change in the order of the fights. Kankurou of Suna versus Shino Aburame of Konoha will be next, followed by Sakura Haruno of Konoha versus Temari of Suna, and last will be Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha versus Gaara of Suna. The next match will begin in ten minutes."

"Why the change in schedule?" Fugaku looked back at an ANBU standing nearby who nodded and immediately began speaking into a wireless radio strapped to his head.

A minute later the ANBU reported, "There is a problem with Gaara. Temari was able to calm him down, but Genma is threatening to disqualify him if he doesn't pull himself together. He re-arranged the schedule to give Gaara some cooling off time."

"Humph. I guess we can live with it then." Fugaku wasn't going to go back on the proctor's decision anyway, but he was curious.

"Gaara had problems during the second exam as well." Sarutobi stated, "Fortunately he backed off when told to or he wouldn't have made it this far. Hopefully he doesn't get disqualified. I am looking forward to seeing him go up against Sasuke."

The Kazekage responded in a flat voice, "The Uchiha is the only opponent worthy of my Gaara."

This time Fugaku felt a chill run up his spine. He knew for a fact the man hated his youngest child with a passion, although he was unsure as to the exact details, he had heard his wife had died shortly after the boy's birth.

"I withdraw!" A voice called out from the participant's box and all eyes looked across the stadium at a teenage boy in a black jumpsuit who was standing with his hand raised in the air. "I withdraw."

"Kankurou of Suna. Is that your final word?" Genma sighed, suddenly sounding very tired.

"Yeah."

"Then by default Shino Aburame of Konoha moves on to the second round. We will begin the next match… umm…Sakura versus Temari in ten minutes."

"If you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I'm going to go check on a few things." Fugaku stood up slowly and exited the balcony reserved for the Kages. Entering the hallway he stopped and leaned against the wall. Activating his Sharingan in front of the Kazekage could be seen as a sign of hostility so he had no choice but ask someone else to handle it.

He walked out onto a balcony at the back of the stadium that overlooked the village and pulled out a wireless radio. "Itachi, respond."

"Here." The teen spoke quietly so he wouldn't be overheard by too many people.

"Glance up at the Kage box with your Sharingan and tell me what you see."

The line was silent for a couple minutes before Itachi spoke again, "That's the Kazekage? He's got a Genjutsu wrapped around himself. Could be for security. Some high officials do that so they won't be as much of a target."

"True… but he has made some comments that are rather out of character. I want you to pass my concerns on to Kakashi. The next match is starting, I've got to get back now."

"I'll handle it."

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Itachi glanced around the stadium as Sakura and Temari began their fight. He figured it wouldn't be much of a battle since Temari was nearly out of chakra from her previous fight. It was too bad an odd number participants had been drawn for the final exam. That meant one person had to fight twice in the first round.

Using a transportation jutsu Itachi appeared behind Kakashi, who was standing in the aisle next to Gai. They were watching the match closely and Itachi glanced over their shoulders to see Temari jump on her fan and fly over the field, passing directly over the top of Sakura who was standing still with her hands clasped in front of her face.

"She is quite good at Genjutsu." Itachi stated calmly.

"Yes. Temari is short on chakra and unable to break out of it." Kakashi grinned under his mask. "In a couple minutes she'll have to land and Sakura should be able to finish the match easily. So what brings you over here, Itachi?"

"Something is wrong here. The Kazekage has a Genjutsu wrapped around himself and is saying things that are out of character."

"A stand-in perhaps?" Gai offered.

"Yeah. That's the only answer. His three kids are in this exam and the middle one forfeited when he found out his match was moved around."

"He was supposed to go last." Kakashi stated.

"I believe this has something to do with Gaara." Itachi watched as Temari's fan dropped out of the sky and Sakura jumped forward, using tai jutsu to knock the girl unconscious and win the fight.

"Too easy." Kakashi sighed, "Sakura deserved to go up against someone with full chakra." It was quiet for a couple minutes as the trio thought about what Itachi had just said.

Genma called up from the field, "Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha and Gaara of Suna! You may begin!"

The two boys squared off , staring intently at each other. Finally, Sasuke jumped forward, so fast he could hardly be seen. Striking at Gaara, his fist was met with a wall of sand that suddenly appeared in front of him. Jumping back, he continued to run around his opponent, occasionally jumping forward to strike, swerving around clouds of sand that attempted to block him and finally landing a kick that sent Gaara skidding twenty feet across the field.

"That's exactly like Lee's tai jutsu." Gai mumbled in awe. "So that's what you were doing with your student, Kakashi."

"Among other things." Kakashi answered quietly.

"Gaara has to be expending a lot of chakra." Itachi offered. He was watching the match with his Sharingan activated, memorizing the moves and looking for weaknesses. "He's not doing anything out of the ordinary, but I'm sure… something about Gaara…"

There was a collective gasp from the stadium as Gaara drew sand towards himself, enclosing his body completely in a large ball. Sasuke, in a last ditch effort to reach the boy before he the sphere closed up rushed forward, but was stopped a mere inch from Gaara's disappearing face. Spikes, fashioned out of sand, had suddenly appeared in Sasuke's path, forcing him to jump back.

"Kakashi Sensei! You've got the stop the match!" They were pulled out of their thoughts by Naruto who had suddenly run up behind him with Shikamaru and Sakura trailing close behind. "He's not normal! If you let this go on Sasuke will die!"

Itachi clenched his teeth and stared at the field. Sasuke was standing about ten feet away from the sand sphere with his fists clenched. Suddenly he ran towards the wall of the stadium and used chakra to climb halfway up.

Kakashi smiled, "You know, Naruto, Sasuke and I weren't just goofing off for the last month."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Sakura relaxed a little at the unconcerned look she got from Kakashi.

"You'll see. Keep watching."

Sparks flew out in several directions as a blue ball of chakra accompanied by a high pitched chirping sound filled the stadium. Sasuke stood in place as the ball grew to about a foot in diameter, funneling more and more chakra into the jutsu. His face was bathed in a bluish glow, making the determined look on his face appear very grim.

"Chidori." Gai stated in awe.

"Now you know why I wanted to teach him myself. He's like me."

Itachi snuck a glance at his father but his expressionless face revealed nothing. He turned back just in time to see Sasuke bend over until the Chidori was about a foot off the ground and run forward toward his target. The jutsu easily punched a hole in Gaara's defense making the crowd gasp in surprise. However a moment later a loud, blood-curdling screech came from the sphere.

"_Blood! It's my blood!"_

The silence that followed was deafening. Itachi nodded once to Kakashi and disappeared, reappearing next to the participant's entrance in the stadium just as large, pale misshapen paw reached out to in an attempt to grab Sasuke, who had extracted his arm and was jumping backwards away from the sphere.

"What the hell was that?" Genma gasped.

His question wasn't answered, however, as Itachi felt a sleep jutsu being cast over the surrounding area and dispelled it before it could control him. He saw Genma and several others nearby do the same. Out on the field Sasuke also felt it and stopped it as well. Looking up into the spectator boxes, they could see the spectators dropping like flies. Only a few Shinobi remained standing.

Genma ran quickly out onto the field. "This match is over. Gaara, back off."

However, Gaara, who had dispelled the sand sphere was seething at the bit and talking to himself. Temari and Kankurou ran across the field and stood between him and Genma in an attempt to calm their brother. Sauske stood panting behind the proctor trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

"What's going on down here?" Fugaku had used a transportation jutsu to appear on the field. "What was that thing that came out of the sand jutsu? It obviously wasn't a summon."

"Third!" An ANBU called out from the roof, and everyone turned to see what was going on. Perched on the roof of one of the spectator boxes was a man in a cream colored robe and purple rope belt had his arm around Sarutobi's neck.

"Orochimaru!" Itachi hissed in anger.

Baki, the Sand team's sensei, appeared on the field and started to yell at Gaara, ordering him to calm down. Sasuke, meanwhile was watching the boy closely, knowing that if he let down his guard and Gaara attacked he would come after him, ignoring all the other people on the field.

"Get him out of here!" Baki yelled as Gaara collapsed. Kankurou threw him over his shoulder and took off, using chakra to climb to the top of the stadium wall and jump over it. After a couple seconds, Temari followed.

Genma growled under his breath before speaking, "Sasuke, you are definitely good enough be a Chuunin in my opinion."

Sasuke smiled devilishly, "What are you saying? Are you telling me to follow him?"

"Don't do anything rash." Genma pulled several shurikens out of his pockets and crouched down, ready to attack if anyone came near Sasuke before he could leave.

As predicted, Baki turned his full attention to Sasuke, "You're not going anywhere." Throwing several kunai at the boy, they were blocked by who also threw kunai. Meanwhile, Sasuke used the same exit route to follow Gaara.

After Sasuke had left Fugaku looked over at Itachi, "I'm going to see what's going on with the Third." He disappeared a second later.

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"I thought you said this was a peaceful village." Zabuza, who had been relaxing a few rows down from where Kakashi was standing was kicking one sand ninja with his leg and punching a second one with his fist.

"I thought so too." Kakahsi answered angrily.

"You got that scroll on you?"

"Yeah. Keep them off me while I pull it out."

"Got it." Zabuza, who was technically not supposed to exert himself for another month had been expecting to have a nice calm day away from the hospital. Still under guard, his request to attend the Chuunin exams had been granted as another opportunity to try to convince the powerful ninja to join the village.

Kakashi bit his finger, and ran the bloodied appendage across a scroll that he had unrolled rather hurriedly on the cement floor. A puff of smoke revealed a very large sword that Zabuza picked up without hesitation. He turned around and threw himself forward, attacking a group of sand shinobi who had just entered from one of the doors at the back.

"Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru." Kakashi turned his attention to the Genin. "I want you to go after Sasuke and make sure he doesn't do something he shouldn't. That Gaara isn't in his right mind."

"Told you so." Naruto yelled, "I said we should have stopped the match!"

"Later Naruto. Right now….Pakkun, I want you to go with them."

"Right!" A small bulldog with a blue cape jumped forward.

"All of you, get going!" Kakashi and Gai struck down several ninjas who tried to stop the kids from leaving.

"They going to be okay?" Zabuza asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." Gai admitted.

"Yeah. They have Pakkun with them and he'll let me know if things get out of hand."

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"Kabuto?" Itachi stared in disbelief at the white-haired teen in front of him. "Why are you here? What are you up to?" Several ninjas had just jumped from the spectator box onto the floor of the stadium, and one of them was Itachi's childhood friend.

Kabuto smiled, "I've finally found my place, Itachi, and it isn't here. Lord Orochimaru gave me a second chance and I decided to take him up on it."

"But why attack Konoha?"

"Ask Orochimaru. If any of you live that long."

Itachi's cold glare was enough to level most people, but not Kabuto. He gazed back with a smirk set firmly on his face. "He broke through the mind-control jutsu that man had placed on me. I still have no memories of anything before Kikyou Pass, but I have my life back. Orochimaru told me I could do anything I wanted now… but my gratitude would not allow me leave such a great man's side."

"Did you kill your father?" Memories flooded through Itachi as he remembered their other friend, Yota Hyuuga, who had killed his own father after the man attacked him. That had been self-defense, and it had broken Yota's spirit, turning him against his clan and the village.

"No. Itachi, I can truthfully say that father died a natural death from cancer. I can also truthfully say that he died without knowing anything that I have done over the years. To him I will always be the prodigal son." Kabuto's smile became friendly and he sighed softly as he finished speaking.

"If you do this… I will have to kill you."

"You are more powerful than me, Itachi. If anyone can kill me, it will be you. However, my death is not in the cards today." Baki yelled out for everyone to withdraw and Kabuto jumped out of the stadium with the other sand ninja's.

Itachi watched with mixed feelings. While he always felt a certain uneasiness around the boy, they had hung out together as children and, a much as he hated to admit it, Kabuto had earned a special place in his heart because of it. Even though they hadn't spoken much in the last few years. He didn't want to have to kill him.

"Aren't you going to go after him?" Genma asked quietly.

Looking around, Itachi shook his head, "Not today. We need to secure the village so no one else…" He was interrupted when a cry rang out from the roof where Sarutobi was fighting Orochimaru.

"The Third's dead! It can't be!"

Genma's face went so pale that Itachi thought for a second that he would pass out and took a step towards the man before stopping himself. He turned his gaze back to the rooftop as the barrier that Orochimaru's henchmen had constructed dropped, revealing a jutsu created forest and, barely in the line of sight, a slumped over body.

Itachi used a transportation jutsu to materialize on the roof and watched as Orochimaru, whose arms were hanging blackened and useless at his sides called for a retreat. He disappeared mere inches from Fugaku's fingers.

Cursing, the clan Lord turned his attention to the ANBU who were kneeling over the fallen form of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Is he dead?"

"Yes. I'm sorry… we couldn't get through the barrier…" The man lowered his face, exhaling heavily.

"Damn it!" Fugaku yelled.

"Lord Hokage, we are getting reports from various places around the village that the enemies are withdrawing. Any orders?"

"Yes. Clean up this mess. Sarutobi was able to seal part of Orochimaru's jutsu's – you saw the state of his arms – in order to stop the invasion. We need to regroup and take advantage of his sacrifice so it doesn't go to waste."

"Yes my Lord." The ANBU disappeared to pass on the orders.

"Itachi." Fugaku looked firmly at his son.

"Yes father?"

"You let Kabuto escape." It was a statement spoken without any emotion, yet Itachi, who knew his father better than probably anyone else alive understood exactly what the implications of his words meant.

"Yes."

Fugaku turned away from him and walked over to the ANBU who were placing Sarutobi's corpse on a stretcher. Itachi stared at his back, knowing that the next time he ran into his childhood friend, he would have to choose between his father and his memories. He wondered who would win. As he stared into the lifeless eyes of one of the greatest men to ever come out of Konoha he felt nothing but pity for Kabuto and wondered just when he had gone insane.

'Perhaps killing him would be a good thing then.' Itachi thought to himself, 'Perhaps he could finally find peace. But… ' He sighed and closed his eyes in exasperation. Kabuto was found as young child with no memories, the only survivor of the battle of Kikyou Pass. Either before or shortly after that he had been placed under a mind-control jutsu by Sasori and used mercilessly for any number of missions, both before and after the puppeteer had joined Akatsuki. Living in Konoha he was a spy and lived with the threat of capture every day. Itachi had kept his mouth shut, knowing that to reveal Kabuto's double life would be to reveal his own as well. He understood why his old friend would fall for Orochimaru's lies. He wanted out of his double life. He wanted to choose his own path.

'If only he'd come to me.' Itachi lamented. 'I bet somehow we could have figured out how to remove Sasori's jutsu. But… maybe I should have acted on my own. I knew he was miserable.'

"Itachi?" The strong, deep voice made his skin crawl and he turned around slowly, noticing that everyone else had left the roof. "I am disappointed in you. I would have expected better."

The teen didn't move as he gazed directly into Madara's eyes. He felt, rather than saw, his father's chakra coming closer, then stop a few feet away. He could have sworn the man had left with everyone else.

Madara, who wasn't wearing a mask clenched his fists as he gazed down at Itachi. His cold eyes glared banefully but his chakra remained hidden.

"I want you to know, Itachi, and Fugaku as well. I value Sasuke's life higher than either of yours. Everyone else is expendable. Including Mikoto, Sheeta, and Aya and the entire Uchiha clans in both Konoha and Mist."

"How dare you…" Fugaku started to walk forward, but was interrupted when Itachi jumped back and grabbed his father by the arm. The man tensed under his son's grip and gritted his teeth. Itachi feared that his father was a mere hairsbreadth from completely loosing it. If that happened, there was no in the village, save him, that stop him.

Madara spoke again before disappearing, "In three weeks I expect to see both of you and Sasuke in Mist. Otherwise, there will be consequences."

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**Next week, the after-effects of Orochimaru's invasion.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	33. Chapter 33 Fates United

**Last week Sarutobi battled Orochimaru as the village was attacked in the middle of the Chuunin exam.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Let's see… how old is everyone… first off, the rookie 9, because of their additional training, were able to graduate when they were 10, meaning the Chuunin exams are happening while they are 11. I didn't know Deidara's age until later, so in this story he's the same age as Itachi. Canon lists him as 19 when he died, 2 years younger than Itachi.**

**Ages:**

**Nagi (Nui's daughter) – 2**

**Arata, Yori (Rumiko's kids) - 4**

**Konohamaru, Hanabi – 6**

**Rookies - 11**

**Sai - 12**

**Haku - 14**

**Itachi, Sheeta, Deidara – 16 **

**Kabuto - 18**

**Aya (and Shisui if he had lived) – 19**

**Yuri (and Yota if he had lived) - 20**

**Nui - 22**

**Zabuza – 25**

**Kakashi (and Obito if he had lived) – 26**

**Kisame - 28**

**Mikoto – 38**

**Fugaku – 43**

**Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru - 49**

**Toshiro, Kisa – 53**

**Sarutobi – 68**

**Danzou - 70**

**Madara – who knows? At least 90, but possibly over 100. I describe him as appearing to be in his mid to late twenties – but knowing him that's probably a Genjutsu and he's really all wrinkly and old. Seriously we're all on the edge of our seats waiting to find out…**

**You know, I was thinking… even if Sasuke doesn't get to kill Danzou, Tsunade will when she wakes up. And I bet she knows a hundred different, very painful ways to accomplish it.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 33 – Fates United**

He had to give his father a lot of credit. It was a full fifteen minutes since Hiruzen Sarutobi had succumbed to injuries incurred while fighting Orochimaru and five minutes since Madara had ordered them to Mist in three weeks time, and the elder Uchiha had yet to kill someone. However, Itachi realized he was still holding on to his father's arm and his own hands were shaking. But was that anger, sorrow, or something else?

The Chuunin exams had gone horribly wrong, and while the attack by Sand had been routed and hostilities would soon be over, there was extensive damage and no doubt there would also be more casualties. Orochimaru was involved somehow, although at the moment no one was entirely sure of the connection.

"Itachi." Fugaku took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm going to go get a take on the damage. Go after Sasuke and make sure…" His voice trailed off as he pulled himself out of his son's grasp and used a transportation jutsu to disappear. Itachi did the same.

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Reappearing outside the village in the direction Sasuke had run off to he used a chakra tracking jutsu to see if he could locate the boy. However, there was a lot of interference and he dropped his hands to his side, concerned. Even with the extra chakra signatures, Sasuke should have been easy to detect. Unless, of course, his chakra was weakened or he was hiding it.

"Itachi, I saw you leave." Haku appeared a couple feet away from him, with Sai right on his heals. His face held a grim expression that was mixed with disbelief and sorrow, while Sai's was expressionless, "Do you know where they went?"

"They?" Itachi asked cautiously.

"I just spoke with Zabuza. Kakashi sent Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru after Sasuke. A couple minutes later Shino took off too."

"Oh great. Now we've got five Genin to rescue instead of one. Let's get going."

Jumping up into the trees the teens took off at full speed. They hadn't gone very far when a loud roar echoed through the forest. High pitched and full of menace it was like nothing the trio had ever heard before.

"Up here!" Sai called out. Itachi and Haku joined him, holding on the tips of the trees with chakra.

"What the hell is that!" Haku was so blown away by the monster in front of him that he could hardly get the words out.

"That is…" Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was impossible. Activating his Sharingan he took a closer look. The monster in front of him was composed entirely of chakra. There was no body at all. Taller than the surrounding trees and fully a quarter mile around it was a giant, grayish-white tanuki.

"What's wrong Itachi, you just went as white as a ghost?" Sai observed quietly.

Itachi watched as a giant frog he recognized as Jiraiya's summon came into view. A minute later a clone of the nine-tailed fox appeared and started battling the tanuki. Closing his eyes he did a wide-area scan for chakra and finally found his brother, as well as well as the other Genin. But no Jiraiya.

"Naruto must have summoned the frog." He replied. "Unbelievable."

Haku whispered, "Why is the tanuki so big?"

"That's not a tanuki. That's the one-tailed demon. That's what that was… back at the exams… Gaara is a Jinchuuriki." Itachi gave his companions a quick glance before continuing, "Don't tell anyone what you are seeing here. Everyone fears the demons and if they knew it would make things worse."

"That it would." A deep voice interrupted the conversation, causing the trio to turn around, pulling out kunais as they did so.

"What do _you_ want?" Itachi angrily addressed Madara, who was hanging onto a treetop not five feet away, his orange and black mask hiding his features. "You have a lot of gall showing up again today."

"Hmmm… I'm not in a good mood today Itachi, don't push your luck. Sasuke is fine, thankfully, but he will need a lot of rest to recover his chakra. Other than that…"

Haku spoke up when Madara's voice faded, "Who are you?"

"Madara Uchiha. And you are Haku from the Yuki clan of Water country, and you are Root agent codename Sai."

Itachi felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to get Madara away from Haku and Sai, "Madara, let's go talk someplace else. There's no need to involve anyone else."

"On the contrary. I believe Haku and Sai are already involved."

"I take orders from the Hokage. Not you." Sai stated calmly.

"He'll be giving the same order. You don't have to be psychic to figure that out."

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on, "Madara, get to the point."

"Humph. Kill Kabuto."

"What!" Itachi's eyes flew open in shock.

"He's more of a danger than you realize. His power is incredible and if Orochimaru was able to unlock it we could be in for a lot of trouble. Sasori sealed the boy's memories for reasons other than maliciousness. Those people at Kikyou pass… the ones they found dead around him… he was the one who killed them all."

"That impossible!" Itachi cried out, "He was only, what… six, seven years old! Under it all, he's not a bad person!"

"That is true enough. He's not bad. However, those ninjas attacked his village and kidnapped him. Sasori happened to be in the area and decided to make use of the boy. He regrets that now and stated that he should have killed him."

"But… what Sasori did to him… it made things worse. And besides, Sasori has killed tens of thousands of people, I would not consider him an authority in this matter."

"Yes. Undoubtedly. I personally believe that Kabuto is not a threat while Orochimaru has him under control. However, should something happen to him, Kabuto will be released upon the world and will most likely come after Akatsuki, as his new master has made that organizations demise one of his priorities."

Itachi glanced at the fight, just as the Frog and the Tanuki disappeared, "You are thinking pretty far ahead. Right now, what you are saying is so far into the realm of 'what-ifs' as to make it almost useless. After today, we probably can't go looking for either Orochimaru or Kabuto for a while, so I think he'll probably live a while longer. And don't forget – Danzou is still out there and probably funding Orochimaru's work. And why was Sand country working with him? Really, Madara, as powerful as I am, unless you can find a way to clone me I can only do one thing at a time."

Madara nodded, "Hmmm…"

Sai gave a short laugh, "I don't think the world is ready for more than one Itachi."

Madara laughed as well, "True. True. I guess we'll have to live with the one we got." As he disappeared Itachi sighed in relief.

"Haku Yuki? So that's your last name?" Sai asked curiously.

"No. Apparently that's the name of my clan though. I never knew that before." Haku jumped back down into the lower branches of the tree he was on, followed closely by Itachi and Sai.

Sai wouldn't leave it alone, though, "So what is your last name?"

"None of your business."

"Come on. I won't tell."

"After my parents died and Zabuza took me in I vowed to never use it. It's… too painful."

"Oh. Sorry." Sai gave him an embarrassed grin, "I'm not so good at things like this. I guess I shouldn't have said anything."

"That's okay… maybe I'll start using 'Yuki' instead. The village registrar told me to pick a last name for the records."

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Heading back into the forest the trio quickly found Shino's father taking care of his nearly-unconsciuos, poisoned son. The elder Aberame shooed them away, assuring them he could handle things. Further up they ran into Shikamaru and Asuma who were sitting on the ground in front of several tied-up enemy ninjas. Stopping to look at the pair, who seemed a trifle _too_ relaxed, Itachi didn't even bother to speak before taking off into the forest again.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were all lying on the ground when they caught up to them. The three were near exhaustion, covered in cuts and bruises, and, somehow, still conscious.

"Well, I guess we came all this way for nothing." Sai deadpanned.

"Ha ha ha!" Naruto laughed feebly, "Took care of everything for you, Itachi. They aren't a threat anymore so don't hurt them."

"That's not up to me." Itachi answered quietly.

"Yeah. It is. We all have to… have to help each other." Naruto closed his eyes and scrunched his face in pain.

"Big brother… Sakura needs help." Sasuke turned his head and looked at his pink-haired friend lying ten feet from him. Her eyes met his, but they had a glassy look to them.

Haku, who was on the ground next to the girl, answered, "She's got several broken ribs and a punctured lung. I'll take her back right now." Without waiting for any acknowledgement he picked Sakura up in his arms and disappeared.

"I'll grab Naruto, you probably want to care for your brother." Sai draped Naruto across his back.

"Are you going to disappear like Haku?" The blond asked hopefully.

"I don't have enough chakra left for that. I got caught outside the stadium by several Sound village ninjas and, well, nearly lost to tell the truth. But you're just suffering from exhaustion so I'm sure you'll live."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto was a little disappointed, but he was also looking forward to a very long nap and let out a small sigh as he rested his head on Sai's shoulder.

"I think he's asleep already." Sai gave a short laugh before taking off into the trees.

"Sound village, huh? I guess that must be where Orochimaru is hiding." Sasuke replied quietly.

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't concern you." Itachi's words came out a little colder than he expected.

"Like hell it doesn't." His voice was nearly a whisper, and as Itachi lifted him onto his back he felt the boy succumb to sleep.

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The rain fell in sheets as nearly the entire village gathered at the graveyard the next day for Sarutobi's funeral service. It was a somber occasion with very few dry eyes. Only the most stoic shinobi stood expressionless and unmoved – on the outside at least.

Orochimaru's name was thoroughly dragged through the dirt as he was cursed over and over for killing one of the most influential men in the village's history. A few even spoke up, stating their wish that it had been Fugaku who had died, after all the chaos he had caused during the coup. The elder Uchiha ignored the comments, knowing that, in the heat of the moment, most of them were probably speaking without meaning their words. However, that didn't mean he felt blameless. On the contrary, he was rather upset that he couldn't stop the events of the previous day.

Sasuke and Naruto had remained asleep until Kisa awakened them for the funeral. Dressed in black they were still very worn out. Sakura showed up in a knee-length black dress and stood between them. Her fractures had been healed, but her chest was wrapped tightly to prevent the weak new bone from breaking again before it had time to completely set.

As the service ended the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the mid-morning village in bright shades of yellow and silver as the wet ground and puddles reflected their light back up into the heavens. Something about the change in the weather seemed to cheer most people up, at least a little.

As the crowd dispersed Itachi found himself standing with his father, Toshiro and Kisa. They were speculating on Sounds involvement in the attack when Asuma walked up, dragging a still sobbing Konohamaru behind him.

"I thought you had stopped crying." Kisa knelt down on one and pulled the boy close for a hug. He instantly grabbed onto her coat with a tight grip and buried his head in her shoulder.

"I'm at the end of my rope." Asuma admitted. "Don't think I'm cut out for the 'parent' thing, but I'm gonna give it a try anyway. But… I'm going to be busy for the next few days and since he gets along so well with Hanabi and dad used to have stay over at your house sometimes… I wondered… if it wouldn't be too much of an imposition…"

"We'd be glad to have him stay over for a while." Toshiro patted Asuma on the back.

"Would you like that Konohamaru? Maybe Naruto can come play with you too." Kisa smiled as the boy wiped his tears and quieted down. Nodding once he took the woman's hand and started to walk away, pulling her after him. Kisa looked back and waved before changing the boy's direction so she could gather up Hinata and Hanabi, who had stood with their relatives for the service.

A deep sigh of relief escaped from Asuma's mouth and he bent over slightly as he fumbled to light a cigarette with trembling hands. "Thank-you, Toshiro. You have no idea how much this helps. I think something like this, a boy needs a mom or dad and, well, you and Kisa fit that bill better than me."

Toshiro gave him a bitter-sweet smile, "It's only temporary, we have to leave for Mist in a couple weeks, but anytime you feel overwhelmed, just speak up. And I have a feeling Kuranai would like to help out as well."

"Yeah, she came over last night, but neither of us had any idea how to comfort him. I mean… she's an orphan so I guess she has a good excuse, but I don't know what my problem is. Anyway, that's for me to figure out." He walked away, flinging his half-smoked cigarette into a puddle and pulling out another.

"I hope the stores don't run out of cigarettes or that man will be in real trouble." Fugaku commented dryly.

"He went through a full two pack during the service, but he kept putting them out after a few puffs before reaching for another." Toshiro observed, "It might be better for him if he would just open a couple bottles of saki, get stinking drunk and pass out for twelve hours."

"That's probably true for all of us. Unfortunately we don't get to enjoy that luxury. Itachi?"

"Hm?" The teen had been staring at the offering table, now full of flowers and photographs of not only Sarutobi, but all of the villagers who had died the previous day.

"You look feverish."

"Huh?" Itachi blinked a couple times as he looked up at his father, "I feel fine."

"You're sweating and it forty-seven degrees outside."

"I… am?" Itachi put a hand to forehead and frowned. Fugaku was right, he was running a fever. "Strange. I don't feel sick. I do feel a little cold, but standing here doing nothing can account for that."

"Nevertheless, go round up the boys and put them and yourself to bed." Fugaku turned around and walked away.

Toshiro smiled, "I guess that's 'Fugaku-speak' for 'if I end up with three sick kids in house while Mikoto's gone I'll kick all your butts'."

Itachi gave a short laugh, "Yeah, you're probably right. And it would hurt, too."

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"I don't really feel like sleeping now." Naruto admitted as they stepped into the house.

"Me neither." Sasuke agree.

Itachi slipped off his sandals and stared down the hall, "Then let's just watch TV for a while then."

"I didn't see Sheeta, where is she?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"Nui told her that she wasn't going to stand two hours in the rain even if it meant she had to tie her to a chair."

Naruto grinned, "So she's at home tied to a chair. I sure hope I'm not the one that has to untie her."

"Me too." Itachi and Sasuke spoke simultaneously.

Itachi continued, "But to tell the truth, she probably has morning sickness again. It shows up a couple hours after she gets up, and goes away by noon."

Sasuke and Naruto picked a movie with very little action, hoping it would make them sleepy. Both boys were still suffering from exhaustion, but the funeral had keyed them up so much that they couldn't close their eyes without a hundred worries surfacing. About half-way through the ninety-minute movie Fugaku showed up and joined them. Despite his earlier words, he didn't seem to be surprised or upset to see them out of bed. However, he did keep glancing at Itachi who was rubbing his chest and occasionally wincing, as if in pain.

As the movie ended, Itachi stood up slowly and yawned. "I'm going to take a nap."

The yawn was contagious and Sasuke and Naruto followed him out of the room, leaving Fugaku, who had picked up a book. He dropped it a moment later when Naruto's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the house. "Itachi! What's wrong!"

Sasuke ran back into the living room, "Dad! Big brother fell down and he's in pain! I think it's a heart attack!"

Fugaku was at his son's side in a second. Itachi was on his knees gasping in pain and bent over with his hand clutching the shirt over his heart, "Impossible… he's only sixteen… it must be something else. I'll take him to the hospital. You two go to bed." He disappeared, leaving two very stressed out and awake boys behind.

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"Whatever it was, he's resting quietly now, Lord Hokage." The doctor that had treated Itachi looked apologetically into Fugaku's eyes. "All his vital signs are normal, although his lungs are starting to fill with mucus again. I have scheduled treatment for that later tonight."

"You don't have any idea what it was?" Fugaku asked angrily.

"We thought it could have been angina. Chest pain that occurs because the heart muscles don't get enough blood. But after checking his arteries we don't see any blockages. Stress can also cause chest pain, and, of course, the spinal column can transfer pain to the chest that has nothing to do with the heart. However, given his illness, it is most likely heart related. My suspicion is that the stress of the last twenty-four hours, combined with his condition worked together to give him angina-like symptoms."

"Hmm." He turned away and gazed at the teen, sleeping soundly on a cot in the hospital room. Because of the fighting from the day before the hospital was overflowing with wounded and every room had at least four people in it. "Would you like me to take him home after the treatment later?"

"No, I would like to keep him under observation until morning, at least. The place is busy, but it would make me feel better to have him here, nonetheless."

Fugaku bowed his head, "Thank-you very much. I'll be in contact later."

"How are Naruto and Sasuke doing?" The same doctor had treated the two boys after their fight in the woods the previous day.

"They woke up to attend the funeral, but they are so wound up now…"

The doctor pulled out a prescription form, "Give them some of these. It'll calm them down so they can sleep. I don't really like prescribing, like this but right now is a bit of an exception."

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"Hi Itachi." A big, blond, toothy grin welcomed the teen back into the world as he opened his eyes and tried to shake the disorientation that was making his brain hurt. Or perhaps that was a headache caused by the too-near face staring at him inanely.

"You don't have to sit so close. He's not deaf." Sasuke's more somber tones made the face back away to a more comfortable distance. The headache also backed off and Itachi took a deep breath, expelling it slowly as he remembered the pain in his chest.

"What happened?" The teen asked quietly. He was on a narrow cot in a room with three other people, who all appeared to be asleep, or perhaps even unconscious.

"You had vagina." Itachi's eyes opened wide with shock at Naruto's words. In his half-awake state it seemed entirely possible.

"That's 'angina' you idiot." Sasuke rapped his friend on the head, eliciting a grin from Itachi.

"Thank god." Itachi sighed, wondering just how 'out of it' he was.

Sasuke sat down on the floor, "Dad said you're getting worse."

"But you don't have to worry!" Naruto added, a little too quickly, "Because me and pervy-sage are going to go get Tsunade and bring her back and because she's the best medical ninja ever she'll cure you!"

"Yeah, so everything's okay." Sasuke added. "Naruto is leaving tomorrow and they aren't going to come back without her."

"That's right! I'm all packed and everything! Even if I have to tie her up and sling her over my shoulder, I'm going to make her cure you because you're my big brother and if I'm going to be Hokage someday like my dad then I can't let you die!"

Itachi didn't know what to say to that declaration. He was flattered that Naruto trusted him, but at the same time… the boy was carrying the nine-tailed demon and it was his job one day to deliver him to Akatsuki.

Fugaku cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "You're going to be late if you stay any longer."

"Oh!" Naruto looked at his watch, "We're going to go play with Konohamaru this afternoon."

"We better get going." Sasuke led Naruto out of the room, leaving Fugaku alone with his son.

Sitting down in the chair Naruto had vacated he looked curiously at Itachi's distant expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Naruto… what… I have to do to him…"

"Itachi…"

"What if I can't get out of it? If something happens to me… someone else would collect him. I wish I hadn't gotten so close to him. I knew letting him move in was a mistake."

Fugaku was silent for a few minutes. A hundred scenarios – all concerning ways to hide the nine-tails Jinchuuriki wove through his head – but there was only one solution. The only way to guarantee Naruto's safety was to kill Madara.

"I won' be able to do it." Itachi seemed to be reading his father's mind as he quietly uttered the words.

"I know." Fugaku slowly admitted. It was a big blow, realizing that all the work he had put into training his son to take down the most powerful ninja currently living had probably been a waste of time. Fate had delivered a blow that the teen, as powerful as he had become, could not block.

Itachi closed his eyes and one tear leaked, unbidden, from one eye.

"Get up, Itachi. We're going home." He dragged a cardboard box out from under the cot and took his son's clothes. "And… there has to be a way out of this. If he… if he wins there will be war like no one in modern times has seen. We can't allow that."

"You're right, father. There's too much at stake to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. Perhaps while we're in Mist we can learn something."

"The village and various clan councils met this morning to discuss the events of yesterday, and they see this trip to Mist as too important to pass up. I'm not happy about Madara's threat, though. I don't appreciate being backed into a corner." Fugaku led his son out into the hall, but instead of turning right, toward the stairwell, he guided him toward a set of double doors at the end of the hall. "Before we go home… I have arranged a small detour."

"The optometrist!" Itachi's eyes opened wide in shock.

"All his patients cancelled. Other things going on, of course. So her schedule is wide open. I'll wait in the hall, and be honest with her, Itachi, or I really will remove you from active duty."

Itachi waited a couple minutes after Fugaku had exited the exam room, then turned around to look suspiciously at the doctor.

"Would you like to sit of your own free will or do I get to tie you up?" The middle-aged woman gave him a mischievous smile as she washed her hands in the small sink.

"How many patients do you tie up to examine?"

"Believe it or not, at least one a month. Sometimes more. You shinobi are sure a stubborn lot."

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Itachi lay on his bed, holding his new, wire-framed gold-colored glasses in the air. He was still in shock over just how much his vision had deteriorated. It seemed inconceivable. Slipping his glasses on, he stood up and gazed out at the darkness beyond his window. The lake was crystal clear and a white line from the full moon drew his attention. The last time he had looked it had been blurred and indistinct. Now, it was sharp, with crisp straight lines and he could even make out the individual waves as they moved in and out of the moon's reflection.

"As embarrassing as it is to wear them… I may never take them off again." Unfortunately, he also knew that a point would come where glasses would no longer work. The Mangekyou Sharingan was robbing him of his vision and one day, he would be blind. Grabbing a woolen coverlet out of the closet he slid open the balcony door and took a seat on a lounge chair. Being able to see the stars, the lake, the clouds as they drifted almost unseen across the sky – it was something he decided he wanted to enjoy tonight so he could etch it into his mind. Someday, he knew, it would be only a memory.

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**Next week, the clan leaves for Mist.**

**I'm not too happy with this chapter. It skips around too much. Sorry about Killing off Sarutobi, but… that was one of the big reasons Tsunade used to return to Konoha and since she isn't going to be Hokage (which was the other reason) I felt like I had to keep that part of the story intact. I couldn't think of any other strong connection she could have to the village.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	34. Chapter 34 Visitor From the Sky

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Disclaimer: Someone owns Naruto, and it isn't me. Probably Kishimoto since he writes it.**

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**Chapter 34 – Visitor From the Sky**

"Sand has surrendered. They found the corpse of the Kazekage and apparently he had been dead for several weeks. All evidence points to Orochimaru or perhaps Kabuto having taken his place, and then arranging the invasion." Fugaku summarized the contents of the scroll that had arrived not ten minutes earlier. The people in the room – about ten in all – looked at each other with surprise and concern. The idea that the wayward Sannin could pull off something that ambitious was quite alarming. "They are asking to renew the treaty and I see no reason to refuse."

"No. No reason at all." A short man in his late sixties, Wataru Hakuou, folded his hands across his lap and sighed. The new village elder council was composed of top Jounin who had distinguished themselves both on their missions and through later service to the village. It was hoped that they would show allegiance to the village instead of their personal agenda's.

Fugaku continued, "I will be leaving tomorrow then, and will return in two weeks. When I get back I will meet with Suna to work out any problems that may still remain and ratify the treaty."

"We will pass on your affirmative answer to Suna and begin preparations to draft up the treaty. A draft will be awaiting your approval when you return." Wataru bowed his head slightly, politely assenting to Fugaku's request. "And we look forward to the upcoming treaty with Mist."

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Fugaku was in a bad mood as he walked alongside his son in the late hours of the morning. Four ox-carts, about four feet wide and six feet long, were behind them, carrying luggage and a few people who couldn't walk long distances. In the end only about a quarter of the clan had decided to come. The difficulty of the journey had put most of them off, as well as the fact that with the recent attack the police force needed to remain staffed and a few others who were skilled in building were helping out with the reconstruction of damaged buildings.

The idea that he was being forced to go to Mist by Madara was eating at his nerves, and a quick glance at Itachi told him the teen was feeling the same way. He had used Akatsuki information and personnel on a handful of missions over the last two or three years and each time he did he could feel Madara's noose tightening around his neck.

"Hey! Big brother!" Sasuke trotted up to them, a big smile on his face. At least one person was in a good mood. "How long until we get to the port? I've never travelled with ox carts before. It's pretty slow."

"You're just now asking?" Itachi mocked his brother.

"I… yeah…" Sasuke replied uncertainly.

"Is that… Tama?" Fugaku stared belligerently at the large orange can trotting happing next to his youngest son.

Sasuke pouted, "I told him to stay with Auntie but he has a mind of his own. I don't think he'll get in the way and he probably wouldn't go home anyway."

"You need to figure a way to sign a contract with him."

"I know. Itachi already told me that but I was training for the exams and didn't get around to it."

"Understandable." Fugaku sighed.

"It's strange not having Naruto around." Sasuke admitted after a couple minutes.

"It's finally quiet." Itachi added with a big smile on his face.

"Arrggg! That's mine Arata! Give it back!"

"Not yours! My turn!" Yori ran past the trio, his short legs travelling remarkably fast for a four-year-old. His brother followed a few feet behind before tripping over branch and falling forward on his knees. Letting out a wail loud enough to wake the dead he threw himself onto his back and began pumping his arms and legs in a full-blown temper-tantrum.

"Wanna go play!" A little girl's voice shrieked out over the crying. "Don't wanna sit!"

"Nagi! Stop that. You can get out and play when we stop for lunch." Nui scolded her daughter before jumping out of the wagon and running forward to scoop Yori up into her arms.

"I'm sorry about all this Lord Fugaku. Yori isn't as coordinated as his brother and is frustrates him to no end." Nui bowed slightly, rubbing the boys back as his sobs were quickly reduced to sniffles.

Fugaku gave a short laugh and stole a glance at Itachi, "What were you saying about it being quiet?"

"Hn." Itachi wasn't amused. In fact, he had been in the process of trying to convince Nui not to take Nagi when he had discovered that she was also going to be in charge of the twins as well, as their grandparents were staying behind. He still remembered the trip a couple years back and the difficulty of travelling with two toddlers was still fresh in his mind.

Nui looped one arm around Itachi and squeezed, "Guess what you have to look forward to in a few months?" She walked away, laughing loudly.

"Tachi?" Looking down, Itachi saw that Arata had stayed behind, clutching a wooden horse to his chest possessively. His shoulder-length black hair had come out of its tie and was blowing in his face.

"Yes Arata?"

"Don't wanna walk. Carry me."

"Wouldn't you rather Sasuke carry you?"

"No. Nui says you need practice with kids so I'm helping." He gazed up gleefully, showing all his perfectly straight, pearly white baby-teeth in a big grin.

"Wow. You're good." Sasuke complimented the boy, "There won't be a single girl in Konoha able to resist that smile in a few years." Itachi picked up the boy and rested him on his hip. Sometimes giving in was better than arguing, and he figured it would probably be quieter as well.

"Good thing he's a lot younger than you, Sasuke, or you'd be short a few of your girlfriends." Toshiro joked as he walked up.

"He can have them." Sasuke replied grumpily.

Toshiro smiled conspiratorially, "All of them?"

The boy blushed and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Even Sakura? And Ino?" Toshiro was enjoying himself.

Sasuke muttered something else and got even redder.

"I think you might have to fight Naruto for Sakura," Itachi joined the teasing, "he has a huge crush on her. And Hinata as a huge crush on Naruto."

"Wow. That's pretty complicated." Toshiro commented. "No wonder you're blushing redder than a tomato."

"Yeah, well, dad said he's picking me out a girl-friend so maybe when I get married they'll leave me alone."

Fugaku laughed, "You are naïve Sasuke. First, you have a few years before you get married, and second, some girls love a challenge and stealing you away from your girlfriend – or wife - would entertain them to no end."

"Seriously? In that movie I watched with mom before she left it was the guys pulling that." Sasuke looked quickly at Toshiro who had started laughing again.

"My oldest brother did that. Ended up in the hospital for three weeks when the woman's husband tried to kill him. Served him right, too." Toshiro finally stopped laughing and ran a hand through his hair. "The woman wasn't even interested in him, he was just thinking with dick instead of his brain I guess."

"That's messed up." Sasuke commented.

Toshiro continued, "Yeah. Mother found him a wife after that and she kept him in line pretty good. It's sad, but some people need a babysitter or they wreak havoc all over. He was definitely one of those." An uncomfortable silence fell for a few minutes as everyone remembered that the man's brothers and nephews had been killed when the Kyuubi had been unleashed on Konoha twelve years earlier.

Itachi was distracted when he felt something wet on his shoulder. Looking down he saw that Arata was sound asleep and drooling. "I guess I'll take him back to Nui."

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"Nagi sure gets along well with the boys." Sheeta observed as she watched the three kids playing a modified version of tag where, apparently, everyone was "it". The group had stopped for lunch near a small lake and while it was now December and rather cool out, the bright sun almost made the area look summery.

"It's cute how they're careful not hurt her." Hinata added, smiling.

"Where's Hanabi?"

"Playing catch with Sasuke."

"Hmmm."

"Why aren't you hanging out with Itachi? I think he really wanted to talk to you earlier when he returned Arata. He walked behind the wagon for almost an hour." Hinata's ability to hold her face with an expression of serenity made Sheeta feel a little guilty. She had ignored her boyfriend, not so much out of ambivalence, but because she was unsure of how she felt about him.

"You're mad at him." Hinata added.

"Ye…yeah. I guess. He tricked me and I guess…" Her voice faded, not really sure if she should be discussing this with a twelve-year-old.

"But you love him. I can tell. Did he apologize?"

"Yeah. Right away, in fact. He's been really nice… well, he's always nice."

"That's what I thought. I'm the same way with my cousin. Except he'll never apologize. And he's never nice. And he calls me names all the time…" Hinata was quiet for a couple minutes. "That doesn't sound right does it?"

"No, it doesn't. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying. Since you are the clan chief you do need to have a good relationship with your family. Otherwise, I would tell you to leave him alone."

"I guess. But what about Itachi? He's sitting over there staring at you. Doesn't he look lonely?" Hinata smiled mischievously.

"He looks like he's half asleep." Sheeta glanced over at the teen who was lying on his side under a tree with his eyes half closed and his new glasses folded and placed safely next to his head.

"Umm… No. He's definitely lonely." Hinata stated confidently, hoping her friend took the bait.

"Fine." Sheeta stood up and straightened her blue waist-length jacket.

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Itachi opened his eyes as a shadow fell over him. Sitting up he slipped on his glasses and smiled when he saw it was Sheeta. Grabbing her hand he pulled her down onto the ground next to him and looped on arm around her, kissing her firmly on the lips.

"Hinata was right, you were lonely." Sheeta smiled appreciatively.

"Less talk. More kissing." Itachi mumbled as he pushed the girl down onto her back.

Laughing, Sheeta looped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, "I like the sound of that."

"Maybe when we stop at the inn tonight we can get our own room." Itachi offered, smiling hopefully.

Sheeta laughed again, "And maybe, when we stop at the inn tonight, you can share a room with Fugaku and Sasuke and I can share a room with Arata, Yori, and Nagi."

"Alas… I fear what you say is true." Itachi bent forward and kissed her passionately on the lips, before trailing more kisses down her neck. "How about we go hide in the woods then."

"And do what?" Sheeta asked conspiratorially.

"Well… I've been reading this book and there are quite a few things I would like to do with you." Itachi moved back up to her lips, placing his hand behind her back, pulling her closer to him.

Sheeta closed her eyes and sighed as the kiss ended, "You realize there are four kids watching us."

"Yeah. They've been there for a while. That's why I suggested a trip into the woods."

"Itachi!" Sheeta pulled herself away from him and sat up, laughing. "You're terrible. Come on. I think it's almost time to leave, they're hooking the oxen back up to the carts."

Standing up, Itachi grabbed the boys' hands while Sheeta picked up Nagi and Hanabi looped an arm around her waist. And that was when all hell broke loose. Or at least a small corner of it as a blond, teenage boy dive-bombed Itachi, forcing him to drop to the ground, throwing himself over the top of the two toddlers. Sheeta ran towards the woods, dragging Hanabi behind her.

"Hey Itachi! How are you doing?" The teen yelled, hovering about six feet over the ground on pure-white clay owl.

"Deidara!" Itachi yelled angrily as he activated his Sharingan, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because jumping into the middle of a group of Uchiha's is definitely suicidal!"

"True. But hey, I was in the area and thought I would drop in." He jumped off the bird as it popped out of existence. Itachi shooed the boys toward the ox-carts and he waved Sheeta away as she emerged from the woods with a curious expression on her face.

"Where's your cloak?" Itachi noticed he was wearing regular civilian clothes – long faded blue jeans with a pale blue jacket and white sneakers.

"Humph." Deidara groaned with frustration and glanced warily at Fugaku who was now standing a couple feet behind him. "You're father?"

"Yeah. Answer the question."

"I don't take orders from you, you know. I'm off duty." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his nemeses.

Itachi closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, "Did you come here just to bug me, because if you did it's working."

"Ha, ha, ha! Itachi wears glasses! Kekkai Genkai not as great as you thought it was huh?" that comment earned the teen a series of insults and challenges from the other Uchihas and a couple of the Hyuugas who were now forming a circle around them.

"I could always test it out on you."

"Ha!" Deidara smiled, "Hi Sasuke!"

"Hi Deidara." Sasuke was obviously confused. When he had met Deidara a couple months ago he had actually be under the impression that he and Itachi were friends. However, this conversation seemed to indicate otherwise.

"Well, I got an order from Leader to go to a wedding in Mist but I don't want to go. And it has occurred to me over the years that you are kind of like his favorite, so I thought you could tell him or ask him to let me off the hook."

The mood lightened considerably and everyone returned to what they were doing before they had been interrupted. They didn't understand exactly what the two teens were talking about, but it was obviously nothing to worry much about.

Fugaku shook his head in resignation, "Who else did he invite?"

"I… um…" Deidara look uncertainly at the elder Uchiha, who, he assumed, was probably more powerful than Itachi since he was his father.

"It's okay, go ahead and answer. He knows everything." Itachi assured him.

"Kisame is already there, I think, or will be shortly. I mean, he's from Mist so I guess that makes sense, but why me? I don't even know who's getting married and Leader told me not to kill or maim anyone so why should I go? You can get me off, right?"

"Deidara, you are very close to begging. And no, I can't get you off." Itachi admitted quietly. "As for who is getting married… my cousin Aya is marrying the Mizukage."

Kicking a rock, Deidara scowled, "This sucks. I hate villages. I hate Water country. I hate Mist."

"And you hate being told what to do. Now, unless you have something original to say, leave." Itachi started walking away.

Deidara caught up to him and strode beside him, "No, I think I'll go with you guys. We're heading the same direction anyway."

"What? No way!" Itachi glared angrily, imagining all the horrible things that could happen if the mad bomber started blowing objects and people up. Not to mention their Akatsuki connections and the fact that most of the clan knew nothing about it.

"Hey Sasuke!" Deidara ran forward and caught up to the boy who was on his tip toes petting the forehead of a large, reddish brown ox, "How's the cat?"

"Oh God. What else is going to go wrong?" Itachi groaned.

Fugaku shrugged his shoulders, "It's okay, let him come. At least it's just him and Kisame. Although he's right, Kisame being invited is understandable, but Deidara… that's a mystery. He did help save Sasuke's life though, so we do owe him for that."

Itachi blinked his eyes a couple times, "That doesn't sound like you… What's going on, father?"

"Itachi," Fugaku waved for the others to start moving as he and his son followed the carts at a slower pace, "Something is going on here. My coup, somehow, put a chink in Madara's plans. That much is very clear to me now."

"If that was true, wouldn't he have just killed you to stop it from happening?"

"As manipulative as he is, I could see him as re-doing all his plans in order to watch the show."

Itachi stuck his hands in his pockets, "Perhaps that is why we haven't collected anymore tailed beasts, and why we're spending so much time chasing after Danzou. All that… the coup, the tailed beasts and Danzou… it's a puzzle with no connecting pieces. Originally he wanted to create war and then use Akatsuki to undermine the economy of the villages."

"He might be planning on keeping Mist and Konoha intact then. As well as Rain." Fugaku sighed, "So how far do I go to keep the village safe if it means the rest of the world falls apart?"

Itachi didn't know the answer to that and shook his head non-committally. Looking ahead of him he saw that Hinata and Sheeta had joined Deidara and Sasuke and were laughing happily at a story the blond was telling.

"I guess…" Itachi paused as he gazed at his girlfriend's still-flat stomach where his child was growing, unaware of the anarchy he or she would one day inherit, "I would go as far as it took to save them because… maybe one safe haven in a world of chaos is all we need for peace to someday flourish."

"Ha!" Fugaku clapped his son across the back, "That's my boy. Always ten steps ahead of everyone else." It was a rather defeatist attitude – but if a world of warfare was coming and Konoha could be that one safe oasis in a world of fear then maybe they could still fight back, retake what was to be lost. On the other hand, if all he had to worry about was Konoha, instead of what Madara was planning for the whole world, he could fortify that village and surely it would be safe.

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"So you knocked up your girlfriend and you haven't married her yet? How did your dad let you get away with that?" Deidara asked, rather bluntly, that evening as he joined Itachi, Fugaku and Sasuke for dinner. The caravan had stopped in a medium sized village and rented several room in about three different inns.

"We are married." Itachi stated calmly. "We just haven't had the ceremony yet."

Fugaku spoke quietly, "I made them sign the paperwork a week ago. It's a formality for inheritance purposes. If Itachi would have died before his legal paperwork indicated a child and wife existed they would have legally gotten nothing."

"That sucks." Deidara mumbled. "You wouldn't have even helped?"

"Of course I would. But what if something happened to me? This way, Sheeta and the baby are covered. And in a couple months or so they can have a full wedding ceremony."

"Hope I don't have to go to that one too." Deidara said.

"It'll be fun though!" Sasuke spoke cheerfully, "Itachi hates being the center of attention and he'll have to dress up and because he's a prince he'll have to do the full Buddhist ceremony. It'll be two days of torturing my big brother."

"Don't call me a prince." Itachi sighed.

"Well, that's what you are, technically. And Hinata's a princess." Sasuke was having fun teasing his brother, especially with Deidara there to help. Usually Naruto would do the honors, but with him gone it had gotten a little lonely.

"Yes, and technically you are a member of the side branch and shouldn't even be eating at the same table as me. Either of you." He glared at both his brother and Deidara.

Deidara pretended to take offense. "I'll have you know I am not a member of the side branch of my clan. Although since my dad kicked me out of the house maybe I am anyway…" He waved his hand in front of him, "Doesn't matter. I for one am not going back."

"Kicked you out? You pissed him off that badly?" Fugaku asked.

"I guess. I was really young and his new wife didn't want someone else's kid, so father kicked me out. Then this guy found me living on the street and took me to Iwa and enrolled me in the Academy. I was pretty lucky in that regard, at least. A lot of kids end up dead… or worse."

Fugaku sighed, knowing what the "or worse" could mean. Deidara was a good looking kid after all. "Luck comes in all sorts of flavors. But sometimes we have to make our own."

Deidara nodded in agreement and looked sideways at Sasuke, who also seemed to have grasped the meaning of his words. "Sure wish I knew why I had to go to this wedding. I can't stand walking into a situation without knowing all or at least most of the facts."

"Hmm. So that's why you joined us." Itachi smiled, "You're pretty smart."

"Yeah… well… I know how to stay alive if that's what you mean."

"What?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Safety in numbers." Fugaku explained, "Ninja don't like walking into ambushes and to Deidara this definitely has all the signs of an ambush. Often, a good defense against such a situation is a full team or perhaps two or three teams. So in joining us he effectively hides without running away."

"And if there is an ambush I can fight and everyone can see my magnificent art!" Deidara finished, flashing everyone a big smile.

"There's still so much I don't know." Sasuke pouted.

"Consider yourself lucky." Deidara nudged him playfully. "The life a ninja has to lead to get to 'S' rank isn't one I would wish on too many people."

"I know it's a lot of hard work."

"That's only about twenty-five percent of it." Deidara explained, "The rest… it's hard to explain… the rest is just kind of like the life you lead and the things you see and… stuff like that."

"So I need to get out of Konoha and see more of the world. Well hopefully my team will get more missions when we get back."

"You actually want to be 'S' rank even though you don't have to?" Deidara sounded incredulous, making Itachi and Fugaku look at him in surprise.

"Well, yeah. I have to protect my brother and Sheeta and their baby."

"I'm pretty sure Itachi is capable of doing that on his own. I know… first hand… how powerful he is." Deidara gave Itachi a curious look that quickly downgraded to confusion at the dark expression that crossed the teen's face.

"Sasuke worries too much." Fugaku suddenly realized how close they were to discussing Itachi's illness and was about to say something else to try to diffuse the situation when his son interrupted.

"You'll probably hear other's talking about it… so I might as well be up front." Itachi paused, he really didn't want to tell Deidara anything about himself, but he also knew how exaggerated rumors could get and he was the subject of many rumors. "I… sort of have an illness that could… kill me in a few years when I'm in my twenties. Sasuke is worried about that." He looked closely at Deidara who had laid his chopsticks down on the table and stared at him with his eyes wide open.

"You aren't kidding me, are you?"

"No."

"Well… I… I wanted to fight you again. Because you beat me. But I can't do it if you're not full strength."

"That's sporting of you." Itachi mumbled sarcastically.

"Believe me, it has nothing to do with fair play. I'm a ninja, remember? It's just… you beat me and you didn't even break a sweat. If you become so weak that you can't fight at that level anymore… well… it's hardly worth it. I wanted to beat _that_ Itachi… the one from four or five years ago. Not the sick Itachi who's so weak he can't even stand up."

"Humph. A rematch, huh? I should have guessed." Itachi gave a short laugh, "There was someone else who wanted a rematch… my teammate Yota Hyuuga. He died in a fight before that could happen. He got arrogant and even though the Byakugan could see all around him, he forgot to look underground. Deidara, if you want to fight me again, then look for your weaknesses. Don't do what Yota did."

"Should you be giving me advice on how to beat you?" Deidara was a little confused.

"If we have a rematch and I beat you like I did last time I will be very disappointed and probably get mad. You don't want to see me mad."

Deidara laughed and picked his chopsticks up so he could continue eating his beef strips, "Already taken care of, Itachi."

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**Next week they arrive in Mist.**

**Sorry this chapter is so short, this week sort of sucked. Next week will be longer.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays **


	35. Chapter 35 Revelations and Responsibilty

**Last week the Uchihas set out for Mist to attend Aya's wedding and Deidara dropped in to accompany them.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**This week's chapter is much better and has some plot progression as well.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

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**Chapter 35 – Revelations and Responsibilities**

Water country hadn't changed any, Itachi noticed regretfully as the small group from Konoha wove its way through the streets of the port town they had landed at a few hours previously. The streets were full of vagrants, the shops empty of customers and the skies colored grey with pollution. It was a depressing sight that froze the hearts of those living there and shattered the hearts of visitors. Yet nothing ever changed.

The oxen were eager to move after having been crammed in the hold of a steam ship for a couple days and were being difficult. Having been raised and cared for in Konoha, where ox carts weren't in use very often they had spent most of their lives in a field doing whatever they wanted. And that was exactly what they wanted to do right now. Run around in a field. The man in charge of the animals, a middle-aged Uchiha named Rokurou gave up about halfway through the town and used a Genjutsu to calm them before insisting they stop someplace suitable later on to let the oxen work off some steam.

While they were waiting for Rokurou to finish, Sasuke made a declaration that turned everyone's heads, "That person's dead!"

Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and was staring at a woman whose corpse was in the full throws of rigor mortis. Her mouth was wide open, her eyes a dull black and a rope was tied to her wrist leading to a small child who was wailing pitifully. As they watched two orange-clad monks walked up and untied the girl, much to the distaste of the two men who had been watching the spectacle.

"Hey!" The dark-haired, anorexic looking man with a scar running down the side of his face yelled angrily as he stood up to face the holy-men. "We have a bet going, now put her back!"

"What _are_ you talking about?" The monk replied sarcastically. Itachi and Sasuke moved closer, both curious about what was going on. Deidara trotted back to them and scowled when the man took several steps towards the monk.

"We're betting on when she starves to death of course! What else is there to do in this god-forsaken land?"

The monk growled under his breath, "Then I came just in time."

"What are _you_ three looking at?" The man turned to the trio and glared with such menace that Itachi actually snickered. For some reason it reminded him of a small dog he had once seen in the village that used to bark at everything and anything, but would run away yipping if you barked back.

Sasuke spoke up, "We're watching you make a fool of yourself."

Itachi stopped snickering. Was his brother an idiot? Picking a fight was not a good idea right now.

Of course Deidara had to have his say as well, "And you are very entertaining."

Itachi groaned, then looked up at the monk, "If you would like an escort to your temple, I would be honored to assist."

"Unnecessary." The monk's companion lifted the girl up on to his back and faced the trio, "I am an ex-ninja and perfectly capable of handling my fellow human beings. We come to this town every two weeks to look for strays so as bad as it sounds, I'm used to it."

"Ex-ninja?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"I have a lot of sins to answer for." The monk's voice was full of sorrow and his companion sighed and looked down into the muddy, filth-strewn street, "Being a ninja is not something one should be proud of. Now if you'll excuse us, we have an entire town to search before sunset."

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"So why are you boys so quiet?" Sheeta asked later that afternoon as the group rested next to field outside of town. The oxen were trotting happily around a field their keeper had rented for a few hours while everyone else sat around talking or napping.

"Are we?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Yes." Hinata gave him a simple reply

"Oh." It was quiet for a couple more minutes as the two girls sat waiting for an answer that was obviously not forthcoming.

"They're moping." Sheeta finally said.

"Looks like it." Hinata laughed.

"Ninja kill lots of people." Sasuke finally broke the silence.

Hinata sighed, "Yes. It's regrettable."

Deidara started throwing small tones at a small shrub, "Everyone's afraid of us because we're ninja and they think we'll kill them. You just have to accept that and work around it. It helps if you don't dress like a ninja when you're off duty." He patted his jeans-clad leg.

"Humph." Itachi had to agree with that. But on the other hand he liked his ninja clothes because they were comfortable and he had found it useful to be kitted out for emergencies.

"Anyway… we'll be in Mist soon." Sheeta was eager to change the subject. "But I wish it was because we were taking Aya back and not to marry her off."

Everyone agreed with that, except Deidara who continued to throw pebbles at innocent plants. Tama popped up out of nowhere and started chasing the rocks, eventually coming back with a dead lizard, which he plopped down in front of Sasuke.

"That's your dinner tonight, son." Fugaku replied and he joined them.

"Great. Thanks, Tama." The cat purred happily before running back off into the bushes. Sasuke dug a hole with heal of his sandal and buried the animal, then, out of boredom, stacked several small pebbles over the "grave". Hinata smiled and picked some tiny green leaves from a nearby weed and laid them next to it.

"Lord Fugaku, the oxen have calmed down enough to travel. We should be ready to continue in half an hour." Rokurou bowed politely as he addressed Fugaku.

"Thanks. Let's get ready then. I think some of us are going stir-crazy." He looked at the small lizard grave and smiled as he walked away.

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"There it is." Itachi announced as they stood on a cliff overlooking a small village. "The village hidden in the Mist."

"It's tiny." Sasuke responded.

"It's only about half the size of Konoha." Sheeta added, "But twice as fierce so, you know, be careful."

"You make it sound like I'm going to go out and pick a fight straight away. My names not 'Naruto' you know."

Itachi faced his brother and turned serious, "You may not, but they probably will. Don't get sucked in."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Sasuke didn't feel much like being lectured and opted to walk away instead.

"They didn't seem that way when we were here last time." Sheeta added after Sasuke had left.

"No. Not with me or you, but Sasuke is a different matter entirely. Frankly, bringing him here was neither optional nor desirable." Itachi noted that the person his brother had walked off to join was Deidara. The two were spending way too much time together as far as he was concerned. The blond had a rather easy-going attitude toward life as well as being a constant reminder of Akatsuki – an organization he had always despised.

As they approached the village gate a man could be seen leaning up against the wooden structure. He wore a simple dark blue yukata with matching pants and ninja-style black sandals. His long hair was pulled back in a low ponytail that reached down to his waist.

"Ah. You have arrived. I am Sora, the Lord of the eastern branch of the Uchiha clan." He walked confidently up to Fugaku and looked him directly in the eye. Although he was limping, the man's bearing revealed no weaknesses.

"Well, apparently you already know who I am." Fugaku responded as he gave the Sora the once-over. He was suddenly reminded of some old photographs Kentaro, his old advisor and childhood-guardian, had shown him many, many years ago. His sharp mind picked out a particular photo that the old man had been particularly fond of. It showed him as a child shortly after the village was founded, sitting at the lake with his father as well as the members of the clan Lords family.

"Something wrong?" Sora was a little surprised by the sudden silence.

"Huh? Oh, it's just, you look remarkably like my grandfather, although I only know of him through photos. You even have the same name." Fugaku smiled and gave a short laugh.

Sora returned his smile, "Yeah, we'll talk more about it later. First, let's get everyone settled." He waved at the gate and a small group of men and women came forward and started dividing everyone up. Most of the group was divided up between three hotels while Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke, Nui (and the children), Toshiro, Kisa and the Hyuuga party would be staying at the Mizukage's mansion.

Mist was pretty much as Fugaku remembered. He had been here on a handful of occasions in the past – usually courier missions – and was always struck with how old-fashioned the village was. There were no phones, very little electricity, and a lot of the citizens wore kimonos, yukatas, and hakamas. It was almost like stepping back a hundred years.

Of course, their lifestyle wasn't completely out of choice. Water country refused to allow them on the electrical grid and rebels had completely disabled the countries phone lines. That left them with just coal and oil to fuel their rather small electrical plant and wood to heat their homes. Therefore, in general, only public buildings and a few other chosen facilities were electrified.

As for the old-fashioned clothing… Fugaku figured that had more to do with Madara's own personal tastes than anything else. Although there were still a lot of people walking around in traditional ninja attire and a few were wearing jeans and t-shirts.

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"Why do I have to stay in the mansion?" Deidara muttered. "I don't know the Mizukage. Something fishy is going on."

Itachi nodded in agreement, "Nevertheless, nothing's going to happen to you so you can quit worrying so much."

Deidara looked closely at the teen walking next to him and smiled, "Then why are you grinding your teeth and clenching you fists? Angry at something? Or someone? The Mizukage perhaps? You know who he is, don't you? I heard he always wears a cloth over his face to hide it."

"Yeah, I know him." Itachi ground out bitterly, then to himself, 'And so do you.'

They finally arrived at the outer wall of the mansion and as they passed through Deidara looked curiously at the one and two story structures that wove throughout the large garden. "This is a mansion? I thought mansions were big, like five stories with huge columns and stuff."

Fugaku answered, "Traditional mansions are only two stories at the most and snake along the ground like what you see here. Much nicer, in my opinion, than the ostentatiousness of western architecture."

"So you approve of my home?" Madara stepped through a large circular, red double-door that marked the guest entrance.

Fugaku nodded, "It is pleasing to eye."

Madara smiled in appreciation, he was rather proud of his home after all. "Ah, Deidara, you have come as well. I had my people looking out for a mad bomber for last few days in case you decided to 'decline the invitation' so to speak. I assure you your room has been prepared with only the finest, one-of-a-kind breakable items of immense value so you should obtain immeasurably joy from their destruction. And should you run out of things to break I have an entire warehouse set aside and staff willing to re-stock your room. Should you require anything else, please ask."

That, of course, left the blond speechless and he stared at the taller man with wide, unblinking blue eyes and a stupid expression on his face. A maid in a light blue kimono came forward and led the shell-shocked teen away.

"That's the quietest I've seen him in days." Fugaku remarked. "So why do you want him here? He's been expecting the worst."

"I have some issues to discuss with him, and I want to see how he conducts himself in a formal social situation. He has been handling negotiations for me quite successfully and is quite charismatic. It might be time to up the stakes a bit and change his role in the organization." Madara turned to address the rest of his guests, "Lady Hinata, how nice of you to grace our presence with your beautiful face."

Of course Hinata blushed, "Thank-you for the invitation. It's my pleasure to finally meet you and I hope your wedding and your future are filled with many blessings." She bowed forward a couple inches and averted her eyes to the floor.

Madara smiled, "Such good manners in this day in age. It is refreshing." He locked gazes with Toshiro who was standing protectively behind his foster daughter and between the two Hyuugas who were clenching and unclenching their fists, uncomfortable at being in what they considered an enemy village.

Kisa placed a hand on Hanabi's head and smiled as she spoke up, "I'm sorry if I sound a bit rushed, but it is lunch time and we would like to feed the kids and put them down for a nap as soon as possible." Nui nodded her agreement as she tried to re-adjust Nagi, was on the verge of a temper tantrum and whimpering her disapproval at being restrained.

"Of course. Lady Hinata, you and your party have been given an entire building to yourselves near where Fugaku and his family are staying. There is plenty of room for everyone."

"Fugaku!" Mikoto walked out of the building with a huge grin on her face, "I heard you were here! Sasuke! I'm so glad you're okay; you've been through so much. Are you still in pain? Was the trip too hard? Perhaps you should lie down…"

"Mom…" The blushing boy whined, "I'm fine… quite fussing."

She gave her son a hug before moving to Itachi, who cringed and backed up a step as she approached. "Guilty conscious?"

"Ummm…."

"The correct answer is 'yes'." Sheeta answered.

"Yes." Itachi replied dutifully.

"Oh Itachi, I couldn't stay mad at you anyway." Mikoto gave her eldest son a hug, clinging on to him tightly as if he would disappear if she let go. "I heard about your hospitalizations. I hope Tsunade will return. I don't want to loose you."

Itachi gasped once in surprise, this was not the greeting he had expected. He had been sure his mother was going to at least slap him for getting Sheeta pregnant.

Fugaku laughed, "Don't bury him yet, Mikoto. He's still got a lot of work to do."

She released him and grabbed Fugaku's arm, "Let's skip lunch. I've got something I want to show you in our room."

As the couple disappeared into the building Sasuke scrunched his face up in disgust, "Ewwww… old people sex." It was hard to keep a straight face after that and everyone broke out laughing. Sasuke, who hadn't actually meant to voice his thoughts turned bright red at the slip and smiled impishly.

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The next morning Itachi and Sasuke were summoned to one of the many meeting rooms in the mansion. Upon entering they found their parents and Madara already seated on cushions around a rectangular black lacquer table that was set with water glasses and a small bowl of rice crackers. The windowless room was brightly lit and the walls were covered in decorative scrolls giving it a rather cheerful ambiance.

"Good morning, boys. Did you sleep well?" Mikoto's friendly voice had been sorely missed over the last few months and both her sons smiled warmly as they muttered out approvals over their accommodations.

"My room is great and Tama appears to be enjoying himself as well. The maid found out he's a good mouser and has borrowed him for the day." Sasuke laughed, remembering how excited she had been.

"Never heard of anyone borrowing a cat before." Mikoto spoke truthfully.

"She said she saw a mouse in her kitchen at home last night and freaked out. I'm sure Tama can handle it."

"Anyway." Fugaku cleared his throat and Madara cast a veiled look at Sasuke, "We are here to clear an issue up that… well… Sasuke, all I can say is that you keep an open mind and try to accept the situation. After all, what's done is done."

Itachi felt a cold dread settle over him and he clenched his hands together under the table tightly in an attempt to suppress the childish urge to run and hide. He had a feeling he knew what the conversation was going to be about and while he knew it was important and had to happen, the desire to keep it a secret for just a little while longer was overwhelming.

As if rehearsed, Madara spoke first, "First, I believe I should introduce myself properly. I am Madara Uchiha and I was born in the village next to the Uchiha hideout before Konoha was founded. How I have survived this long is not the subject of this discussion, but suffice it to say that I am that old." He paused when he noticed that Sasuke's face was devoid of emotion, but his stance showed he was listening. Madara continued.

"Shortly before you were born I learned that the host for the Kyuubi was old and dying. A new host needed to be found. I realized, at the same time, that I had a chance to retake Konoha if I used the nine-tails before sealing him in a new host. Gathering up some followers I began to set things in motion. However, I needed a baby to carry the Kyuubi and there were none in Konoha. Itachi was the youngest child and he was too old for the sealing and I wanted an Uchiha."

"So you grabbed Naruto instead. Yeah, I know that." Sasuke blurted out. He was obviously on edge, not liking the seriousness of the conversation.

"No, I didn't." Madara continued.

Fugaku sighed and closed his eyes, "As you know, I can't have any more kids. I explained it to you once, remember?"

"Yeah." Sasuke's eyes opened wide with understanding, "Wait… you… I thought you did that _after_ I was born! Are you saying you aren't my dad?" By the time he had finished the last sentence he was yelling.

Itachi reached over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder but the boy shrugged it off. Not knowing what or if he should say anything, he averted his eyes and stared glassily at a snow-white orchid that had been placed in the center of the table. Years earlier, when he had learned the truth, he had attacked Madara. Of course, he was a small child at the time and had been easily restrained by the bigger man with no harm done to either party, but he still clearly remembered the anger he had felt back then.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but in blood… I am not your father. However…"

"Figures. That's why you never pay attention to me. You don't even want me." Sasuke pouted.

"Sasuke…" Mikoto spoke up, but was interrupted by Fugaku.

"Blood isn't needed here, Sasuke. You are still my son and if I haven't paid enough attention to you… well… paying too much attention to Itachi didn't work out so well either so perhaps you should consider yourself lucky."

Sasuke didn't know how to respond to that and opened and closed his mouth a couple times as he tried to think up something when another question crossed his mind, "So… mom… is she…" He couldn't finish. His insides had started to knot and his heart was pounding so hard he wondered if it was going to explode.

"I am your mother, Sasuke. I was in the hospital…" She stopped talking and snuck a glance at Fugaku. She had been there because he had beaten her when she tried to defend Itachi from his attacks. The child had suffered a broken arm and she had a concussion. "I… was… there… when Kagura, your cousin Obito's mother and a medic nin, told me she could do an artificial insemination technique and implant Fugaku's sperm into me to produce another baby. So that's what we did. Only…" Her voice faded away and Fugaku picked up the story.

"I have no viable sperm, so when I was told that the council wanted me to have another baby I gave the okay to use someone else's… and I left the decision to my closest advisor at the time. A man who had been my guardian as a child."

It was quiet for a couple minutes and Itachi took the opportunity to look closely at Madara, who had changed position and was now sitting with one leg bent up against his chest and an arm wresting on his knee. He looked very comfortable and informal in his plain yukata and hakama pants, but Itachi knew better than that. The elder Uchiha was always alert and seemed to have a sixth sense about the goings-on of the world.

"So… the only reason he would be here," Sasuke pointed at Madara, "is if he is my dad."

"You are a bright boy." Madara spoke quietly, "I am pleased my plan failed. Fugaku found out and in order to prevent an Uchiha from being sealed with the Kyuubi the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his own newborn son. You are more than I ever hoped for, Sasuke Uchiha. It would have been a waste."

"A… waste? What's wrong with sealing the Kyuubi in an Uchiha anyway… not that I would want that… but…" Sasuke was starting to feel sick and wished with all his heart that the meeting would end so he could go hide for a few hours and think everything through.

Madara continued, "The eyes… our Sharingan can control the nine-tailed beast. Placing it inside an Uchiha increases the power of the host a hundred times. I wanted control of the boy with that power. But instead it went to Naruto… who is powerful from his fathers and mothers genes and the Kyuubi… but couldn't possibly measure up to an Uchiha."

"But why would it be a waste? Power is a good thing, I wish I had more."

"Because I would have had to kill you when my plans were fulfilled." Madara's words cut straight through everyone in the room with their bluntness.

Sasuke gasped a couple times, trying to catch his breath. To have someone come straight out and say such a thing… that he would have died… worse, that he would have been killed by his own father… was too much. He felt someone's arms wrap around him and he clutched tightly at a cotton shirt, closing his eyes he wished desperately to disappear but of course it didn't work. Distantly he registered that it was his mother, her perfume was unmistakable and comforting. Slowly he relaxed and let go of her shirt, but was surprised when she tightened her grip and sniffed loudly.

"Mom… are you crying?"

"I never wanted to hurt you… I'm so sorry…" Mikoto broke down in sobs as she clung even tighter to the boy. All the frustration, fear, and anxiety of the last twelve years seemed to burst forth and she found herself unable to stop.

"Dad?" Sasuke was beginning to panic. He couldn't remember the last time he saw his mother cry, she had always seemed so strong.

"Its okay, Mikoto. Why don't I take you back to our room?" Fugaku stood up and extracted his wife from Sasuke. She pulled a bunch of tissues out of the sleeve of her kimono and wiped her face and nose. He continued speaking as he walked toward the door, "Sasuke, we'll talk again later, but… please remember that you are my son just as much as Itachi is."

Itachi took a deep breath and exhaled as his father pulled Mikoto out of the room. However, right before sliding the door closed he gave Itachi a meaningful glance that the teen understood at once: Do not leave Sasuke alone with Madara. Nodding his understanding Fugaku and Mikoto finally left.

Madara yawned dropped his leg back down and leaned back on his hands. "You will explain all this to Sheeta of course?"

Itachi realized he was being addressed and nodded once.

"We considered having her with us, but she has quite a temper. Mikoto thought it would be less violent if she was told by you."

"Less violent as in I'll be the only one to get hurt?" Itachi replied dryly.

"Yeah. That about sums it up."

"Hmm. Well, she wasn't too happy when she found out we're sharing a room. And a bed." Itachi realized they were just making small talk, waiting for Sasuke to say or do something. But the boy remained rigid, staring at the door his parents had gone through not three minutes earlier. Time stretched on and eventually neither could stand it anymore.

Madara finally spoke up, "Sasuke, you are quiet. What are you thinking?"

Sasuke's voice was quiet, "Is there a way… to remove the Kyuubi from Naruto and put it in me?"

For the second time in half an hour Itachi felt his blood run cold. Was power that important to his brother?

"Removing a tailed beast from its host always kills the host. We know of no way to prevent that. Placing a tailed beast into a host older than an infant has a low success rate, but can be done. However, I for one will not allow such a thing and I am sure no one else would approve either." He looked carefully at Sasuke and could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to think the last statement through, "And Orochimaru wouldn't do it either so don't even consider asking him. In fact, stay away from Orochimaru period."

"Huh? Oh." Sasuke acknowledged Madara's request, then spoke up in a voice that was almost a whisper, "Would I sacrifice my best friend's life to keep my brother alive and his wife and child safe?"

"Sasuke," Itachi's mouth was so dry he had swallow several gulps of water before he could speak, "Sasuke it's not going to come to that. Sheeta and the baby aren't threatened by anything and Naruto and Jiraiya are out right now looking for Tsunade. It'll be okay… you don't have to keep up with this 'I'll protect you' shit." He was beginning to get angry. He didn't like this side his brother was showing because, quite frankly, it scared him and if there was one thing Itachi had never liked it was being scared.

"Sasuke." Madara spoke confidently, his deep voice friendly and sincere, "There are other paths to power. Your brother and Fugaku have walked down that path as have I."

"No!" Itachi cried out, "I forbid it!"

"The Mangekyou Sharingan?" Sasuke ignored his brother.

Madara laughed, "You are very bright indeed."

"I would still have to sacrifice my best friend."

Itachi grabbed the edge of the table and jumped to his feet, "Madara, don't you dare help him like this! He doesn't need it! I can…" He gasped a couple times before succumbing to a fit of coughing. Panicked, Sasuke jumped up and put an arm around his brother's waist and pushed him back down to the floor until he was sitting on his knees.

"Do you need some water?" The boy asked quickly.

Itachi shook his head as the irritation in his throat continued to build. He quickly realized he was beginning to have trouble breathing he was coughing so much and he tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle them so he could get some air.

"He can't breath, Madara! What do we do?" Sasuke's voice sounded far away, as the burning in his chest and throat overwhelmed him. Something cold, like an ice cube, traced a line across his chest and his coughing stopped. Looking up he saw that he was leaning against Madara who was holding him up and applying chakra to his chest.

"That wasn't funny, Itachi." The man said sternly, "Sasuke, take him back to his room. I'll have a medic come look at him at soon as possible." He lifted Itachi to his feet, then turned around and left the room.

After a minute Sasuke spoke up, "You do need help, Itachi. Like Madara said, that wasn't funny. And don't tell me Sheeta and the baby aren't in danger. I don't know exactly everything that's going on yet, but I can sense something is wrong and you… you can't protect _anyone_ if you're in the hospital."

Itachi didn't feel like responding to that, and opted to return to his room instead. However, he wasn't alone. His brother had no intention of leaving him to his own devices until the medic came.

As he approached his room he stopped at looked out at the garden. It was winter and there were no leaves on the trees or flowers on the ground, but the area was still perfectly manicured. He glanced back at his brother, who was standing a few feet behind him with a concerned expression on his face. Closing his eyes he rubbed his temples as he tried to clear his thoughts. But he couldn't calm his mind. The problem, Itachi realized, was that Sasuke was right.

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"Sheeta! I just heard… is he okay?" Mikoto slid open the door and addressed the first person she saw, who happened to be sitting on a couch watching a horror video. The room was dark even though it was early afternoon.

"Yeah. He's in the other room sleeping. The medic removed some gunk from his lungs and gave him a tranquilizer. He had the same procedure a couple weeks ago… it shouldn't have had to be done so soon again. I'm afraid he's getting worse." Sheeta stood up and walked over to the older woman.

"That doesn't sound good… Did he tell you…"

"Yeah. He told me about Madara. He wouldn't take the pill until he did. This family is really screwed up, isn't it?"

Mikoto blinked twice, shocked and a little insulted at her future daughter-in-laws words, "Well no one's perfect."

"And some are a little less perfect than others." She stated adamantly, "Don't give me a bunch of sugary 'things aren't that bad' type of words, Lady Mikoto. I'm not blind."

"You may not be blind, young lady," Mikoto snapped, "but I would advise you to close your eyes occasionally or you will be one unhappy woman in a few years. I learned that the hard way, don't make the same mistakes I did."

Sheeta wasn't sure she understood completely what Mikoto was telling her, but she was too worried about Itachi continue arguing. Plopping herself back down on the couch she huffed in annoyance and proceeded to ignore the older woman.

Mikoto sighed in resignation and sat down next to the teen, "I've mentioned several times how hard your life is going to be as the clan chief's wife. You can't just think of yourself. You have every single other person in the clan to consider as well and they want you bear part of their burdens and solve their problems. We are nothing more than an extended family with a mother and father that everyone can run to when they're being picked on."

Sheeta dropped her eyes from the TV to the over-polished wooden floor and ground her teeth in frustration. After a minute she spoke up in a voice so quiet that Mikoto had to move closer to hear what she was saying, "He tricked me."

"What?" That statement made no sense in the context of the conversation.

"He… used a jutsu to get me pregnant. He didn't even have to guts to ask… he just… he just saw a target and went after it without considering the fallout."

Mikoto's eyes went wide with shock and she sat straight up as her mind tried, unsuccessfully to understand the situation.

"He just… moves on… even though I'm upset and can't trust him anymore… he just assumes I will and carries on like nothing happened. Should I turn a blind eye to that?"

Mikoto gulped, knowing that her answer was going to probably be one the hardest things she had ever said, "Yes."

Sheeta burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Mikoto, "I can't do that… I can't forget…"

Mikoto hugged the girl tightly to her chest and laid her cheek on the top of her head. She knew what it felt like to be betrayed by the man she loved. Fugaku had done it a dozen times. At least. 'Itachi,' she finally said to herself, 'you are more like your father than I thought you were.'

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Itachi's dreams were filled with nightmares as the destruction of Konoha played out in his subconscious with at least five different scenarios that he could remember, and probably more that his dream fogged mind forgot. Foremost was the one he had suffered through since he was a child: Sasuke crying over his dead teammates.

As he looked around the darkened room he noted that not only was it now morning, but Sheeta was sleeping on a futon against the far wall. As far away from him as she could get without being in a completely different room.

Getting up from his own futon he stumbled bleary-eyed to the bathroom and smiled when he saw that the soaking tub was full of hot, steaming water and a clean set of clothes had been set out for him. It was curious. Sheeta was obviously mad at him, but she kept doing little things like this for him. Although he wouldn't put it past her put a poisonous spider in his shirt or dump acid in the water… or perhaps he was just being paranoid?

Deciding that his brain was probably still messed up from the tranquilizer he proceeded to bathe, emerging thirty minutes later feeling much better. It was nearly seven in the morning by then and Sheeta was beginning to stir, opening her eyes she smiled warmly as Itachi sat next her and brushed the hair away from her eyes.

"You're beautiful, you know." He said quietly.

"Are you feeling better?" Sheeta's tired voice cracked a little.

"Yeah. I think I'll grab Sasuke and do some training. Are you spending the day with Emi and Aya?"

"Yeah… a few hours… then Aya has a fitting appointment with the seamstress and Mikoto want to… um… go over our wedding plans… sort of… you know… how it is…"

"I guess it's to be expected. Even though we signed those papers it is hard to think of you as my wife. I guess the ceremony does mean something after all."

"Yeah, me too. I guess you're right. I keep calling you my boyfriend instead of my husband."

"But at least this way the baby and you are covered if I die." Itachi placed a hand over Sheeta's stomach and pushed a small amount of chakra into the womb. "It's so strange to feel a different chakra source inside of a person. Even if it is just a whisper of one right now."

Sheeta laughed as she sat up, "Tell me about it. As soon as it was enough for me to feel I couldn't stop checking on her. It's an amazing feeling."

"You mean him." Itachi teased.

"Her."

"Him."

"I guess if you can argue about the kid you must be feeling better." Sasuke called from the other side of the door. "By the way, I let myself in."

"You didn't lock the suite door?" Itachi smirked.

"We're in a house full of ninjas. What would have been the point? Besides he's your brother. Now the two of you go outside and play nice."

Itachi gave her an evil grin, "Of course." His grin faded as he opened the door and stood face to face with his little brother. The boy's eyes had dark circles under them and he was gazing listlessly at a potted plant. He looked up slowly and slouched, sticking his hands in the pockets of his black pants.

"I kept having nightmares last night. Naruto and Sakura were dead. It was my fault." Sasuke admitted finally, "I can't let that happen."

"Sasuke… why do you think it would happen?" Itachi was naturally unnerved by his brother's words, but kept his face impassive and his voice even so it wouldn't show. This wasn't the first time they had shared the same dream.

"I don't know. That part of the dream doesn't happen, but… somehow… I know that even though I didn't actually kill them, the fact that they are dead is my fault. It doesn't make sense. I don't understand." His eyes dropped again and he went back to staring at the plant.

Bizarrely enough, Itachi had a sudden urge to hug his little brother and assure him that everything was going to be okay. But he didn't. Because things weren't okay and saying otherwise would be a lie.

Itachi changed the subject, "About… yesterday… you aren't seriously considering…"

"I have to do it. But it can't be Naruto. Or Sakura. The dream last night must have been a warning. If I have enough power I can prevent their deaths. But I can't figure out how to get that power."

"Sasuke…" Itachi was interrupted when the suite door slid open and Fugaku stepped into the room. His stern expression was sobering and both boys tensed up visibly when they saw him.

"Sasuke, Madara told me about the conversation that led up to Itachi's illness." He strode into the room, stopped a couple feet from his youngest son. "How serious are you about the Mangekyou?"

"Father!" Itachi's eyes opened wide in shock.

Sasuke stuttered over his words, unsure of what his father's motives were for asking, "I...I… um… d…d…don't know."

"There is a way for you to get it without killing your best friend." Fugaku continued. "I would like you to take over a mission that I had assigned Itachi years ago."

"What is it?"

"That I'm not sure of yet. The actual mission… may change… something is going on here. This isn't just a wedding." He stopped talking and looked at each of his sons. Itachi was upset and Sasuke was confused and looked like he hadn't slept at all the previous night. 'They're just children.' He thought to himself. 'Why am I doing this to them?'

"Oh." Sasuke wasn't sure what to think about that and looked at his brother, hoping for some guidance.

Itachi closed his eyes and clenched his fists, "Did he tell you what happened the last time I was here?"

"The fights? Yeah. He did. A Genjutsu is used to convince the participants that they have a friendship and then they are pitted against each other. The winner kills the looser and the Mangekyou is unlocked. Madara has offered to set up a match."

"Against whom?" Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was absurd.

"Not an Uchiha. A boy a couple years older than Sasuke was imprisoned last week for murder. He'd killed about five young girls – first year Academy students – dismembering them and leaving the pieces around the village. It was quite disturbing and he is set to be executed."

"A fourteen-year-old did that?" Itachi was surprised. Even in the ninja world extremely violet crime was rarely committed by children or teenagers. They usually just picked fights or waited for a mission to work out their frustrations.

"It surprised everyone apparently, although those who knew him weren't all that shocked that he was capable of such a thing."

"Still, I don't like it. I don't want Sasuke to…"

Sasuke interrupted his brother, "I'll do it." Once the words were out he gulped audibly and went back to staring at the poor plant.

"You have killed before, Sasuke, in self-defense, and it wasn't someone you knew." Fugaku's voice held no emotion and he gripped his son's chin and turned it to face him, "This will be different. Madara will put a Genjutsu on you to make you think this boy is your best friend. And he is a killer. If you hesitate, you won't come out of that fight alive. I'll give you until tomorrow to think about it." He released his son and turned to Itachi, "This is Sasuke's decision. You will do nothing to influence him."

Itachi watched as Fugaku left the room, then turned to see a tear drip out of one of his brother's eyes. Sasuke turned around quickly and ran out of the room. Taking a deep breath he suddenly remembered that Sheeta was in the other room and had probably heard everything. Concerned, he quickly entered the bedroom only to find her laying on her futon curled up in a ball with her head tucked down to her knees.

"Sheeta… I'm so sorry you heard that…"

"That's how it's done." She sniffed as she spoke, and looked up at Itachi, "Aya has the Mangekyou, did you know that? That's how she got it huh? I can't live with this. How can they be so cruel?"

Itachi laid down next to his girlfriend and pulled the comforter up over them. Wrapping his arms around her she was reluctantly forced to stretch out of her fetal position. "They are cruel. You can say the clan is messed up… but it's really the world that's messed up. The ninja… our life is absurd."

"Then let's leave it. We could sneak away, get a ship to the other continent and the three of us could live without any ninjas. Or the four of us. We could take Sasuke too."

"Sheeta," Itachi kissed her on the forehead before pulling her in closer, "If it was that easy don't you think there would have been a shortage of ninjas by now? Most of them would have run away. There's a reason missing nin are often killed and it's not just to protect secrets, it because the villages are greedy and don't want to loose their assets. And that's all we are, a tick in an accounting ledger used to earn money for the village."

Sheeta sighed, "I wouldn't really do that anyway. I couldn't leave my family. Not really. But Sasuke… what he has to do… its barbarous. You have to stop it."

"Sheeta…" Itachi was silent for a couple minutes, "I can't. You have to know… if Madara and I fought… one or both of us would be killed. And anyway, they could just hold the fight in secret without me knowing anything about it. I really don't think there is anything I can do. And perhaps Fugaku is right. This is Sasuke's decision."

"It's not a decision a kid is capable of making! Fugaku knows that! That's why he's letting Sasuke make it. He's manipulating him, using him for his own twisted purposes. You complain about Madara, but what, really, is the difference between him and Fugaku? Fugaku is older, he has experience and understands more about what is going to happen. What does Sasuke know? He's still a kid, Itachi! No matter what he decides, it won't be well thought out!"

"And what exactly do you want me to do to stop this?" Itachi asked, frustrated.

That shut the girl up and she rested her head on his chest. "I don't know."

"You'll make a wonderful mother, Sheeta." Itachi finally said in what he hoped was a kind voice. "You really care about people."

"If I can't save Sasuke, then how exactly will I save my own children?"

"Sasuke isn't your kid."

"As the matron of the Uchiha clan I am responsible for him."

Itachi couldn't deny that, however a rather chilling thought crossed his mind. If he were the clan chief instead of his father he could order the match to be cancelled. Surprised at the turn his thoughts had taken he felt his heart skip a beat. Kill his father so Sasuke wouldn't be forced to fight to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan? But the match… Sasuke was going to win so he wasn't in any physical danger. His opponent was more than likely just an average or below-average ninja and Sasuke was a genius after all. If nothing else…

"Sheeta. I will attend the match. If Sasuke looks to be loosing or having trouble I will step in and assure his victory."

"But psychologically… what will this do to him?"

"We'll have to wait and see. But that is probably the best I can do in this situation. Please, Sheeta, you have to accept it."

'So this is what you meant, Mikoto, when you told me to close my eyes.' Sheeta thought to herself. She turned her head so that she could look at Itachi's face. She was struck with how handsome he was, how perfectly his skin molded over his face, even the folds of between the eyes and nose made him look somehow wiser or older than his years. But his eyes, though haunted with the events of the past twenty-four hours, were young and vibrant.

"I will trust you then, Itachi."

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**Next week – Sasuke makes his decision. How will everyone react?**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	36. Chapter 36 A Hole in his Heart

**Last week the Konoha group arrived in Mist, and Fugaku offered his youngest son a chance at the Mangekyou Sharingan.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**I guess, judging by the reviews from the last chapter I did a good job of creating tension, xD. Well, keep reading. Sasuke is one of my favorite characters so I actually have a lot of fun writing about him. **

**Arggghhh!… why is Kishimoto taking such great pains to keep Madara and Danzou away from each other? So sad Sasuke didn't get Danzou… but that Eye of the Moon plan sounds really familiar… I swear, it's the same thing the bad guy in "Gun Sword" was planning. Still, it is clever. xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns everything.**

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**Chapter 36 - A Hole in his Heart**

"So what do you want?" Deidara sat – without waiting to be invited – on a highly polished cherry wood chair in front of the Mizukage's desk. He was a little stressed out after having been left to his own devices for the last day-and-a-half in an unfamiliar environment with no clear mission and no idea why he was to attend the wedding of two people he had never met before. His room was very nice and the VCR had been well stocked with, surprisingly enough, a collection of his favorite movies. If that wasn't creepy enough, his favorite snack – a boiled egg wrapped in a fish cake called a Bakudan – had been sitting on his table waiting for him when he had arrived. And it had been delicious. And they had brought him four more when he asked.

Madara couldn't resist the temptation to mess with the teen's mind and responded seductively, "You."

Deidara gave him an odd look, "Sorry, already got a date to the wedding. And so do you if I remember right."

Madara laughed, "Deidara, you are going to be very upset with me in a minute, but there is something I have to tell you."

"Then get on with it." Deidara sighed in irritation, "I would like to get some training in this afternoon since I haven't done any in a while."

"Humph. Well then, let's get this over with. Does this look familiar?" He pulled a mask out of a drawer and lifted it up. Deidara's eyes opened wide and he pulled the hair away from his left eye – he usually left it covered – so he could get a better glimpse at it.

"That's… Tobi's mask!" He looked carefully at the orange and black mask, "Where is he? You didn't hurt him did you? He's annoying and a pain in the ass, and I would love to kick him into next week but you better not have have…"

"He's fine. In fact…" He slipped the mask on over his face and raised the pitch of his voice as he leaned back in his chair and stuck his bare feet up on the desk. "Sempai, do you think I can get into Akatsuki some day?"

The words that came out of Deidara's mouth over the next five minutes surprised even Madara, who had thought he had heard it all. The teen was actually cursing him in about five different languages, and each insult was grammatically correct. When he finally quieted down he pulled his hair back over his eye, crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Ah. That _was_ impressive. Now, perhaps I should introduce myself properly. I am Madara Uchiha."

"Oh great. More Uchiha's. Just what the world needs."

Madara ignored him, "And I call the shots in Akatsuki."

"So… what does Pein do?"

"He's the leader, he gives the orders. I don't like to micro-manage so he is perfectly suited to the position."

"Oh." Deidara really didn't know what to think at this point, so he sat still and stared off into space, waiting for something to happen.

"Hmm. Kisame is here." Madara muttered before calling out, "Come in and take a seat."

"So have you told him yet?" Kisame was dressed in black hakama pants and a white yukata with black trim. It was a completely different look from his usual ninja attire and for some reason it just made things seem even more out of sorts.

"Yeah. I think his brain broke. After cursing me fluently in five languages he suddenly shut up and has been spacing out ever since."

"Only five, huh? He let you off easy. I know for a fact he speaks a couple more than that." Kisame reached over and patted Deidara on the shoulder, "You awake?"

"Yeah." Deidara brushed the hand away and scooted his chair a couple feet further from the desk. "Was this revelation the _only_ reason you brought me here? Because if it is…"

Madara interrupted him, "I will speak to you again in a few days. Things are changing pretty fast right now. I may have a different role for you in Akatsuki, one that would take full advantage of your personality."

Deidara cringed, "I'm not going to have to keep talking to the Kage's am I? That old man in Stone was creeping me out. He kept acting like he knew me." Deidara was silent for a moment, then continued hesitantly, "He… doesn't know me… does he?"

"If you are asking if he is a contact of Akatsuki – no he isn't. If he knows you at all it is from your time in Iwa. Other than that… you will continue your contact with the Kage's. In fact, you will be an 'ambassador' of sorts."

"Great. Just what I always wanted. And I bet I don't get to blow anything up either."

"What you do on your own time is your business. Like I said a few minutes ago, I will have more details in a few days."

"Can I leave now… as in… leave Mist?"

"No. I want you to stay for the wedding."

"Fine. Can I go do some training then?"

"Yeah, go ahead. The maids take their break by the kitchen and would prefer it if you removed your shirt and shoes, and wore your pants a little lower on your hips during training."

"Okay." Deidara started walking for the door then stopped and stood still for a couple seconds. Turning around he faced Madara with a big smile on his face, "Thanks!"

As the door shut Kisame broke out laughing, "That made his day."

"Well, a group of girls were cleaning the main hall this morning and drooling over our mad bomber. Might as well do them a favor."

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Sasuke lay on the floor of his room staring blankly at the ceiling. This vacation wasn't turning out to be very relaxing at all. He knew the trip over would be hard, and it was, but that was expected. His father's request this morning was anything but expected and his stomach had started churning shortly after he had finished his breakfast – leading to his decision to skip lunch.

He wanted to protect his family and friends, and the Mangekyou Sharingan could do that. He was certain of it. But he had so many questions. At first, it had sounded like an excellent idea. It had sounded like the answer to all his prayers. But the more he considered it…

Why was Itachi so against it?

Why did he feel Itachi, Sheeta and the baby were in danger?

Why did he feel Naruto and Sakura were in danger?

Why did he keep dreaming about the destruction of Konoha?

His father had hinted several times that Itachi was undergoing missions that had changed him, making him do things that had damaged him psychologically. That was why Danzou had been able to trick him into almost killing the clan. But the "damage" – Sasuke couldn't think of anything else to call it – was still there. He could see it when Itachi was quiet and lost in thought. A darkness that would pass in front of him. It was always worse when he returned from secret missions, and a few times it had been so bad the teen would hardly speak for two or three days afterward.

Sasuke sat up and crossed his legs, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. He knew something was going on. Could that be why the clan elders were pushing him so hard? He had assumed it was just the way they were and while it annoyed him to no end he never really thought that hard about their motives. Was Itachi's darkness something they wanted Sasuke to be strong enough to help with?

"I have to kill him. That guy. And I'll be under a Genjutsu to make me think he's my friend. To me…he'll be Naruto." His stomach knotted again and he jumped up and ran to bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time as the contents of his breakfast and last night's dinner escaped. Collapsing on the floor he dragged himself back to his feet and was brushing his teeth when another thought crossed his mind.

He looked at his reflection as his eyes opened wide in shock, "Who did Itachi and dad kill?"

Memories of long ago, when he was very little, came back. Three policemen had come to the house and accused Itachi of killing…

"Shisui. He _did_ kill him. I can't believe it." It didn't seem possible. He remembered the two as being almost inseparable. Shisui was a couple years older than Itachi and treated him like a little brother. Itachi looked up to him, even at a young age Sasuke was able to see that much, at least. "Did dad make him do it? And why Shisui? Dad's a master of Genjutsu. He could have put one on Itachi and made him fight a criminal like with me."

Stepping out of the bathroom he looked outside and saw Itachi meditating next to the small stream that wove around the building the family was staying in. "I know he said I'm supposed to decide on my own… but I have to know…"

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Itachi felt his brother approach and tensed visibly when the boy sat down next to him. The grass was wet and cold and the ever-present mist swirled around the windless garden, creating an overly quiet, surreal visage that easily made one feel as if the world no longer existed. It was one of the ways the village protected itself and those not of ninja blood or training would walk right past without seeing it.

"I… have a question." Sasuke's voice was almost a whisper and for some reason it made Itachi tense up even more. "Who did you kill? Who did dad kill?"

Now that question was definitely at the bottom of the list of what he had expected Sasuke to ask. "You're talking about the Mangekyou?" Itachi knew what his brother was talking about, he was just stalling for time.

"Of course."

"Of course." Itachi echoed, "No one. I didn't kill anyone."

"But back then… Shisui…"

"I didn't kill him." Itachi stated with a little more force than necessary.

"Then who…"

"No one!"

"Then how…"

"Sasuke, I don't want to talk about this."

Sasuke lost his temper and yelled, "Well that's too bad because you're going to talk about it and you're going to talk about it to me, right now! Now _what happened_?"

Itachi stood up and turned to leave when Sasuke grabbed his hand and pulled. Not expecting him to do such a thing, he lost his balance and fell on his rear.

"What happened?"

Clenching his teeth, he glared angrily at his brother, "You want the truth, huh? Well fine. Father's not going to like it, but what the hell." Itachi knew he was being wreckless, but suddenly that didn't matter anymore. "When I was four I was training with father when he got mad at me and started hitting me. He broke my arm and when mother tried to stop him he hit her and gave her a concussion. That's how _she_ ended up in the hospital. Me… I ran, and kept running until I was outside of the village and in the woods. Madara found me, healed my arm and brought me back home." He paused, noting the shocked look of horror that had settled on his brother's face with grim satisfaction before continuing.

"Shisui and I became Madara's students. In secret at first, but later when father found out he allowed it to continue. Or rather, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him. He was afraid if he tried we would be kidnapped. Toshiro was left in the dark. He knew nothing of what was going on. Later, Shisui dropped out on his own. In the meantime I became aware of an organization of missing ninja's that Madara was running called Akatsuki. It turns out… I was being groomed to one day become a member. And that day came.

"Father had me passing information to him about Akatsuki's activities and Jiraiya even found out about it on his own so I was also acting as his informant." Itachi stopped, suddenly realizing where his story was going. The truth, from Sasuke's perspective was going to be crueler than he had first thought. To him, Madara wasn't a stranger who had healed his arm and, under the pretext of kindness had forced him into a criminal organization. To Sasuke, Madara was a stranger who had turned out to be his father.

"Is that all?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"N…no." Itachi stuttered, his anger was gone. "I don't want to tell you the rest… it's…"

"Please, Itachi, I need to know." Sasuke's anger was gone as well, replaced with desperation.

"Akatsuki… it… Madara is using it to remake the ninja world. I really don't know his ultimate plan. The plan we've been told is… I don't know… I just have this feeling it's not the truth or perhaps not the whole truth… but I can't substantiate those feelings in any way.

"Akatsuki is gathering the tailed beasts, extracting them from their containers and placing them in a holding pen – a giant chakra contained statue – so that they can be pulled out later and used to bring war to the ninja world. They will then use Akatsuki to fight the wars, undercutting the villages and driving them into bankruptcy. Everyone will have to turn to Madara for peace."

Sasuke's face had turned white, "But… but when you take the tailed beast out of it's host… the host dies… That's what he meant when he said he would have had to of killed me if I had… been the host and not Naruto." He suddenly turned even whiter and grabbed his brother's arm, "Naruto! He wants to kill Naruto!"

"Yeah. That's about how it is." He sighed, and before Sasuke could go off on another rant, he continued his story, "Danzou comes into it now. He had forced the village elders to take his side and start spouting a bunch of anti-Uchiha propaganda. We were forced to reside solely in the compound – until then it had been optional and many had even lived in the capital. He then assigned ANBU to follow us. The clan elders were upset and demanded that Fugaku… father… deal with it. You see, Danzou was telling the higher-ups that Uchiha were planning a revolt. Father finally got tired of it and decided to make his fears a reality. That was when the coup was born.

"I joined ANBU a few months after making Chuunin and was immediately drafted into Root. Eventually, Danzou wormed his way into my mind and convinced me to turn traitor to my clan. I was not only passing information about the village to father, but now I was passing information about the clan to Danzou."

"And you were younger than me." Sasuke whispered, "That's not fair."

Itachi was touched by his brother's words and frowned, remembering all the frustration and sorrow that had dogged his every step back then. "Shisui approached me around this time… he had found out about the Mangekyou Sharingan. He wanted me to fight him. And win. Then… then… I would fight father and kill him, taking control of the clan and stopping the coup. I refused. I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill Shisui and I couldn't kill father. I told him that and proceeded to avoid him as much as possible, hoping that if we didn't meet I wouldn't be prodded into a fight."

"But it didn't work." Sasuke voice was still a whisper.

"There is another way to get the Mangekyou. Madara had hinted at it once, years earlier during one of our training sessions. I think Shisui must have approached him at some point and found out. It's not in the scrolls you read when you became a Genin and that, I believe, is the only record we have about it in the village."

Itachi took a deep breath before continuing, "The intense emotion, intense sorrow, that you feel when someone you care for, someone who was something more than a friend dies, that is how you unlock Mangekyou. When a friend like that dies, you don't feel just sorrow, but a whole range of emotions, from guilt, to anger, to helplessness… it all comes out raw and without restriction."

"So he did kill himself."

"Yes." Itachi was surprised when he felt a tear escape his eye and quickly wiped it away. "But even so… I still couldn't bring myself to go along with his plan. Not until… Danzou… but I think you know the rest of the story."

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a few minutes as they both watched the water running lazily through the small, deep stream. Brightly colored Koi occasionally swam by, moving between the many ponds that eventually ran into a small lake at the opposite end of the mansion's garden.

"So how did dad get his?" Sasuke finally asked.

"I don't know, really. I suspect in the same way I did. You remember Madara mentioned gathering a bunch of followers back during the Kyuubi attack? Well, one of them was Kentaro. You've heard about him quite a bit over the years, but… he was probably father's closest friend and the closest thing to a father figure he ever had. I always assumed his death is what brought it on."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But Itachi… I have to know… why don't you want me to have it too? What's so wrong? I know dad doesn't want you to tell me… but I don't like not knowing where I stand."

Smiling, Itachi was pleased to hear his brother saying such a thing. "I am going blind, Sasuke. Every time I use it my vision becomes worse. It is irrevocable. And… sometimes… I can still hear Shisui's voice… part of his chakra was imbued into me somehow. I don't know how it happens and not everyone experiences it but it's hard… Toshiro's father was driven nearly insane by the voice of his dead friend and spent his last few years completely blind and desperately trying to talk to him.

"And there's one more thing. My sickness… the Mangekyou is making is worse. That's why… my lungs were messed up yesterday. I was practicing a new technique before we left Konoha and it... its very damaging to the body. I haven't told anyone else, so please keep it quiet."

Sasuke nodded once and Itachi continued talking, "Having the Mangekyou is one thing, but using it – and I know you would use it. It's not worth it, Sasuke. It's not something I want you to do."

"I don't want to do it either." Sasuke admitted, "But how else do I protect Naruto and Konoha from Akatsuki?"

"Naruto isn't helpless, and neither are you. You told me what he did when Gaara attacked. He's only twelve right now. What will he be like in a few years? His father was arguably the strongest Hokage ever in the history of Konoha. And you fought against Gaara as well, getting through his sand barrier impressed everyone and showed a great deal of strategy as well. And Sakura… she has yet to show her potential, but her chakra control is as close to perfect as you can get and there is no way that is going to go to waste. Sai is remarkable at strategy as well and Kakashi… well, there are a lot of people, not just you."

"So…" Sasuke was quiet for a few minutes before standing up, "Thanks for answering my questions. I guess I have a lot more to think about than I thought." As he walked away Itachi's senses picked up another person approaching him.

"That was… quite a story." Deidara plopped down on the ground about six feet away from Itachi. "Going blind too, huh? Sucks to be you."

"I'm not looking for pity." Itachi stated calmly.

"It just looks more and more like I won't get that rematch. But, it's my turn to ask a question, since you seem to be in an answering mood. I was on my way to kitchen when I heard you say you were being groomed to join Akatsuki. And, well, Tobi just told me he was really Madara and when you said that – about grooming – it's just…"

"You're rambling Deidara, but I get the point. I'm not supposed to say anything but it sounds to me like you figured it out on your own anyway. Yeah, you were picked out as well. Madara himself found you living on the street and took you to Iwa. He is your savior."

"And my executioner." Deidara muttered under his breath. "Why do people like him exist?"

It was a rhetorical question and Itachi didn't bother answering. A moment later the blond stood up and continued his trek to the kitchen.

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The cool evening air brushed harshly against Itachi's face. The wind had picked up enough to blow some of the mists away and stars could be seen poking holes in the dark, moonless night. He had decided to take advantage of the quiet evening to be alone for a while. Of course, that hadn't quite worked out the way he expected. Sheeta and Aya had joined him and were now discussing the best places to go for honeymoons. Something neither girl expected they would be experiencing any time soon, considering their respective situations.

"So this is where you're hiding." Kisame stated as he walked through the garden and invited himself to sit down. Deidara was following close behind and dropped himself ungracefully onto the porch and leaned back against the building. "Sasuke still pouting?"

That statement didn't improve Itachi's mood any, "He's not pouting, he's just pre-occupied with other concerns right now."

"Hmm. So what's your dad up to this time?" It wasn't exactly a secret that Kisame hated Fugaku, although why, exactly, wasn't clear. Itachi almost suspected he was projecting his memories of his own father onto Fugaku. His partner had also grown up in a clan and had detested the regimented and restrictive lifestyle he had led while under its auspices.

"Nothing good, apparently. Don't actually know for sure." Itachi admitted. There was no point in keeping that a secret.

Deidara looked at his watch, "Maybe I'll go ask if he wants to go into the village for while. The stores will still be open for another two hours."

"Leave him alone for a while." Sheeta replied quietly, "Sasuke's had a bad day and probably wouldn't have much fun if he did go."

"'kay." Deidara relented. "I heard… Madara is his real dad."

"So that's out, huh?" Itachi snorted indignantly.

Kisame answered, "Madara told us a few minutes ago. Don't worry, he stressed the importance of secrecy in this matter."

Kisame was quiet for a while before speaking again, hesitantly, "I know what's going here… underground in the secret stadium."

That caught Itachi's attention, as well as Sheeta's and Aya's. All three looked at Kisame, waiting to hear what his next words would be.

"Is he being asked to fight?"

Itachi closed his eyes and withdrew into himself as the girls stood up and excused themselves, walking quickly out into the garden with bowed heads and heavy hearts.

"Hmm. Not surprised. It's to be expected after all. It wouldn't surprise me if this wedding was partially an excuse to get Sasuke out here. Do you think he's got a chance?" Kisame was speaking as if discussing the weather. It was disquieting and Itachi felt his annoyance levels rising.

Deidara interrupted, "What are you talking about?"

Kisame grinned, "One-on-one fights to the death. It used to be graduation exam here, but the Mizukage had to change the test a few years ago. Now it's just an Uchiha tradition."

"You have _got_ to be kidding." Deidara stated flatly. "Who would be _dumb_ enough to fall for that?"

"It's not a matter of '_falling for'_ anything." Kisame gave a short laugh before continuing, "Back in the Academy we weren't told a thing about what the exam was. Friendships were fostered, even encouraged. Then, on the last day, we were paired off with our best friends and ordered to fight to the death. Those who refused were blacklisted and not allowed to become shinobi."

"And you won." Deidara replied bitterly.

"Yeah."

The sound of a door opening and shutting cut the conversation short and everyone watched as Sasuke made his way across the room and out onto the porch. He was dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a black sweatshirt that had a large Uchiha fan symbol stretched out across the front.

"Sasuke, are you feeling better?" Itachi inquired politely.

"Big brother… I have another question." There were dark circles under the boy's eyes and his posture was drooping. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

Itachi started to get up, but Kisame and Deidara beat him to it.

"We're leaving now." Kisame stated, "We came last anyway. Come on, Deidara. Let's go raid the kitchen."

"Sounds good. I could do with some snacks."

After they left Sasuke dropped down onto the floor and crossed his legs. "My question…"

Itachi waited for a couple minutes, "Yes?"

"What was the mission dad was talking about earlier? The one you can't do now?"

"Oh…" Itachi felt his blood run cold. The original mission was to kill Madara, but hadn't Fugaku mentioned that it may have changed?

"Is it that bad?"

"Sasuke, I don't know what it is now. What it was… at one time father wanted me to kill Madara. But it sounds like that changed… I really have no idea what he wants you to do. By the way," he changed the subject, hoping to draw Sasuke's attention away from his query, "Madara told Kisame and Deidara that you're his son."

"Why would he do that?" Sasuke asked, a hint of desperation in his voice, "It's embarrassing. Why didn't dad stop him? What about mom's feelings? Doesn't he even care?"

"He does." Itachi answered hesitantly. "I don't know what's going on here, though, any more than you do. But Sasuke, one thing that I have realized over the years is that father does care about all of us. Unfortunately, he's also the leader of the clan and we come second."

"Correction." Sasuke said, quietly, "You come second. Mom and me come last."

Itachi blinked twice in surprise, "I'm sorry Sasuke, but that's the way it is. I hope you understand now why I went to such great lengths to keep you from becoming father's heir. This way… your family will always come first."

Sasuke stood up and stretched, "I've made my decision then. I guess I'll just go back to my room and wait for dad to come by in the morning."

As the younger Uchiha made his way back into the house, Itachi resisted the temptation to ask his brother what he had decided. A sudden urge to find Fugaku and question him was also suppressed. He had no idea what his father was up to or where he had spent the day. Both him and Madara were absent from dinner, leaving Sora as the host.

Pulling his legs up to chest he rested his forehead on his knees and closed his eyes.

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The next morning found Sasuke waiting in his room, dressed in his usual black pants and blue Uchiha crest shirt. After deciding on a course of action he had finally been able to sleep; even his dreams had been calm. He was feeling a lot better and found himself looking forward to meeting up with Deidara later and hanging out. However, when his door slid open his heart lurched heavily as his father walked silently into the room.

"So, Sasuke. I've come for your answer." As always, he got right to the point.

Sasuke stood up slowly and crossed the room, stopping about three feet from Fugaku. The elder Uchiha closed the distance and place a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Father," Sasuke bowed respectfully, "I refuse."

The hand on his shoulder clenched reflexively before falling away. Sasuke looked up and was surprised when the man placed a hand on either side of his face and started caressing his cheeks with his thumbs.

"Wrong answer, Sasuke." Fugaku whispered, his voice full of regret. His eyes bled into their Mangekyou form and he pulled Sasuke closer, holding him against his chest, "I wanted you to do this of your own free will, but apparently that wasn't to be. Your purpose in life, in being born, was to be a spare should Itachi fail to live up to expectations. You will now fulfill that role. I could tell you I'm sorry, but the words would not be enough to mend the hole that is about to be cut into your heart."

For a man who was usually tongue-tied when it came to expressing his feelings, Sasuke found his father's speech to be rather touching. Although, on the whole, it was also extremely disturbing. Either way, he got the gist of it, and as his father activated a transportation jutsu to teleport the two of them away, he wondered if there was any way at all to escape this incredibly complicated web he had thought of as his life.

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The quiet solitude of the empty room was interrupted as the door slid quietly open. Itachi stepped in, fully expecting to see his father and brother, only to find Tama sniffing suspiciously at a particular spot on the floor. A moment later the cat disappeared. It was the first time he had directly seen the cat use a jutsu.

He knelt down and concentrated on the remnants of his families' chakra. "This can only mean…" Itachi's mind went into overdrive. Why had Fugaku whisked Sasuke away like that? If the boy had accepted, they could just walk to the underground stadium. It wasn't that far away. Of course, it's possible the "ceremony" was scheduled to start soon and Fugaku was just being impatient or he wanted to get Sasuke away before he could change his mind.

On the other hand, if Sasuke had refused and their father was going to make him fight anyway, then… "He would have to take him somewhere… keep him under guard until the fight began so he wouldn't run away."

Standing up quickly, he clenched his fists and yelled, "Damn it! I've got to find him!" Taking off at full speed, Itachi ran out into the late morning, heading for the underground stadium. As he made his way through the paths and over the small streams and ponds he prayed over and over that he wasn't going to be late because, deep in his heart, he somehow knew that his brother had refused the offer.

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**Next week: The stadium of broken dreams. So, Sasuke refused the offer. However, Fugaku and Madara are bigger and stronger than him. Will Itachi make it in time to stop the fight and save his brother? **

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**Updates on Fridays**


	37. Chapter 37 The Stadium of Broken Dreams

**Last week Sasuke refused the offer to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, only to be whisked away by his father who had other ideas.**

**So… How was Sasuke able to reach out and grab Itachi, pulling him to the ground? I didn't write that very well. What I was hoping to imply was that Itachi's trust in Sasuke was enough to put him off guard, and when he fell it pissed him off because, well, he's the great Itachi and he isn't supposed to let things like that happen. Will it happen a second time? Not likely. xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 37 – The Stadium of Broken Dreams**

"He's on his way."

"Wouldn't it be funny if he stopped the fight?"

Madara glared at Zetsu, who was standing nearby arguing with himself. Turning to Fugaku he pursed his lips and settled back into his own chair. The man was busy talking to his son, rubbing the boy's back as if to reassure him. He clearly did not want to see Sasuke get involved and his hovering was probably as much to reassure himself as it was to reassure his son.

The day before he and Fugaku had discussed a strategy that could only be implemented by Sasuke. There was no one else to fulfill the role. Fugaku had reluctantly agreed, and truth be told, Madara wasn't too happy about it either. While he did want – need – the boy to obtain the Mangekyou, this way of going about it was far from ideal.

Despite the plan, he had been surprised when Fugaku had agreed. Of course, ultimately Madara had his own reasons for having Sasuke gain the Mangekyou Sharingan and no one was going to stand in his way. Perhaps Fugaku had realized this and stepped aside, as he had done years ago when he discovered Itachi and Shisui had become his pupils. It would be wise; after all, Madara had no qualms about killing him in order to ensure Sasuke's advancement. More than likely, though, Fugaku was doing nothing more than using the boy as an assassin. It was certainly no secret that he wanted Madara dead.

"Shall we begin?" Fugaku stated plainly and without emotion.

"No!" Sasuke yelled, "I can't…"

Fugaku sighed and shook his head in resignation as he moved behind his son. Holding the boy's arms tightly against his sides, he lifted him up off the ground a few inches to keep him from running. Sasuke kicked backwards in an attempt to free himself, but his father changed his grip, wrapping one arm around his son's torso and the other around his knees. Sasuke was now completely immobilized.

"He's entered through the south entrance. He'll be here in a minute." Sora stepped inside the observation room, limping carefully around the chairs. "Are we starting now?"

Madara sighed and stood up, his Sharingan bleeding into their Mangekyou form as he approached Sasuke. Instantly the boy was plunged into a world of Genjutsu, where another boy he had never met instantly became his new best friend. Memories of school, playing, training, hanging out and of shared pain and joy were pumped into his psyche, overriding any logic that could have identified them as false. When he finished Madara's eyes returned to their normal black and Fugaku set Sasuke back down, holding onto him for a few seconds when the boy swayed unsteadily on his feet.

"Did you do the other boy too?" Fugaku asked quietly.

"No need. He's disposable." Madara unlocked a glass door and Fugaku pushed a very confused Sasuke forward, closing his eyes in resignation as the door was locked.

Sora picked up a microphone, "Boys, only one of you is to come out alive. Begin."

A fourteen-year-old, tall for his age and with long red hair, got up off the ground and glared through the protective glass shield at Sora, "You better keep your side of the bargain. I win, I go free."

Sora picked up the microphone again and spoke authoritatively, "I will keep my end, Killian, now get on with it or there will be no bargain."

The door Sora had walked through only a few minutes earlier slammed open, revealing a very pissed off Itachi just as Killian jumped forward, knocking Sasuke to the ground. The atmosphere turned deadly as the teen faced the three powerful Uchihas. Zetsu chuckled as he melted into the wall.

"You're too late, son." Fugaku stated the obvious as Sasuke picked himself up off the ground and began a tactic of avoidance, trying to stay out of his "friends" line of attack.

"I'm not. Now stop this farce immediately! Or would you rather I stop it for you?" Itachi reached up and removed his glasses, pocketing them as his Mangekyou Sharingan glared out from behind a chakra so dark it was hard to believe it was a man standing in front of them and not the devil himself.

Madara and Sora revealed their Mangekyou Sharingans as well, but Fugaku's eyes remained their usual black. "I will not fight you, Itachi. I order you to stand down."

"Release him! He doesn't need to do this!"

"He does." Fugaku answered calmly.

Itachi stepped forward, but was blocked by Sora, "Everyone has their own plans for him, as you well know. This is necessary."

"Madara has plans, Fugaku has plans, what are you plans?" Itachi spat at the clan lord.

"My plan is nothing more than ensuring the customs of the Uchiha are upheld. I have allowed an exception… young Sasuke's opponent is neither an Uchiha nor his friend, but the boy is close in temperament to Naruto Uzumaki – or so I'm told – and with Madara's jutsu the end result will be the same." Sora didn't seem to be concerned at all. His usual, mild-mannered way of speaking was rather disturbing. It sounded for the world like he didn't care about the emotional trauma that he was continually inflicting on the youngest members of his clan.

Itachi glanced through the window and saw that his brother was now fighting back. Killian's attacks were a good match for Sasuke and the fight would have been entertaining, if it weren't for the underlying reason behind it.

"I can't stand here all day and talk." Itachi raised his hands and formed a jutsu as Sora stepped in front of Madara and raised his hands in front of him, easily dispelling the Amaterasu that was sent his way. The black flames, when they reached him, had simply shrunk away and disappeared, as if deprived of oxygen.

"How…" No one had ever been able to stop Amaterasu and Itachi glared as he considered his next option. The space they were in was small – only about a thousand square feet. The fighting arena was much larger, but was it structurally independent of the observation room? If it wasn't, and he did too much damage it would harm Sasuke. He wasn't concerned about himself or the three elder Uchihas and certainly not Zetsu, who, for all he knew, could be a hundred miles away by now. Or in the ceiling filming everything. Genjutsu was also impossible in this situation. The Sharingan – and especially the Mangekyou Sharingan – could dispel it as soon as it was cast.

"You cannot beat all three of us Itachi, do as your father instructs and stand down." Sora's voice was now authoritative and his chakra was just as deadly as Madara's. In fact… Itachi looked closely and saw that the clan lord's eyes no longer showed the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You have… the Eternal Mangekyou… just like…"

"Just like my nephew, Madara." Sora finished the sentence. "And I will die protecting him. It was a promise made as a child after he saved my live. Till then, I will remain alive, at all costs."

It suddenly made sense. Itachi began grinding his teeth. He wasn't going to be able to get through Sora or Madara, and even if he did, he would be weakened and Fugaku would still be in the way. There was literally no way to win. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone." Itachi growled. "But you three are despicable! How can you call yourselves lords of a clan or a village if you would throw away a life so carelessly?"

"That was pretty lame for you, Itachi. You are usually more eloquent than that." Madara taunted. He turned around and looked through the glass, diverting his gaze to the north end of the arena for a few seconds before returning to the action. Fugaku had already turned his attention back to the fight and was standing rigid with his jaw locked shut and his hands clenched tight. He was so still, in fact, that it looked like he was holding his breath.

In the meantime, Sasuke instigated a Chidori attack, driving his hand through Killian's chest and collapsing as his opponent fell to the ground, wide eyed and very dead. He sat up and watched as Madara once again opened the door, allowing Itachi to race into the stadium.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Sasuke screeched at his older brother, "You…" his voice broke and he was reduced to tears as heavy sobs shook his small form. "I was counting on you… I thought you would… save us…"

Itachi was stopped in his tracks as his brother's words cut deep into his heart. Sharper than any man-made knife the wound that they made was one that would never heal.

"It's my fault." Itachi muttered, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

Fugaku stepped forward and lifted Sasuke to his feet. Sora moved closer and gripped Sasuke's chin. Using his Eternal form of the Mangekyou he ordered Sasuke to reveal his Sharingan. The eyes that gazed back at him though tears of sorrow, betrayal and fear contained a Mangekyou that looked remarkably like a six pointed star.

"Interesting pattern. I can feel the power, even in this infant stage." Sora muttered, then spoke up in a normal voice, "He is definitely your son, Madara."

Sasuke attempted to pull out of Fugaku's grip, only to have the man grip him harder. "Sasuke belongs to me."

This of course, made Madara laugh. "For now." He and Sora started to leave as Zetsu materialized partially out of the floor.

"Looks delicious."

"We should ask before we eat him. It's only polite."

Madara smiled at him in amusement. "Chow down, Zetsu. And be sure to have that tape in my room later. I think I shall open a bottle of wine and enjoy the fight properly."

Fugaku practically dragged Sasuke out into the observation room, rightly guessing what was about to happen. The young boy, however, was so traumatized that he wasn't really catching onto much of anything and allowed himself to be pulled along.

Watching the plant/man hybrid as he began his meal Itachi finally turned around, only to see that he was now the only one left. Alone, he made his way back into the observation room. Sasuke was collapsed on the floor, holding Tama tightly to his chest and crying softly into his fur. The large tabby was purring loudly, as if trying to console him.

"Itachi…" Fugaku's concerned voice called out through the darkness that was beginning the envelope the teen. "It had to be done. You understand why I couldn't say anything to you…"

"No it _didn't_ have to be done!" Itachi turned on the older man and yelled, "You are supposed to be his father, not this guy! Can't you even make your own decisions?" He turned on Madara, but could think of nothing to say.

"You are growing weaker, Itachi. It had to be done." Fugaku repeated his statement calmly, refusing to be drawn into a fight with his eldest son.

"He wasn't what you said he was…" Sasuke sniffled loudly, "He said he didn't kill anyone. He said… he just wanted to go home. He wasn't from here. If he won the fight he could go home. But now…"

"He had no home to go to." Sora spoke up, a pained look on his face. "His mother was banished from her clan for having a son out of wedlock. She came here looking for a new home, but was never able to forget her family. She never told Killian the truth – even when she knew she was dying. This way, Killian died believing he had a home."

"That doesn't make it right." Sasuke whispered.

"No. But Killian's refusal to become a ninja condemned him in our eyes just as much as his mother's shame condemned her in the eyes of her clan. Life is harsh, my boy. We can make all the excuses we want for our behavior but in the end, all that remains is the reality of our actions. Right or wrong, we still move forward."

Fugaku spoke up as he grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him to a standing position, "I'll take him back to his room."

Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He never reacted this way when on a mission. It was unprofessional and dangerous. Why did being around his father always bring out the worst in him? He had a feeling there was probably a team of psychologists out there somewhere who would find themselves in seventh heaven if they every got their hands on his brain.

"Your brother loves you a lot, Sasuke." Madara smiled warmly at the boy. "You are truly blessed."

"He was supposed to save me." Sasuke muttered half-heartedly. He had been hanging on to that hope up until the end, only to find himself delivering the final blow before rescue came.

"He still can, Sasuke." Madara leaned back against the glass wass, "There are a lot of things brothers can do for each other."

"It's _not_ going to go that far." Fugaku interrupted. Itachi's eyes shot open and he clenched his fists in anger.

"What's he talking about, dad?" Sasuke had finally stopped crying and was wiping his face on his shirt, which he had removed shortly after Fugaku had made him stand up. There were three large bruises on his chest and one on his lower back.

Shaking his head in frustration, Fugaku relented, "It is the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Years ago," Madara began, "when I was the leader of the clan I brought them forward to victory. We stood above all others, winning all the battles we fought. Me… and Izuna. My younger brother. We were devoted to each other, the best of friends. But also rivals. Our fights were evenly matched, our intellects equivalent and our dedication to the clan unmatched. Then… I found myself going blind. There was nothing anyone could do.

"As I lay in my room, apathetic and considering the end, Izuna came to me with a solution. One I refused outright, but eventually agreed to. My brother gave me his eyes and in return, my vision was restored. However, the Mangekyou that was created… it was eternal. Never again did my eyes suffer."

"What happened to Izuna?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

"After both of us healed, we were hired by a government official whose clan was feuding with a clan in another country. Izuna…. insisted on going to battle with us… and died."

Sasuke yelled, "Why did you let him go?"

"How was I to stop him? We were already there by the time I realized he had tagged along. He was that good at hiding. At that point… I knew it was his choice, his way of dying. The greatest disgrace for a warrior is to be caught in his bed when death comes for him. And even though he was still a teenager – barely Itachi's age - he had already decided how he was going to die.

"I couldn't stop him, Sasuke." At this point Madara's face fell and he dropped heavily into one of the chairs. "I had lain in my bed, lamenting my blindness and considering taking my own life and here he was, standing up and willing to fight. Our rivalry, until then, was always equal, but at that moment… he turned the tables to his favor. He was the better man and I was a pathetic cry-baby. And that pathetic battle that took my brother's life was over a god-damned good-for-nothing piece of pottery."

"You see," Sora continued, noting the look of surprise on both Fugaku and Sasuke's faces, "Madara was illegitimate and not supposed to be clan lord, but Izuna stepped aside when their father, my brother, died. I… went a little crazy back then and went after the official that hired us. I assure you, his death was both painful and drawn-out."

"Oh." Sasuke didn't know what to say, his nerves were raw and the story he had just heard seemed to cut into them even deeper. "Itachi is going blind…"

Itachi plastered an expressionless gaze across his face. The thought of being compared to Madara or Izuna was distasteful.

The room was quiet for a minute before Fugaku finally spoke, "How did you get your eyes, Sora?"

"My other older brother." He sighed, "It's complicated… my mother's husband – the man I thought was my father - had been injured as a child and was unable to father children. His father, in order to save face, impregnated his son's wife, giving his son several children."

"That's… complicated all right." Fugaku agreed.

"Therefore… the man I thought was my father, was actually my older brother. He gave me his eyes, but he was dying and feared I would go blind like Madara. My eyes were already fading by that time. He was a cruel man, but at the same time… he was a man I learned to respect a great deal."

"So… who was Madara's father?" Sasuke was confused.

"Ah. This is getting a little round-a-bout isn't it?" Sora gave a short laugh, "Ryuunosuke Uchiha was the clan lord, his son was Masaru and his daughter-in-law was Yuka. Because Masaru could not father any children, they agreed that Ryuunosuke would lay with Yuka instead. Two of the children survived. Me and Shou. Shou was Madara's father and eleven years older than me. I'm about six years older than Madara so he, Izuna and I used to play and train together, but because I was older, my responsibilities pulled me away from them a lot."

"You are talkative tonight." Fugaku noticed that Sasuke was beginning to relax a little, and reluctantly he had to admit that Sora probably knew what he was doing. Madara was quiet, but whether or not he was listening was debatable.

"No point in keeping this a secret any more." Sora laughed.

Fugaku sighed, "So that means you _are_ my grandfather."

It was quiet for a couple minutes as a dark shadow seemed to pass over Sora's face.

"My greatest regret and biggest failure. That boy… your father. If I had known what he would turn into… I left him in Konoha because they needed a clan leader. I was leaving to fulfill my oath to serve Madara. My son was three at the time, and seemed normal. But… he didn't like to be picked up and wouldn't respond if you did. He would stare into space for hours… or talk to himself nonstop for hours. He had many problems that I chose to ignore. Everyone else desperately wanted him to be normal and ignored his behavior as well. Until it was too late. I wish to God that I had taken him with me, but I gave in to the elder's demands and left him with his mother, who, by the way, was just as messed up as he was.

"It took all my self-control to keep from grabbing you after his execution. The guilt was almost too much to bear. But at least you turned out alright. And of course, Sasuke's a good boy. Itachi… I'm not so sure… but he does mean well… unlike his grandfather."

"He was executed." Sasuke replied sadly. "He killed a lot of people."

"He was a psychopath, pure and simple." Fugaku stated firmly. "He haunted me almost my entire life. I even thought Itachi was like him for a while."

"Itachi is a psychopath." Madara finally spoke up, looking closely at the teen who appeared to be staring off into space. "But a psychopath who learned to hate killing. Don't underestimate him, even as he becomes more and more ill, underneath it all he is still dangerous. The only reason there were no casualties tonight is because you were here, Sasuke."

"He would never hurt me or dad or mom." Sasuke stated firmly.

"Correction." Fugaku interrupted, "He would never hurt you. If Mikoto or myself harm you, our lives would be forfeit. Sasuke, I told you a long time ago that Itachi has a lot of problems. I tried to guide him…not only for my own selfish ends… but to keep him out of trouble. As a policeman I have seen what shinobi become when they no longer have a use, for the village or themselves. It isn't pretty."

Sasuke scowled, "So are we down here gossiping because you are afraid to leave without me to save your skins?"

Itachi smirked. The thought of three of the most powerful men in the Uchiha clan using a twelve-year-old Genin to hide behind was definitely enough to break his concentration. And he had to wonder if there was some small grain of truth to the accusation.

Madara laughed, "The boy's got guts. I like that. And to answer your question, no. Itachi, if he was going to do anything, would have acted earlier, but as stated, you were here and he no doubt knew that the advanced attacks required to stop me, Sora or Fugaku would have harmed you as well."

"Likely story." The boy muttered, then scowled again when the three men smirked.

"I'll take you back to your room, Sasuke, you need to rest. The eyes will feel a bit weird and sore for a few days, until you get used to it." Fugaku pulled his son closer and disappeared from the room followed closely by Itachi. Tama trotted up to where the pair had been standing, sniffed the floor, then disappeared.

"Interesting cat." Madara sighed, "I'm not happy that you told them all that."

"Too bad. It needed to be said. Fugaku is my grandson and Itachi my great-grandson. I find I am rather fond of both of them, just as much as you are of Sasuke. They are both strong men who take great pride in their duties and would die for their beliefs. They aren't perfect, but that… if I had stayed in Konoha…"

"Don't play that game with me Sora." Madara snapped as he stood up and faced his uncle, "And what was that about Masaru 'giving' you his eyes? You took them. Ripped them out of his face while his corpse was still warm."

"Ha ha ha! You got me there. That I did, Madara, that I did. But I got what I wanted. That man tried to kill me. And you. We were just children and he thought I was weak and you were an embarrassment. I can't forgive him for that… no matter how much I learned to respect him later on… I can't forgive him."

"Well, I have a feeling he wouldn't have minded anyway. In the end, he also had learned to respect us as well. I think he even liked us." Madara relented. "Ha! I haven't thought about that man in years. My first teacher. He was cruel, indeed. Fugaku is just like him, you know. It was hard at times watching Itachi struggle with that, but as I survived, I knew he would as well."

Sora sighed, "Still, Sasuke isn't like any of us. Not really."

"He is his own person. Not swayed by the politics of the clan, he would defend his family simply because they are his family, and he would follow his brother into hell if need be. It is refreshing. And a pity."

"That it is." Sora reached tripped the circuit breaker and the stadium went black. "Let's get out of here before the ghosts show up. Talking about the past like this… they are sure to walk tonight if we aren't careful."

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"I can't forgive you." Itachi materialized seconds after his father and brother.

"I will never ask you for forgiveness, Itachi. I don't deserve it. I have damned myself to hell so many times that all I can do now is try to keep you two from following me. And I probably failed in that task as well." Fugaku's voice was strained as he sat down heavily on the couch. "Sasuke, I know you need to rest, but I want to tell you something. That man… Madara… I know he is your… father… but he needs to die. Somehow… I really don't have any idea how it can be accomplished. He would remake this world, creating a series of puppet governments that would fall to his will. Hundreds of thousands... perhaps millions will die. He is an Uchiha and our responsibility. But… that is not the mission I was talking about yesterday."

Everyone's attention was momentarily distracted as Tama materialized and immediately lay down on the floor, staring closely at Sasuke.

Fugaku cleared his throat, "Madara suggested it, and, well, quite frankly I think it may be a good idea. Albeit, the 'last-resort' type of idea, but nevertheless… Sasuke, the reason I wanted you to have the Mangekyou was to defend yourself against Orochimaru."

"What?" Itachi and Sasuke yelled in unison.

"He will come for you. It is inevitable. And when he does… you will go with him."

"No!" Itachi stepped forward and yanked his father off the couch by the front of his shirt, "Have you completely lost your mind?"

Fugaku extracted his son's hand and stepped back. He had expected this kind of reaction and knew that the best way to handle it was to remain calm, "Yes, Itachi, perhaps I have. However, Danzou and Orochimaru are working together in some capacity. We need someone on the inside to pass us information. Sasuke is the only one who could go in without suspicion. Madara has already sent in four people – all S-class – and Orochimaru has taken out all them, without even breaking a sweat."

Itachi growled under his breath and glanced at his brother, who had backed himself up against the wall and was as white as a ghost. "He's never had to do anything like this before! He's a Genin with no battle experience whatsoever! What kind of a father are you? Even if Orochimaru doesn't suspect anything, Kabuto will. In fact, Kabuto is probably S-rank as well."

"I realize that." Fugaku snapped. "But this is the closest we're going to get to Danzou. He's dangerous, Itachi, he has to be dealt with."

"D…dad… I don't want to…" Sasuke sniffled and wiped his eyes, "I can't do it. I'm not good enough. Please… don't make me…"

"Itachi, you will be in charge of his training. Keep in mind that we have no idea when Orochimaru will show up again. Sasuke, you will go with him when he comes for you, but try to pull yourself together and act your age, at least. You are an Uchiha, not a Senju crybaby." He turned around the leave the room, but Itachi wasn't finished with him.

"I won't allow it." His voice had turned deadly calm. "If I have to fight you to stop this, I will."

"I realize that, Itachi. And who knows? You may be the one to take my life someday. But right now, you will obey my orders and if you want Sasuke to survive you had better do a good a job of training him. His failure will no doubt weigh on your conscious more than anyone elses." He slid open the door and paused, "Any attempt to spirit Sasuke away and hide him will result in severe consequences. Remember, this was originally Madara's idea and unless you've figured a way to stand up to him then I suggest you get to work."

Itachi cursed his father and Madara then turned on his brother, "Stop that whining, it's pathetic."

Sasuke immediately quieted down and watched closely as Itachi stood seething in the middle of the room. Afraid to move or even breathe, the boy realized that he was now trembling violently.

"Damn it! Danzou couldn't _possibly_ be this dangerous. What is going on here? You're completely useless for a mission like this. What the hell is Madara up to and why is father going along with him?" The only person whose motives seemed even remotely straight-forward were Sora's, Itachi realized distastefully. He had always known that Sasuke would somehow be used to further Akatsuki's goals. Pein's continued interest in the boy was a huge hint that could not be ignored. But sending him to Orochimaru seemed about as close to a death sentence as you could get.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Sasuke finally asked.

"Apparently not." Itachi's voice was harsh. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow we begin training."

"I don't want to…" Sasuke's words were cut short when Itachi grabbed him by the throat and shoved him to the floor.

"I don't remember you being given a choice."

"Itachi…"

"Training from here on out will be strict and any hesitation, whining, or failure will be dealt with severely."

"But I…"

Itachi kicked the boy in the groin, causing him to double over in pain. "This should have happened a long time ago. The elders were correct, father and I have been babying you. Do you want to know why they had you fight that boy instead of an Uchiha? Because you are weak and any victory against you would be an insult."

As the pain subsided, it was quickly replaced with shock and disbelief. His brother had never behaved like this before. It was both disturbing and frightening. Their training sessions in the past had always been friendly and filled with encouragement. Slowly he stood up, gulping loudly. Itachi's eyes had turned cold and hard.

"Earlier you said I was…"

"You will not have your friends to help you, Sasuke. I won't be there either. You will be completely, and utterly alone."

"Oh." He realized there was no getting out of this. "Then… okay. I guess…" He couldn't think of anything to say and stared morosely at the floor.

"We will be using standard ANBU training as well as additional techniques to enhance the Mangekyou."

"Itachi… if I can't do it… what will happen?"

Itachi thought for a minute. If he purposely weakened the boy, made it so he couldn't do the mission… He could cripple him somehow… permanently paralyze one leg or an arm. He would be safe then, no longer a ninja and able to stay home. It would be easy, too. As an ANBU, Itachi had learned how to incapacitate his adversaries and that had included a rather in-depth discussion into anatomy, muscles, nerves, and the circulatory system. He could do it.

Sasuke stepped back, fear crossing his face as Itachi moved forward, chakra seeping into his hand, "What are you…"

Blinking in surprise, Itachi stopped moving and stared curiously at his own hand. It wouldn't work after all. Any advanced medic nin would be able to heal him without any problems. And besides… Orochimaru could still kidnap him and steal just the eyes.

"If you can't do it… you will die."

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"If he fails, father, we will have handed Orochimaru a fully functional Mangekyou Sharingan." Two hours later found Itachi and Fugaku in the guest house's living room, arguing, once again, over Sasuke.

"Yes. I realize that." Fugaku snapped, "Do you really think I _wanted_ to do this? We're backed up against a cliff and Sasuke is the only one who can build a bridge and get us out of this mess."

Itachi was seething, "Yeah, I _do_ think you wanted to do it. There is no way Danzou is that dangerous. He's got _nothing_ on Madara."

"He is perhaps _more_ dangerous than Madara, Itachi." He advanced on his son, raising his fist to emphasize his point.

"Why? What the hell did you find out that I don't know already? He's nothing more than a traitor with an organized rebel force. While I admit that he has killed a lot of people, his attacks have dropped off since he took over the capital. What's wrong with just letting the situation remain and stabilize?"

Fugaku huffed and turned his back on his son, "I can't believe you actually think that situation could ever stabilize. All evidence pointed to Danzou creating a new secret ninja village somewhere and he has connections with Orochimaru, a powerful Sannin. Logically, that village must be Sound. In case you have forgotten already, Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi as well as several Konoha citizens."

"I haven't forgotten." Itachi replied quietly, "But he backed off as soon as we started fighting back. He doesn't have the power to harm us in any significant way. If Danzou is using him then he's really not going to get very far. And I could easily infiltrate his organization…"

"Out of the question. You have other duties. And as for backing down, even you have to admit that he used Sand Shinobi. To our knowledge there were none of Danzou's people present and very few Sound ninjas. As such, we have no clear idea of how many people Orochimaru has at his disposal."

"Yes I realize all that, but you haven't given me a good reason for why you think Danzou is so dangerous. What are you keeping from me?"

Fugaku changed the subject, "Can you deny the power Sasuke is capable of?"

Itachi realized he wasn't going to get any information out of his father and ground his teeth, "No, I can't deny that." He had been feeling rather guilty about the way he had treated his brother earlier. But his crying had gotten on his last nerve and the thought of him dying because he was weak was too much to bear. "Sasuke has tremendous potential. I sense that he is more powerful than me, although I can't really put that feeling into words to substantiate it."

Fugaku sighed, "Orochimaru will protect Sasuke. He will want nothing to happen to him and would probably go so far as to lock him up if he was weak just to keep him safe. That is perhaps the number one reason I agreed to this. However, if he is locked up the amount of intelligence he sends drops off considerably, therefore he must be strong enough to hold his own, at least enough to be around Orochimaru."

Itachi had already figured that much out and nodded. The sannin wanted an Uchiha body with a Sharingan and if one of his henchmen harmed his new container it would not bode well. Therefore, he had to admit, reluctantly of course, that Sasuke would probably be the safest person in Orochimaru's lair. Until he needed him. "Sarutobi injured him quite badly. I wonder if that means he'll need a new body sooner than expected."

"Yeah. That was also a factor in this. We have no way of knowing just how badly injured he is right now. His jutsu's were sealed, and it would be nice if that included his soul-transfer technique, but considering how little we know about it we must assume that, at least, is still functioning."

Glancing outside through the glass wall Itachi watched as the branches of the leafless trees moved slightly in the breeze. It was evening and the pitch-black night was made even darker by the mists that had not cleared that day. He looked closer and saw that it was now raining.

"By the way, Itachi, I met a couple rather interesting people yesterday."

"Hm?" He turned his attention back to his father, who was now squatting in front of a stack of videos and going through them absent-mindedly.

"Pein and Konan." He paused long enough to register the look of absolute shock that crossed Itachi's face, "They were also in the north observation room during the fight earlier. They seem quite interested in Sasuke's welfare and, well, they are just as upset about this as you are. Pein threatened Madara, quite successfully I think, because Madara offered to cancel the mission if he decided it was too dangerous. That's not something he would do for you or me."

"Why are they here?" Itachi's blood ran cold as he remembered the village Pein had destroyed with his jutsu several years earlier. His power was unmatched and several times over the years the teen had wondered what the outcome would be if he fought him.

"Seeing the Rinnegan… it was unbelievable. I know you told me before that he had it… but seeing it… I had read the documents passed down from clan chief to clan chief and never believed them. How could anything be that powerful? But Pein is completely in a class of his own. Itachi, I don't know how much you know about the Rinnegan – Sharingan connection but… there is a possibility that what Madara is planning could change the world more than we could ever comprehend."

"That is what you meant when you said things are changing. So you had already spoken to him when you came to see Sasuke yesterday." That did explain a lot, Itachi realized reluctantly. "You are correct, I found the hiding place for the clan chief's scrolls, but I didn't think they were important enough to read. I figured they were nothing more than a retelling of clan history than I already knew from the stuff I read when I became a Genin. And… well… the clan has an immense quantity of information. More than anyone in one lifetime could read. I had to make a choice."

"That is certainly understandable." Fugaku conceded. He had actually assumed the same thing when Kentaro had taken him down into the hidden chamber after he had become the chief, and reading them had been more like browsing a fantasy novel than a history. What was contained in those scrolls was too far-out to be completely believable. "Read those scrolls when we get back, son. Read them very carefully. But don't show them to anyone else. They are only meant for the perusal of chiefs." Selecting a horror movie, Fugaku shoved the tape into the VCR and settled back onto the couch.

Itachi gazed back out into the darkness and decided that a walk in the chilly night air might feel good. However, Fugaku called out to him just as he was about to open the door.

"Itachi, has Pein ever been in Konoha?"

"No. I mean…" He realized he had no idea until his father mentioned it that Pein was in Mist, and certainly none that he had attended the fight a few hours earlier. "Father, I have no way of knowing. I take it that's a problem?"

Fugaku turned to his son, and the look on his face was something that the older man was not in habit of displaying. Releasing the door handle Itachi creased his brow in worry and gazed deeply into his father's eyes. 'Is that fear?' He thought to himself.

Returning to his movie, Fugaku took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sensing the conversation was over, Itachi made his way out into the garden. Why was it that whenever something bad happened, something worse always followed?

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"There you are!"

"Aya, don't start anything. I'm not in a good mood right now." Madara pulled off his yukata and threw it across the back of a chair, "And what are you doing in my room anyway? Didn't I tell you not to come here unless I call for you?"

"Humph. As if I'm going to be following any of your petty, thoughtless rules. And if you really meant it you would have locked the room anyway."

"It is left unlocked so the servants can clean. You know that. Not so you can go traipsing in and out as you please."

Aya ignored him, "How could you do that to Sasuke? It was bad enough that you tricked me, now you go after your own son. Your own flesh and blood. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Aya banged her hand on the small table as she stood up, the tea cup clattered, knocking the small silver spoon onto the porcelain tray.

"It means everything to me!" Madara snapped, turning on the woman, "I didn't do it because I thought it would be fun! It's necessary, an Uchiha tradition and the only way to gain the advanced eyes. Only some of the clan even gets the Sharingan, and an even smaller percentage are capable of awakening Mangekyou."

"So you wanted to see if I was good enough for you."

"Yes. The woman I take as a wife has to have Mangekyou in order to assure our children have a greater chance of inheriting it. It is the same for the rest of the clan. Sora controls who marries whom for this exact purpose. That is why Mist is able to breed a higher ratio of Sharingan users than Konoha."

Aya was now standing directly in front of Madara, her Sharingan blazing fiercely and her face set with determination, "And how does Sasuke fit into this?"

"He has nothing to do with it. I need him for something else."

"Akatsuki."

"Yes."

Walking back to the table she picked up the miscreant spoon and set it back in the cup. "I hate being here. You are the epitome of evil."

"Soon enough, my princess, you will change your mind." Madara moved closer. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath. "You always smell so good. It's getting harder and harder to wait for our wedding night when I have you within my reach like this."

Aya felt a surge of fear course through her and she extracted herself from his embrace, "Y…you promised…"

"I'm evil, dear princess. Remember? I have no need for promises." He advanced on her slowly, his face twisted into a half-grin and his eyes darkening with lust. "The only reason you keep asking me to wait is because you are hoping your precious Shisui will rise from the dead and save you from my clutches." He gave a short laugh at the look of utter shock that crossed over the woman's face.

"How… how dare you!" It was a pretty lame come-back, she knew that, but she wanted to say something… anything… she just didn't know what.

"Hit a nerve, did I?"

"We were talking about Sasuke, not me!"

"Shisui isn't going to 'save' you. No one is. And why, exactly, do you think you need saving anyway? Is the thought of being with me that repulsive? Even Mikoto enjoyed my company."

"She was forced!" Mikoto had explained the situation to Aya shortly after arriving with Emi to help plan the wedding. She had wanted to clear up any misunderstandings between them and as hard as it was, clearing the air before it had a chance to stagnate seemed like the best plan. Aya had been very grateful the older woman had done so.

"Perhaps. At first."

"Damn it! We are supposed to be talking about Sasuke!"

"You are getting harder and harder to sidetrack, princess." He gave a sigh of defeat and sat in an upholstered chair, draping one leg over the arm. "Sasuke is a necessary sacrifice. I will be using him to bring about my new era, and Fugaku will be using him to try to kill me. And before you complain, no it is not something I want to do to my own son. I do love him, Aya. There is no way I could not. I'm not that heartless. As for Mikoto… I love her as well. I wish she was the woman I was marrying and not you. Just as you wish Shisui was your groom. But it appears neither of us is getting what we want."

Aya's face fell and she dropped her head to stare at the floor. "You are so good with words, yet you use them as a weapon so often that I can't tell anymore when they are sincere."

"Then let's not use any words for a while." He stood up and approached Aya, "There are other ways to communicate."

"Huh?" She suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt and found herself staring at his chest as if hypnotized. 'He's really, really built.' She said to herself. However, her attention was quickly diverted when he grabbed the back of her head, interlacing his fingers in her long black hair.

He spoke in a low voice, "You are invited to my room this evening, princess, and you aren't leaving 'til morning."

"Is… is this a Genjutsu?"

"Shisui isn't the only reason you have been avoiding me." He bent down and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck, speaking against the bare skin of her throat, "You also desire me, and are refusing to allow yourself this ultimate of pleasures. That ends now, Aya."

"I… um…" She grabbed his shoulders as his kisses trailed up her neck, finding her lips, and then her earlobe.

"Okay?"

Aya sighed as she pressed her body closer to his, "Okay. But if any of our children ever die, I'll personally make sure you never have any more."

He maneuvered her onto the bed, and crawled over the top of her, "Hmm… Less talk… more action…"

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**Next week – Training begins**

**So, has Sasuke been given power without working for it? Absolutely. However, he is more powerful right now in the story than he was in the manga before he left for Orochimaru. I'm still not so sure I portrayed that well enough, but Sasuke is going to be working very hard from here on out. **

**I hope you all don't think Sasuke was being too whiney here. I mean, he remembers what Orochimaru did to him in the Forest of Death so he knows what the guy is and… really… why would he react any differently? He's much more normal than Itachi and never went through any "emotional repression" training. I thought his reaction was appropriate and hopefully I wrote it to look like that.**

**I had to do a Madara / Aya moment… after all it is supposed to be a wedding… **

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**Omake (extra - because I absolutely, 100 percent could not resist it):**

**Aya sighed as she pressed her body closer to his, "Okay. But if any of our children ever die, I'll personally make sure you never have any more."**

**He maneuvered her onto the bed, and crawled over the top of her, "Hmm… Less talk… more action…"**

"**Did you want me to film this too?" Black Zetsu inquired calmly.**

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	38. Chapter 38 An Agreement Between Brothers

**Yay! A new chapter!**

**Thanks for the reviews! I had fun reading them.**

**I put a poll on my profile about Madara's fate. I think I'm enjoying him too much to kill him off and I was wondering what you all think. Only registered users are allowed to vote (it's completely anonymous so I have no idea who voted what). It's the websites policy so I can't change that. It'll be up for a while, but I'll give warning before I close it.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 38 – An Agreement Between Brothers**

Sasuke didn't get any sleep. Or if he did his dreams were so vivid and real that when he finally decided to get up around six am it took several minutes before he could wrap his mind around the events of the previous day. He felt different, and it wasn't just the stinging in his eyes or the soreness from the bruises he had received during the fight. His chest felt tight with anxiety and his stomach was doing summersaults, but when his mind finally switched on and finished sorting through everything he dropped to the ground and took a deep breath.

What hurt the most was the betrayal of his father and brother. Fugaku had tricked him, and Itachi had not saved him. "They just…" Sasuke whispered, "What's wrong with them?" It wasn't something he could comprehend; no matter how many times he reviewed the events in his mind. The anger had been delayed, but it had come several hours after the fight. Before that he had just felt numb, confused, sad and scared. But the anger seemed to wake him up, and that was what kept him awake all night and haunted his dreams when he slept, fitfully, in between his failed attempts at reason.

Sasuke snorted, "Maybe I should go to Orochimaru and never come back. I wonder what dad would think of _that_? Or maybe I should stay here with Madara?" He had a strong desire to do something… anything… that would piss Fugaku off no matter what the consequences were. But first…

Standing up he made his way to the sliding glass door and exited his room. He was supposed to be training with Itachi this morning, but his brother had not told him when or where. Stepping off the porch he slipped on his shoes and glanced over at his father's room. Nothing could be seen through the curtains, which were still pulled shut. His brother's room, on the other hand, had the curtains wide open and Itachi was standing on the porch, dressed completely in black with his long hair pulled back and a kunai swinging from one finger. Sheeta could be seen on the other side of the window reading a book and taking notes.

"Sasuke." Itachi stepped off the porch and made his way to his brother. "I want to show you something."

"Humph." Sasuke found he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone, least of all his brother.

"I think you'll like it."

"Doubt it." Sasuke mumbled.

"Yeah, whatever. Just come on. We have to get away from the village. I don't want anyone… least of all Fugaku or Madara… or Sora for that matter… to see this."

Sasuke nodded and followed his brother out of the village and into the forest. The early morning fog that draped Mist faded away as they ran swiftly through the sparsely treed forest. Soon enough the sun rose, spreading long shadows across the ground. The trip was silent, as neither felt like talking.

After two hours Itachi came to a stop and smiled when he saw that Sasuke had not only kept up but wasn't even breathing heavily. Of course, he knew his brother could do it. He had put both Sasuke and Naruto through many marathon runs and given the competitive nature of the two boys both had excelled at anything they could fight over.

"So what did you want to show me?" Itachi's smiled faded at his brother's accusing tone.

"Susanoo. It's a jutsu maintained with the Mangekyou Sharingan. When I have it up, I want you to come at me with your Chidori. It's the most powerful jutsu you have right now."

"As much as I would love to punch the daylights out of you, is that really a good idea?"

"I have a point I want to make, and this is the easiest way to get it across."

"Fine. Tell me when."

Itachi moved about fifty feet from his brother and took a deep breath. Activating his Mangekyou Sharingan he closed one eye and concentrated. A second later he heard Sasuke gasp in surprise as the skeletal form of what could only be described as a monster wrapped around the teen.

"Come at me now."

Sasuke gulped and sent a Chidori to his hand. The chirping of the high-level lightening jutsu cast a blue glow that lit up his face with an eerie light. Turning his gaze back to his brother he was struck with the power that Itachi exuded in his jutsu. He looked invincible and surely, anyone who came at him would have a snowball's chance in hell of getting through.

'This is probably going to hurt.' Sasuke thought to himself as he dropped his hand down and took off running across the clearing. Of course, as a ninja getting hurt was something he had learned to take in his stride a long time ago. The chirping got louder as he shoved the blue ball into the Susanoo barrier, only to find himself knocked back about ten feet. Looking up he saw Itachi standing calmly, having not moved an inch to defend himself. The jutsu had done everything.

Itachi smiled as he stepped forward, dispelling Susanoo. "What do you think?"

"That was… amazing." Sasuke reluctantly admitted. "I'm going to be able to do that?"

"Yeah. That's the idea."

"So why is this such a secret?"

Itachi crossed his arms across his chest, "Well, to put it succinctly, I just have a feeling I should keep some secrets."

"That's the dumbest reason I've ever heard."

"Yeah, well, probably. Anyway, I had a bit of a brainstorm last night." That was actually an understatement. Itachi had spent the entire evening reconsidering his brother's mission. Years of experience leading missions and strategic planning had taught him how to think beyond the obvious and seek the paths that lay hidden. "Sasuke, we are going to teach Fugaku a lesson. Assuming he hasn't gone so insane that he's still capable of learning something."

"Huh? That… Really? Are we going to beat him up?" Sasuke realized he would like nothing better than to beat his father into oblivion.

"I'm pleased to see you're not being whiny today."

That made Sasuke bristle, "And how was I supposed to act? I've met Orochimaru, remember? He gave me this." He pulled down his jacket collar, showing the curse mark on his neck.

"Humph. Anyway. When we return to Konoha, that night we will have a meeting with the elders where Fugaku will have to give a report of the trip. During that meeting you will pick a fight with the elders and father. You will then storm out, go home, pack up, and run away to Orochimaru."

Sasuke couldn't help it, he laughed. "You're calling dad insane? You're the one that's gone nuts. How am I going to run away if I'm unconscious, because dad _will_ beat the shit out of me if I pull a stunt like that."

"I'll stop them."

"Yeah. Just like you stopped them yesterday." That hurt and Itachi opened and closed his mouth a couple times as he tried to think of an apology that could possibly make up for his failure. But when all was said and done, he knew there was nothing that could make up for it. However…

"Sasuke, once you meet up with Orochimaru, you will contact me. I will then come to where you are. We will isolate him, pick his mind apart and kill him."

Sasuke shook his head, "You could do that without me. Seriously, Deidara was complaining about how you cut off Orochimaru's hand."

"Complaining?"

"Yeah. I guess he wanted to do it himself."

"Of course." Itachi replied dryly. "Well, leaving that snake alive _was_ a mistake on my part. But the point here is that _you_ will be with me. I want father to see how powerful the two of us are together. He thinks I'm getting weaker, but in reality, my Mangekyou Sharingan is getting stronger and stronger. And with Tsunade… even if she can help just a little… there isn't really much I won't be able to do. And you too. You will learn all the techniques I know. And if Tsunade can't do anything for me… then eventually you will surpass me."

"Okay. That's a good idea. Actually, it's a great idea." Sasuke gave his brother a small smile. "It's better than dad's idea and it'll be fun telling off the elders." He imagined their surprised faces and how good he would feel afterward. "I want to do more than just stand around and watch, though."

"Oh, don't worry. You'll definitely be doing more than that. We have to do this together or it won't make much of an impression."

"Wait a minute… if I run away, won't I be a missing nin? Aren't missing nin's executed?"

"Don't worry about that. There is no way in hell Fugaku is going to publicly acknowledge the mission he gave you. He would be tossed out of the Hokage position in a second and probably removed as clan chief as well. At this point, if he pisses you off… more than you are now…"

"Is that possible?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"Hmm. Good point. Anyway, most people would call it 'blackmail'. I call it 'teaching him a lesson'. We can't get you out of this, so we're going to turn the tables on him instead. Is that acceptable?"

"Sure is." Sasuke was quiet for a minute, then smiled sheepishly, "I'm still scared, though, but I promise I won't cry about it anymore."

"That's my boy!" Itachi patted his brother on the head, only to have his hand knocked away.

"I'm not five-years-old." Sasuke complained. He was still mad at his brother, but not as much as he had been that morning. And if this plan worked perhaps the elders would finally get off his case.

Itachi smiled reached over and poked his brother on the forehead. "Let's get to work."

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To say she was mad at her husband would be the understatement of the century. However, right now she was very confused. Mikoto had woken up a couple minutes earlier to find herself comfortably resting her head on her husbands bare chest with his arms tightly wrapped around her. He was not the type to cuddle and the first image that had crossed her mind when she opened her eyes was of a little boy clutching a teddy bear.

It made her feel sorry for him.

But he didn't deserve pity.

Then again, 'I am his wife. I guess I'm supposed to support him, but does that really apply here?' She had been acquainted with him her entire life, though it wasn't until they got married that she really got to know him. He wasn't the man she had dreamed of marrying. That man, whoever he was, probably didn't even exist. As with many young girls, she had developed a fantasy of the "perfect man" who would support the household, be kind to her and the children, and always be strong. There were, of course, about fifty other points but they had been forgotten over the years.

"Hmm… Mikoto…" Fugaku stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "What time is it? Oh, after seven."

"Are you okay?" Angry as she was, she still felt obligated to ask.

"No, of course not." He replied bitterly as he clutched Mikoto tighter to his chest. He buried his nose in her hair and sighed deeply, "I couldn't think of any other way. I had to do it."

Mikoto had to resist the urge to groan, "You keep making decisions on your own. Itachi is old enough to share the burden and Toshiro…"

"Toshiro and Itachi are the two people I am trying to protect. If either of them finds out Danzou's secret I'll loose them both. I'd rather they were still alive and hating me than dead and…" his voice trailed off.

"What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Mikoto, but I need to keep it a secret."

"How could it possibly affect Itachi and Toshiro? What do they even have in common? They don't even really talk much, their jobs don't put them in contact with each other."

Fugaku sighed again and released his wife so he could sit up. She joined him, pulling the futon cover up over her lap to ward off the morning chill. "Mikoto, please don't try to reason it out. Really, this will affect them both immensely. I just… I guess I underestimated Sasukes desire for power. He was always asking for ways to get more powerful, I truthfully thought he would want this so when Madara suggested it…"

"You jumped up and down with glee."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Then what? What would make you put Sasuke through that?"

"Desperation."

"Fugaku, call off the mission."

He turned to his wife in surprise, "What?"

"He's angry with you. Calling it off may be the best way to mend your relationship."

Closing his eyes he shook his head partially in amusement and partially in frustration, "We have to…"

"Come right out and tell Toshiro and Itachi whatever it is you don't want them to know. Fugaku, you may not understand it completely, I know you have trouble getting close to people and even more trouble interacting with them or understanding their feelings, but you have to know that no matter how deep of a hole you dig for yourself as long as you are alive we will find a way to get a ladder down to you. I promised myself when I left you ten years ago that when I came back I would be happy instead of miserable and I am going to keep that promise."

That took Fugaku by surprise and he had to blink a couple times as his brain tried to process what his wife was telling him.

"And even though I just said that I am still extremely angry with you, if you refuse to climb that ladder when we drop it down into your hole, then there is truly nothing anyone can do to help you."

Fugaku stood up and turned his back to his wife, "Has it occurred to you, Mikoto, that perhaps I don't deserve to climb that ladder? I told Itachi last night that it was entirely possible he would be the one to kill me. It might just be true."

"Damn it Fugaku!" Mikoto jumped to her feet and yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Fugaku yelled back, "I made my son hate me! That's what's wrong with me! And for some reason, hurting Sasuke's feelings hurt more than anything I've ever done to Itachi! Why is that? Why do I feel this way? I love both of them! Why does hurting Sasuke… why is so much more painful?"

Mikoto gasped in surprise. This was not what she expected to hear. "Fugaku… I think… I think that because you feel this way, perhaps you are not without redemption. Please, think about it. Call off the mission, and talk to Itachi and Toshiro. I won't say it will be easy… and it may even take months or years to win back Sasuke's love, but if you really work at it… perhaps…"

Fugaku looked up at the ceiling and considered his wife's words before speaking reluctantly, "I… will consider it."

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Morning turned into afternoon and even though the sun rose higher on the horizon, it never really warmed the earth. Sasuke was running through some jutsu drills – quickly executing a series of jutsus against innocent, defenseless pine trees in order to increase his speed. He had been given a time frame of five seconds and after about five hours he had finally surpassed it – reaching four seconds. The jutsus were quite difficult and the total number of hand signs was triple what he had ever done before.

Looking over at Itachi, Sasuke frowned, slightly worried. His brother's use of Susanoo had a rather unfortunate side-effect and the teen was now sleeping it off. It attacked his body in a way that ate away at his chakra and tried to rip apart his cells. Walking over to Itachi he reached down to shake him awake, but was stopped when the teen suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed Sasuke's hand. The look on the his face made the boy very happy he wasn't his enemy.

"It's not a good idea to walk up to a sleeping ninja." Itachi stated plainly as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah. I'll remember that." He rubbed his sore hand and wondered if his brother could break bones with his grip. He had obviously used chakra when he had grabbed him. "Should we be getting back? The clan is holding a party for the Konoha Uchiha tonight. I don't mind missing it if you want to stay, but… um… I think Sheeta might…"

"…freak out if I'm out too late. Hn. You have a point. I really don't want to cut the training short like this, but she is expecting me to attend and mother is probably worried about you. Tomorrow it'll be easier. We won't have to come out this far to train." Itachi suddenly frowned and looked around the clearing they were standing in. "You go ahead, I have to pee."

"Oh… okay." Sasuke took off at a run, glancing back once with a curious stare.

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"Why are you here?" Itachi's voice had turned deadly and he glared angrily as the red-haired man stepped confidently out of the forest.

"You are to be commended, Itachi. I am quite impressed with both your plan and your training methods. Your devotion to your friends and family pleases me."

Itachi sighed, "You heard everything. Would it be too much to ask you to remain quiet about this?"

Pein moved closer to Itachi and placed on hand on his shoulder, "I am opposed to what Madara is doing, Itachi. It is too dangerous and could turn Sasuke against… well perhaps I shouldn't say 'us', but if he should join forces with Orochimaru it would be unfortunate."

"So you followed us."

"You are a master strategist, Itachi. I had faith that you would find a way out of this, and my faith was not misplaced."

"Why are you so interested in my brother?" Itachi asked firmly.

"Hmm." Pein frowned and stepped back from the teen. Gazing up at the sky, he seemed lost in thought for a couple minutes, "I really have no use for him while we have you. It's Madara who wants him."

Itachi remembered what his father had said the night before. That Pein was against the plan and Madara had added a condition in which he would call off the mission should Sasuke be endangered. While he doubted Madara and Pein had the same definition of "endangered", it was definitely suspicious.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you feel a little attached to Sasuke." Itachi was careful to keep any emotion out of his voice.

"I am in Akatsuki to bring an end to the wars. Even though, in order for than plan to be brought to fruition, I have to first _start_ a war it does not mean I enjoy seeing people suffer. Madara is too experienced at using people and it is a pity that Sasuke is caught up in that. I assure you, I feel nothing more than pity for the boy."

He had to admit, that wasn't really what he expected to hear from the powerful Rinnegan user, but what he said about Madara was certainly the truth. "I find it hard to believe that someone who feels 'pity' would go to these lengths to make his feelings known. You are as far from Rain as you can get without leaving the continent."

"You are indeed very bright." Once again Pein looked up at the sky and smiled as clouds quickly covered the sun. "I feel Madara is getting sidetracked, I do not approve of his marriage to Aya, but it is, quite literally, none of my business and not something I intend to dwell on. My concern is Danzou."

"God damn it." Itachi growled under his breath, "What the hell is going on? Why is everyone _so obsessed_ with him?" He was getting very close to loosing his temper and that was absolutely not something he wanted to do in front of Pein.

"Well, he killed a good friend of mine… many years ago… and I will avenge his death. But… I would be lying if I said that was the only reason."

"Then enlighten me." Rain drops started to drip from the grey sky and Itachi had to remove his glasses in order to see. The blurriness was annoying, but looking through raindrops was even more annoying.

"Your brother has stopped running and is wondering where you are. You should leave before he turns around and comes back. Pissing usually doesn't take this long."

Obviously he wasn't going to get an answer to his question. Well, there was usually more than one avenue to take when seeking the truth. "Fine. Are you leaving Mist?"

"No. I have more business with Madara. But don't worry, I won't pass on to anyone what your plans for Sasuke are, or what we discussed."

Itachi gave him a small smile. "I will remain silent as well."

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The dinner was a formal occasion held in an underground banquet room and attended by the entire clan, as well as Hinata and her two cousins. Kisame and Deidara had declined the invitation, opting instead to do some bar-hopping (although they were warned that given Deidara's age it would probably be accompanied by a sharp kick to ass when he got kicked out for being underage).

Itachi sat between his father and Sheeta. On the other side of Fugaku was Mikoto, then Sasuke. Originally, Sasuke was supposed to sit in Mikoto's spot, but, thankfully, she had quickly switched the name cards while everyone was maneuvering to sit down. She had looked strained, and Itachi noticed that she kept glancing at Fugaku, as if expecting him to do something.

"What beautiful penmanship." Sheeta murmured. She was holding the small card in her hands and gazing at it carefully. The kanji was perfectly drawn, along with a border of irises and a small Uchiha fan symbol in the corners. "It must have taken a long time to do all these cards."

"To some people, writing is an art form. They enjoy bringing their words to life." Itachi responded calmly.

"I could never have the patience for this." She sat the card back down on the table and glanced at Sasuke. Itachi followed her gaze and sighed under is breath. The boy's face was pale and he was staring despondently at his rice bowl. Sheeta shook her head sadly and whispered, "It'll take a while to get over the death of his 'friend'."

"It always does." Itachi responded in a quiet voice, "Even if it was Genjutsu, his mind still registered it as real. There's no way to reverse that except another Genjutsu… and with his new abilities, that wouldn't work."

Sheeta frowned, "Then shouldn't that Genjutsu have been broken when he got the Mangekyou?"

"It did break. Unfortunately for Sasuke, though, he cares a great deal for people and is very protective of his family and friends. That made the feelings he felt for that boy, however false they were, turn into reality." Itachi paused for a moment, "I hope that makes sense. But it doesn't really matter if it broke or not. As long as the Mangekyou was achieved first, that was their goal."

"I know it sounds mean, but I'm glad he's upset then. It means he has a conscious. I worry… I see too many shinobi who don't care if someone dies or not and it worries me."

Itachi smiled, "I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess you're right."

"During the coup… we ran into all those dead people and he saw his dead classmates… it was hard on him and when he saw that Naruto… one of his classmates was still alive… he stood up to Danzou's people and even got injured. He wasn't even friends with Naruto at the time."

"Hn." It was a sore spot for Itachi… how close his brother and girlfriend had come to dying that day. Not to mention Nui and Naruto. After all, it had been him who had told Danzou about the secret room in the temple…

"Father!" Itachi sat straight up and grabbed Fugaku's arm as a previously random series of events suddenly lined up in perfect order. "We need to talk, right now."

Fugaku, who had been gossiping with Madara and Sora, were sat across the table made his excuses as he allowed Itachi to lead him across the room. It was better than starting a scene and arguing, and appearances were important to him.

"What is it?" Fugaku was a little angry, but that quickly turned to worry when he saw the strained look on his son's face.

Itachi had led him out of the banquet room and into a smaller meeting room across the hall. Performing a series of hand-signs he sealed the room in order to prevent anyone from coming in or overhearing their conversation. Taking a deep breath, the teen leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. When he opened them his Sharingan was blazing brightly behind his glasses.

"You told me to read the clan chief scrolls. They were kept in the hidden chamber of the old temple, are in the hidden chamber of the new temple. Danzou knew about that chamber."

"Yes. I remember you telling me that." Fugaku confirmed.

"What is in those scrolls that is so important?"

"Son…" Fugaku's voice was hesitant, "It isn't the scrolls that's important…"

"Then what!" Itachi had the feeling that he was on the tip of a big secret and he had no intention of leaving that room until he found out what it was. Something was very wrong.

"It's the altar."

That was not even close to what Itachi expected to hear and his eyes opened wide in surprise for a second before he regained his composure. His voice turned cold, "Explain."

Fugaku took a deep breath and let it out before dropping down onto a chair. "The altar… has a special script on it. Only the Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan and… Rinnegan can read it."

That was also unexpected, and the truth Itachi had thought was within his reach suddenly drifted further away. "Danzou can't read it then. But the scrolls are a translation?"

"No. They merely detail the history… the real history of our lineage back to Rikudou Sennin. Well, it's the shortened version. One must read the writing on the altar to get the full version. I have read as much as I can, but the Rinnegan must be used to read the rest."

"Then it's safe…" Itachi stared closely at his father. The man had suddenly closed his eyes and dropped his head onto his hands. Itachi's voice turned cold again, "It's not safe. He needs a Sharingan or Rinnegan to read it… none of us would help him. Kakashi has a Sharingan but I would bet my life that he would never help that man…"

"There is… another possibility." Itachi could hear how hard it was for his father to spit out the words.

They were both silent for a couple minutes and the first time since entering the room the teen registered how quiet it was. Because they were underground there were no street noises, barking dogs, wind, rain, or talking. The silence was absolute. 'This must be what you hear when they put you in your grave.' Itachi thought to himself.

"_Yes it is. It was too quiet." _

Itachi jumped at the sound of Shisui's voice echoing in his head. He grasped his chest when a sharp pain stabbed at his heart and pushed the air out of his lungs. He dropped to floor, his heart pounding fiercely against his rib cage and beds of sweat appearing on his brow.

"I thought you might need some help…" Madara walked through the wall. The seals were not enough to keep him out. "Is he okay?"

Fugaku was kneeling next to his son, one hand on the teens back. "I think… he just figured it out."

"At least he's on the ground instead of ripping my mansion… and my guests… apart. He does have a bit of a temper at times."

"Father… they… he…" Itachi was stumbling over his words, not really hearing what the two men were saying. Suddenly he sat up on his knees, grabbed the front of his father's yukata and yelled at the top of his voice, "Danzou took Shisui's eyes!"

"Only one." Madara replied angrily, "But it is enough to cause us problems."

"We found out recently." Fugaku added as he removed his sons hands from his clothes. "Itachi, please don't tell…"

"Don't tell Toshiro or Kisa." Itachi added bitterly. "How could I? I would never do anything to hurt them… they've been through so much…" His voice trailed off and he took a deep breath before speaking again, but the anger in his voice was undisguised, "So what is on that altar?"

"The ten-tails." Madara sat down on the floor a few feet away from the father and son.

"There's…" Itachi was interrupted.

"…no such thing?" Madara finished. "There is. Rikudou split it up into the tailed beasts we have today and then used a jutsu to seal what remained in a big ball of dirt and shoot it up into the sky as the moon."

Itachi shook his head, "Let me guess, the altar tells how to release it and Danzou wants to use it to destroy the earth and remake it in his image. And you…" he pointed a finger at Madara, "are planning the same thing."

"There are a lot of differences between Danzou and myself, Itachi. I'm not happy about being compared to him."

He had to bite his tongue to keep from responding to that. Madara was the leader of Akatsuki and picking a fight with him was probably not in Itachi's best interests. At least not at that moment. Besides, he had to admit, however reluctantly, that Madara was not in the habit of taking tens of thousands of civilians hostage and blasting them to kingdom come just to make a point. Although, on the other hand… he probably could do it without much thought.

Fugaku spoke up, "Danzou doesn't know what the entire altar says. You need the Rinnegan to delve into that and, to our knowledge, Pein is the only one with that ability."

"So that's why he's here. Because of what you found out." Itachi rubbed his face with his hands and leaned back against the wall. Thankfully, the pain was gone and his breathing had returned to normal.

Madara nodded, "Yes. He was quite upset and showed up uninvited. Luckily Konan followed him and was able to calm him down. He really hates Danzou."

That pretty much matched what Itachi had heard from the Rinnegan user several hours earlier. Itachi spoke up in a strong voice, "If only you would have told me straight up. I can leave in the morning and…"

"You will do no such thing." Fugaku stated sternly.

"And why not? I don't need your permission you know. There is little you could do to stop me."

"True. I know that, Itachi, but we have a plan, I already explained it to you. And Danzou isn't that easy to get a hold of. Even Sai and Sakura Haruno, who are still his agents, are being directed by a subordinate whom we determined has never even met Danzou."

Itachi quickly re-evaluated the plan he had worked out for Sasuke and deduced that there was no need to change it. It would still work. But still… if he left in the morning with Kisame and Deidara… and grabbed Sasori on the way… the four of them could easily bust Orochimaru's operation. Of course, Sasuke would never forgive him. As scared as he was of facing Orochimaru again, he dearly wanted to teach Fugaku a lesson. Itachi found he didn't have the heart to remove that opportunity from his brother. However, a part of him regretted his plan and wished he could leave right then and there.

"I'll wait then." Itachi promised bitterly.

"Would you like to return to dinner?" Fugaku asked his son as he jumped to his feet. "You grabbed your chest…"

"I'm fine." Itachi snapped, a little more severely than intended.

Fugaku smiled, "Of course."

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"Hey Sasuke, go up to Deidara and yell 'how are you this morning' in his ear." Itachi smirked as he and his brother spied the blond ninja sitting on a bench in the garden looking rather green. It was almost lunch time and they were returning from a morning training session to get something to eat.

Sasuke gave his brother a withering look, not sure if he should do something like that to an "S" ranked ninja. "What the hell." Sasuke said out loud, shrugging his shoulders in resignation. It was probably safer than facing Orochimaru. And he did look sick. The only real danger here was probably getting vomited on.

"Hey." Sasuke said half-heartedly as he walked up to Deidara and bent down close to his ear before yelling, "How are you this morning?"

Itachi snickered as Deidara slipped off the back of the bench, falling flat on his back with his feet slung over the seat. He called out to the blond as he stepped closer, "So how much _did_ you drink?"

"Not enough." Kisame answered. He walked up behind Itachi and laughed, "We made it through three bars before getting kicked out and he was already staggering by then. So I took him home, tucked him into his bed with his teddy bear and went back out."

"You make a great dad, Kisame. Poor kids." Itachi teased.

"He was already asleep by then. What they don't know won't hurt them, right?" He patted his partner on the shoulder and laughed again, "That's what the wife is for. To watch the kids while you party."

"That's what the divorce attorney is for, un. So you're wife can divorce your ass when you pull shit like that." Deidara stood up, very angry and, if possible, even greener.

Kisame turned serious, "That's what happens all right."

Itachi wondered if the blue swordsman actually had a wife and kids. It would explain his "personal business"… but somehow he just couldn't imagine it.

"We're going to lunch, you guys wanna come?" Sasuke offered, giving them a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I don't even want to _think_ about food, un." Deidara mumbled as he stomped away. "Ever."

"Humph." Sasuke smirked, "He didn't kill any of us, so I guess that means he had a good time last night."

"He did." Kisame confirmed, "And it was definitely not his first time drinking, although he does have a long ways to go to beat me."

"I'm not sure that's something to brag about, or something you should be encouraging him to do." Itachi spoke up, "You know how competitive he is."

"Ha ha ha! Point taken, Itachi. His ego is easily bruised. But I'm surprised to hear you defending him."

"Just stating a fact. Death by alcohol poisoning isn't exactly something a ninja can brag about in the after-life."

"Itachi," Kisame gave the teen a bittersweet smile, "there is _nothing_ for a ninja to brag about in the after-life. I would have thought you of all people would have realized that by now."

"Yeah. I know." Itachi agreed, a bit of sorrow leaking into his voice.

"Boys! There you are, I have a message from Naruto." Fugaku walked up to them as Kisame took his leave.

Sasuke turned his back and frowned; Fugaku pretended not to notice. "It came by hawk a few minutes ago. I haven't read it yet, but I thought you two would be interested."

"Yes we are." Itachi spoke up, knowing his brother would likely remain silent. Or at least he hoped he would.

"Okay, well…" he pulled open the scroll and began reading.

_We got her! And I learned an awesome new jutsu! _

_Bye. _

_Oh wait, Pervy Sage just said to tell you who we got. Um. Tsunade. She's coming back with us. And we got to fight Orochimaru and Kabuto. He wanted Tsunade to heal his arms but she pretended to go along with it so she could kill him and it didn't work and he's still alive. And Pervy Sage said to tell you that Orochimaru can't do any jutsus so Kabuto was doing it for him. He said he'll wait at Konoha for you to come back and talk to you then._

_And wait until I show you my new jutsu! You'll piss your pants!_

_Bye._

"Humph." Sasuke muttered. "So he's probably coming sooner than later, huh?"

"Yeah." Fugaku muttered half-heartedly. "But I'm pleased to hear about Tsunade. We need her badly. Ever since Dr. Yakushi died, no one has been able to fill his shoes." He glanced at Itachi, "And you'll be one her first patients."

Considering all the bad luck he and his family had been having over the last few days – well, years - he wasn't sure he should be looking forward to seeing Tsunade, but for some reason his heart suddenly felt a littler lighter. 'Would it really be too much ask," He thought to himself, "for one thing to actually work out right?"

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**Pein is kind of hard to write. He's not so much a bad guy as misguided and when I was working on that section with him and Itachi, I kept thinking of him as an older "canon" Itachi that had gone insane. Anyway, I hope that part makes sense. I certainly see Danzou as a catalyst to bring Fugaku, Pein and Madara together – no matter how distasteful Fugaku would think the temporary "alliance" was. **

**As for Mikoto and Fugaku's conversation, it wasn't put there to necessarily make you feel sorry for Fugaku as it was to show a glimpse of his conscience. I feel sorry for Mikoto though. She definitely has an uphill battle in front of her.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	39. Chapter 39 Another Betrothal

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**I was kind of disappointed the manga didn't show more of Karin and Sasuke alone in that alternate world Madara sent them to. But I guess Kishimoto doesn't write stuff like that. xD I keep having this mental image of Sasuke waking up and finding out he's alone with a love-crazed fangirl and freaking out. Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 39 – Another Betrothal**

"Is everyone here?" Madara strode purposefully into the room and took a mental roll call of those present before he sat down on a cushion at the head of the long table. He glanced over at Sasuke and smiled at the boy who was sitting on his knees and staring intently at the floor. "Sasuke, as per your parents request I selected several girls your age to become candidates for betrothal. Of that list, three remain. Before you are Aina, Natsuko and Takara."

Sasuke looked at the three girls sitting across the table from him and his parents and brother. There was no doubt they were Uchihas. Their dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin and expensive kimonos spoke of the heredity and wealth present within the clan. However, their intent, focused expressions and complete lack of demureness surprised the boy. They sat on their knees with their hands folded across their laps and their heads lifted high, instead of the more commonly accepted pose of "look at the ground and don't make eye contact." He had the most uncomfortable feeling that he was being sized up as the main course for a feast.

And if the girls' stares weren't enough, their parents were one hundred times worse. All six had their Sharingan's visible and were sending off waves of powerful chakra that, while not filled with "killing intent" were definitely expressing images of the many unpleasant things they would do to Sasuke should their daughters be wronged.

Fugaku and Mikoto kept their cool and sat comfortably on either side of their son, with Itachi sitting cross-legged behind him. They had surprised Sasuke the previous evening with the announcement that he would be meeting his future wife the next day. He had completely forgotten about it; which was surprising since it was the one things he was looking forward to during their stay in Mist. However, after the events of the last few days, he was now dreading it. His life was moving too fast. There were too many things going on. Too many changes. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to go back home to his friends. To be with Naruto, Sakura, and the others.

Sasuke jumped slightly when he felt his father's elbow gently prod him in the ribs. He gave Fugaku a dirty look that quickly turned to understanding when his father nodded his head toward the girls. "Oh!" Sasuke got the message and blushed slightly as he bowed his head, "I am pleased to meet you. I am Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha."

Each of the girls introduced themselves in turn, bowing their heads stiffly before turning their gaze back to Sasuke.

"What are their qualifications?" Mikoto asked in a reassuring voice.

Madara answered, "All three are Chuunin level and actively involved in missions for Mist village. They have all gone through the ceremony and developed Mangekyou Sharingan and are from families of four or more children. You can be assured that the genes they will pass on to their children will be of the highest caliber."

"They… everyone goes through that?" Sasuke had heard Sora mention something to that affect down in the stadium, but his memories of that day were sketchy. The only thing he remembered clearly was the fight itself, and his father's betrayal.

"Yes." Madara stated plainly. "In fact, none of the parents of the candidates would allow their daughters to marry someone who hasn't gone through the ceremony."

Sasuke was about to respond when he felt a hand on his back. Looking back he saw that Itachi had moved closer to him and seemed to be silently asking him to not make a scene. However, Sasuke had never been one to keep his mouth shut.

"So you kill off half your clan in fights in order to perpetuate… what?"

No one reacted and for a few seconds it was silent. Finally Madara spoke up in a stern voice, "Uchiha is a clan that is proud of its heritage and its position of power in the world…"

Sasuke interrupted, "Don't give me that crap. You guys are _hiding_ here in Mist. They don't even know you exist."

"I assure you, _young_ Sasuke, that will be changing very soon."

"And I assure you, _old_ Madara, that will not be the only thing that will be changing." Sasuke met the eyes of the man who had fathered him with a look that held all the anger and frustration he had been carrying around with him for the last two days.

"Are you _trying_ to piss off your prospective brides and in-laws, Sasuke?" Madara taunted.

"No, I'm trying to piss _you_ off."

He couldn't help it, Madara suddenly burst out laughing before turning to the girls' parents, who were all wearing expressions of amusement. "You see why I had to ask for a more assertive girl? It's going to take a lot of work to keep this man in line."

"Don't change the subject." Sasuke said angrily.

Madara smiled, "Sasuke, I can't predict the future. But what I do know is that the more we try to change things, the more they stay the same."

"That makes no sense at all." Itachi piped up.

Madara shrugged, "True. But sometimes when you tell people that it shuts them up. I guess you're not one of those people."

Sasuke mumbled, "_That_ makes even _less_ sense."

This time it was Fugaku who chuckled, "We should probably move on. Sasuke needs to get back to his training."

"Getting back to business then," Madara leaned back on his hands and stared at the ceiling for a moment, "the Uchiha no longer use a dowry system, so there will be no money paid by either the groom or brides family. There will be a minimum of four children born before divorce will be allowed. Marriage will take place at the age of eighteen. The bride will move to Konoha at that time…"

"Not now?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"No. They are too young. You understand, their parents want to be with them as long as possible."

"I don't mind going now." Aina said suddenly.

Natsuko spoke up, "It would be fun. I hear Konoha is much more open than Mist."

"Sasuke's cute. I'd love to see him everyday." Takara's suggestive look surprised Sasuke and without realizing it, he scooted back a couple inches on his cushion.

Madara shook his head and continued, "In six years a decision will be made. You will all see each other over that time of course."

"Can I have all three?" Sasuke was surprised when everyone, including the girls, laughed at him. He actually had hoped they would get mad. In his present mood he had an overwhelming urge to pick a fight. And after all, girls were supposed to be jealous, right?

"You got a lot to learn, my boy." Fugaku said as he wiped his eyes.

Sasuke frowned and turned his gaze back to the floor.

"I suppose we could share." Aina piped up, a big smile playing across her lips.

"Aina, behave yourself." Her mother shook her head in amusement at her daughter's forwardness.

"'kay!" Aina flashed her mother a big grin then winked at Sasuke. The boy had no idea what that was supposed to mean and glanced back at his brother. Itachi had his eyes closed and was rubbing his temple with one hand, as if trying to sooth a headache.

Madara continued, "Any children from the marriage will be citizens of the Konoha branch of the Uchiha clan and subject to its laws. The wife will be a citizen of the Konoha branch of the Uchiha clan unless she chooses to divorce Sasuke and move back to Mist."

"Not acceptable." Fugaku interrupted. "That would be a perfect way for you to place a spy within Konoha. I must insist that should the woman be divorced or widowed she remain within our jurisdiction."

"That's not really fair." One of the mother's replied calmly.

Fugaku snorted in derision, "Since when did Shinobi start using the word 'fair'? However, I can assure you that you daughter will have many other female friends to bond with. Should she have problems with Sasuke, Mikoto and Sheeta will always lend an ear. Assuming of course that the woman was not the one to cause the problems."

"Humph." The woman folder her arms across her chest and stared straight into Fugaku's eyes. "Acceptable."

Madara nodded, "So is it okay with the rest of you?"

The six parents nodded, but for the first time the girls looked uncertain.

Mikoto smiled, "It's okay. I promise I won't become the evil mother-in-law. Also, you and Sasuke will be living in your own house, since he is the second son. Is that okay? You can even come to visit Konoha. In fact, I think it would be a good idea for you too see it. If you decide you really hate it there, now is the time to back out."

"Okay." The girls all spoke as smiles of relief showed on their faces.

"Well then." Madara stood up. "That's that. Fugaku, if this meets with your approval , then you and I have another meeting to attend to."

Fugaku patted Sasuke on the shoulder once and looked down at him, "This is your decision, Sasuke."

"Like last time was." The bitterness in Sasuke's voice cut into Fugaku, but he was careful to hide his emotions.

"No Sasuke. This…"

Sasuke interrupted his father. "It's acceptable."

Mikoto stood up and bent down to run her hand through her youngest son's shoulder-length hair, "Thank-you Sasuke. I know it's been tough for you, but this day should be remembered as being happy."

"I… okay." He turned to the girls, "It was a pleasure to meet you."

Itachi stood up and moved next to his mother who suddenly looked at him, alarmed, "Itachi! When did you get to be taller than me?"

"Huh?" Both Itachi and Sasuke looked confused at the sudden change in subject.

"Wow!" Sasuke couldn't help the amazement in his voice, "You _are_ taller than mom. I bet in another few months you'll be taller than dad."

Fugaku smirked, "It was bound to happen one of these days."

Itachi saw the observation as a non-issue and just nodded his head to acknowledge his families comments before turning to his brother, "We have to train now, Sasuke. Come with me."

Sasuke waved at the girls as he followed his brother out of the room.

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"So which one do you want?" Itachi teased after they exited the building. The Uchiha clan's Mist compound was full of people taking care of mid-morning errands or just passing time. It was so different from Konoha. At the dinner the night before he had made a rough count of those in attendance and determined that there was probably around three times more Uchihas in Mist than in Konoha. And there were a lot of children.

"Don't know yet." Sasuke replied truthfully. "I didn't ask, but I bet mom will have them over for lunch or something before we leave in a few days. But… how will it be decided? Do I get to choose?"

"Good question." Itachi stopped walking and looked down at his brother, "I think, given that the earliest you can marry is six years away, their parents are probably hoping for attrition. That is, two girls back out leaving just one. That's the 'nice' way for it to happen."

"What's the 'not nice' way?" Sasuke had a sudden mental image of the three girls in the underground arena fighting to the death for the right to marry him and shuddered involuntarily. It couldn't possibly go that far, could it?

"More meetings. Our parents and their parents get together and work things out somehow. Or they may ask you to pick one. Hard to say."

"They won't…" Sasuke's voice lowered to a whisper, "have to fight… will they?"

Itachi laughed, "You have quite an imagination, Sasuke. No. That won't happen."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Itachi turned serious, "Look, I know things have been really shitty this week, but… Sasuke… you said you want to change things here. Were you just flapping your lips to make Madara mad at you, or were you serious?"

"I _was_ trying to make Madara mad but… I don't like the idea that these people have to go through that. I mean… those kids…" He pointed at a group of young Uchihas who were probably between six and eight, "could be dead in a few years. How can they do that? When Zabuza told me about the final exam here it seemed barbaric, but having gone through it… I don't know… it's just the worst thing you can do to someone. It's just…" His voice faded away and he dropped his gaze to the dirt road.

"I'm not sure yet how to go about it. I haven't given it any thought at all, but these are going to be your in-laws and if there is a chance your children might get sucked into this mess… then… I have to do something." He smiled warmly at his brother's shocked expression. "Now let's go. I want to teach you Amaterasu today."

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"What are you reading?" Madara squatted down next to the four-year-old old who was sitting in the middle of the grass in the garden outside his private quarters.

Frowning, Arata gazed up at the tall man, "A book."

Madara laughed, "I can see that. But why are you here, Arata? I bet Nui is missing you."

The boy stuck out his lower lip and pouted, "Yori won't leave me alone. He can't read yet. I have to hide from him."

"Is that any way for you to treat your brother?"

"He started it! He wrote in my book and Nui had to buy me a new one and he didn't even get in trouble for it! It's not fair! Then she yelled at me because I hit him for ruining my book and it was his fault!"

Madara had to resist the urge to smile. He seemed to remember a similar argument between himself and Izuna. "Well, you got a new book. Did Yori get one?"

"No."

"Does he usually get something if you get something?"

"Yeah."

"So there you have it. He was punished. I bet he was mad when you got your new book and he got nothing."

"Yeah…" Arata admitted hesitantly. "But it was just a replacement."

Madara gave a short laugh, "I bet he doesn't understand that, though. He thinks you got a new toy."

The boy's face lit up, finally grasping what the tall man was getting at, "Oh."

"Why can't Yori read?" Madara settled himself down onto the grass and lifted Arata onto his lap so he could see the book.

"Don't know. I try to tell him what the words are but he gets mad."

"Hmm." He looked closer at the book at saw that it was children's book, about twenty pages with large type and brightly colored pictures of children dressed as ninja's and practicing tai jutsu. It was probably a book geared for a six- or seven-year-old and he was suddenly reminded of Itachi when he was four. The boy had been so small and delicate looking, it was unnerving how powerful he had been at such an early age.

Arata, on the other hand, while small for his age, was sturdy and didn't look "delicate" at all. His twin was slightly larger but had the same build as his brother.

"So do you know any jutsus?" Madara asked kindly.

"I can walk on water!" Arata stated proudly, then climbed out of Madara's lap and ran to the pond. "Watch!" As he stepped out onto the pond Madara jumped closer so he could pull him out when he fell in. However, the boy didn't fall. He stood perfectly balanced on top of the murky green water, looking very smug. "Yori can't do this either!"

"Good boy!" Madara laughed, "Your going to be a great Uchiha at this rate. I'm very proud of you."

"Really?" The boy walked off the water and stood directly in front of his new friend, "No one else is. They yell at me because Yori can't do stuff."

Madara knelt down again and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders, "He probably tries to copy you and gets hurt. They're not upset with you, Arata, they're afraid Yori will get hurt. Do you understand?"

"Yeah." Arata said after a pause. "So I try things out in secret."

"Arata, I want you to make me a promise."

"Okay." His eyes looked up at Madara, implicit trust written into his young face.

"Don't practice ninja stuff alone. If you get hurt no one will know. If you died, everyone would be sad."

"Sad?"

"You know, like your parents are dead. Everyone is sad about that."

"Oh. But I can't do ninja stuff then. No one will let me." The boy was pouting again.

"Just promise me that, and I'll speak with Nui about finding you a teacher. Okay?"

Pearly white teeth suddenly glistened as the boy opened his mouth wide in a happy smile and popped his thumb up into the air, "It's a deal!"

Madara laughed, "Now you should go back to Nui before she gets mad that you're gone."

"Yay!" Arata grasped his book protectively to his chest and took off running. Madara noted that not only was the boy literate, but he seemed to have a good sense of direction. He mentally tracked his chakra back to the house he was sharing with Nui.

"That's quite a boy." Madara said to no one in particular, "I shouldn't have been so rash in letting him return to Konoha." He had made his decision wholly based on the fact that the twins had been developing slower than normal toddlers. He had decided there was probably nothing remarkable about them. However, Arata had more than made up for that.

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"That was really sweet." Aya stepped off the porch and moved closer to her fiancé.

"Humph." Madara stood up and gathered his long hair away from his face. The wind had picked up slightly and was blowing it around.

"You really like kids, don't you?"

"Of course I do. A long time ago… when I was leader of the clan I used to teach them. They are the future of the Uchiha."

"You are a hypocrite, you know." Aya went on to say.

Madara frowned, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Aya put her finger to her chin and spoke thoughtfully, "Hmmm. I guess… it would be the way you act all nice and everything one minute, then the next minute send them into an arena to kill each other. You even record the videos and watch them later."

"Ah. You found that. I assure you, it was only Sasuke's fight I recorded. I'm not into snuff videos. Never have been."

"You could have fooled me."

"Aya…"

"He could have died."

"He could still die." Madara stated truthfully. "He's a ninja, Aya. Ninja have a habit of dying. This world… it's corrupt. Too many people die. Too many wars."

"Then stop them. Stop fighting. Stop…"

Madara voice turned kind, "Stop being a ninja?" He moved closer and took Aya's chin in his hand. "I will bring peace to this world, princess. Our children will grow up in that peaceful world. But in order for peace to mean anything, there must first be war."

"I… don't understand."

He bent down and captured his lips with his, pulling her closer to his body, "Our children will grow up without war, Aya, that is all you need to know."

"That's not enough." Aya pulled away and rested her head on Madara's chest, "I can't just accept your word. You forget, I've seen war. Me and my family… after we left father… we wandered around taking jobs for chump change. Some days we didn't eat. Some days… some days we spent praying because mother or big brother had been wounded and we couldn't afford a doctor. Grass and Stone were fighting then. They didn't care who was in the middle. No one cared. Then mother died and it was just us kids… I don't want my kids to go through that. I don't want anyone…"

Madara grasped her shoulders and pulled her away enough to look down into her eyes. "Aya, I haven't forgotten what you went through. It is part of the reason you are the way you are. And Aya, in my world… in the peace I will bring to this planet… there will be no fighting. There will be no need for Shinobi. Itachi and Sasuke are vital to the development of that world. Aya, I need you to think of the destination and turn a blind eye to the journey. Because there is no backing out at this point."

"I… um…" Aya had no idea what to say to that. It sounded vaguely like the ramblings of a mad man.

Madara bent down and kissed his bride again, "Just wait and see. I promise, you will be happy." He smiled when the woman nodded and turned away with a confused expression on her face. "It'll be soon, Aya."

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Mikoto sat on a chair across from the blue haired woman who was dressed in purple kimono decorated with a garden motif. She herself was wearing a yellow kimono that had white birds flying over an ocean. It was mid-afternoon and, upon hearing that her son's Akatsuki associate was a female and in Mist, had decided to invite her for tea.

Konan was small, only a couple inches over five feet, and very thin. Despite being the same age as Mikoto, she looked very young. However, it was her eyes that aged her. The emptiness and suffering that showed through their heavy-lidded depths was not something Mikoto would forget any time soon.

Surprisingly, the woman was very polite. Mikoto wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but based off her introduction to Deidara and Kisame, she certainly didn't think the only Akatsuki woman would have such good manners.

"Are you staying for the wedding?" Mikoto asked as she sipped her green tea.

"Yes. I expected that we would leave right away, but Pein wishes to stay. It's been years since I've been to a wedding, though. And that was nothing like this."

"Hmm. This is definitely a little more lavish than I'm used to as well. While Fugaku and I had a big wedding it was… well, being the bride I guess I was paying too much attention to the prospect of marrying the clan chief to actually pay attention to the details. My aunt handled all of that."

Konan gave a small laugh, "Understandable. It's easier to be a guest than the bride. Or groom for that matter. All you have to do is show up, say a few words of encouragement, give the newlyweds a gift and leave." She looked up at the ceiling before turning her gaze back to Mikoto, "Then again, being the bride has its benefits."

"True, true!" Mikoto laughed, "Being the center of attention, even for a few hours, is certainly memorable. So are you and Pein married? You seem rather close."

Konan set her cup down and folded her hands in her lap. "I…"

Mikoto sensed her discomfort and spoke up, "You don't have to answer that. I apologize for bringing it up."

"Thank-you." Konan picked her cup up again and sipped, "Pein and I are very close. We grew up together. But I don't want to go into the details. You understand."

"I was in Rain as a Genin." Mikoto said quietly. "The war was going on…"

"Genin? Why would they… you were just a child…"

"I know. It's not something I'll ever forget. I had nightmares for years. One of my teammates quit the ninja corp and became a merchant after that. He died during the coup in the tunnel collapse."

"And now you watch your own children go through all that as well."

Mikoto was surprised at Konan's words. After all, Itachi was in the organization that her friend was the leader of. "If I could protect them… keep them safe from the world and all its ills, I would feel better. But it would do them no favors. This world is a cruel place and pretending it isn't… it just makes things worse."

Konan smiled again, this time her expression softened and for a moment her eyes seemed to come alive, "That is true. Itachi is definitely your son. I can see a lot of him in you. It's too bad…" The sentence was left unfinished and as curious as Mikoto was to find out what the other woman had left unsaid, she knew better than to ask.

"But it isn't a good thing to only look at the bad." Mikoto smiled, "There are a lot of good times to remember as well. Plus, the future isn't all that bleak either. If you spend all your time remembering the bad, even when the sun comes out it will still feel as cold and hard as the rain."

Konan blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly, "That may be true, but pretending the sun is out when its raining is much more dangerous. I sense that you do that a lot."

It was blunt and Mikoto wondered if this friendly tea was really as friendly as it seemed. Konan was not only extremely observant but very skilled at speaking. "It's hard to explain… but… I guess… I just want…"

"To be the sun that shines on your family's rainy day? You realize that the sun already shines. It's the clouds and not the rain that blocks it. You're heart is in the right place, Mikoto. No one will deny that. But you will alienate your sons if you keep this up."

"Keep this…" Mikoto repeated quietly.

"It's better to support them with reality than hide behind false happiness."

"I… don't get what you mean." Mikoto was confused. Not only by Konan's words, but by the fact that she wasn't getting angry with the woman's bluntness. If anyone else had said that to her she would have been fuming by now.

"I did the same thing a long time ago. I thought I could support my friends by being happy and cheerful, by pretending that everything was okay. I thought it would dry their tears and fill their bellies, but I was wrong. It almost drove us apart. They didn't need me to be their 'sunshine', they needed me to be their 'angel'. A person to stand next to them no matter what and accept the world as it is and help them change it. So that is the person I became. It was easy, Mikoto, because that is the real me. That other person was a fake. A show put on to make my friends like me. And they knew it."

"You really think I'm doing the same thing?" It seemed incredible. Mikoto had sworn to herself to be happy and accept her life and while it was difficult, it had made the passing years easier to live through. Or so she had thought.

"You would understand your life better than I." Konan took another sip of her tea.

"Hmm." Mikoto was silent for a few minutes as she considered the other woman's words. "It's more of a balancing act, Konan. I won't ask if you have children, but… seeing their eyes light up when you give them a moment of peace and happiness with just your smile or words is neither fake nor unwelcome. However, there are times when nothing you say or do can get through to them. I learned that the hard way with Itachi and I pray to god I'm not making the same mistake with Sasuke. But their father… I have no idea how to get through to Fugaku. He isn't the type to let anyone into his mind."

Konan smiled, "You love him. That, perhaps is all he needs."

"Yes, it might be. He isn't demanding, nor does he expect to be waited on. If he was the only person I had to worry about it would be so much easier. But I have the boys, and as the matron of the Uchiha clan I have all of them to worry about as well. And Sheeta and the baby. But what Fugaku does affects all of them and not always for the best."

"Ah yes, our Itachi is going to be a father." Konan gave a small laugh as she easily changed the subject, "It's hard to believe. He's so serious all the time, I wonder how that's going to work out?"

"I don't know," Mikoto admitted, "but it'll be fun to find out." The tea ended shortly after that and as she watched Konan walk gracefully out of the room she looked down at the tea table and saw an origami tulip lying next to her cup. She picked it up and looked it over carefully. It was perfectly folded and the pure white paper was smooth and soft to the touch.

"There's something written inside." Mikoto said quietly as she the faint outline of words. Folding back one of the leaves, her mouth dropped in surprise at the words Konan had somehow written without her noticing.

"_Thank-you for your smile and kind words."_

"I have a feeling, I'm probably the only person besides Pein that Konan has spoken to in a long time." Mikoto looked up at the door the blue-haired woman had departed through. It had been an odd encounter, with an even odder woman, but when all was said and done, she was glad she had invited her to tea.

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**Next week, the wedding finally happens.**

**Okay, this chapter was pretty boring, but I wanted to do some character development and I wanted Konan and Mikoto to meet. That was hard to write. What would Mikoto and Konan talk about anyway? I figured relationships would be logical, but then I started to think that Konan was probably lonely if the only person she was around was Pein. How would that affect her? Either way, the conversation seems a little wooden.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	40. Chapter 40 Danzou's New Alliance

**Thanks for the reviews and favs! **

**The fight between Itachi and Sasuke is starting in the anime, in case you haven't been watching. And it looks like Kisame is going to be the focus in the manga for a little bit. I hope he doesn't take his cloak off sniff, sniff. Although this is probably when we'll get his backstory.**

**Kishimoto owns everything, including Naruto.**

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**Chapter 40 – Danzou's New Alliance**

"So what are you doing here?" Kisame strode through the mist enshrouded forest outside of the village and stabbed his heavy sword, point first into the ground before leaning up against a pine tree.

Toshiro smirked at the blue man, "However you look at it…" Toshiro paused, shaking his head in wonder, "that boy should be dead by now. Exactly why is he still alive?"

Kisame glanced up as a white shadow quickly formed into an oversized owl with Deidara standing in a crouch on its back. The teen's long ponytail streamed out behind him as he dropped a small wad of clay and yelled "katsu", forming a second owl about fifty feet under the one he was riding. A second later he jumped off his owl, dropping down, only to land on the back of the newly formed owl with perfect grace. He continued this maneuver over and over, occasionally adding flips or landing on branches then jumping on the owl.

"By all rights he should be dead." Kisame answered. "This is tame compared to some of the other maneuvers I've seen him do. I'm not sure how he comes out of it all alive." He had been taking a walk in the forest when he had sensed Deidara and, surprisingly enough, Toshiro.

Toshiro laughed, "You know, I could say the same thing about you. Aren't you a missing nin here?"

"I usually use a transportation jutsu to get to the Mizukage's mansion. Other than that… I did have a confrontation a couple days ago with few locals who felt I shouldn't be here but on the whole, most people here are rather happy I killed that Daimyou a few years back. A couple of the bars even give me free drinks when I show up."

"So you're kind of an anti-hero, huh? Like Zabuza."

Kisame was quiet for a couple minutes, "Yeah, I guess. Although I don't really want to be thought of as being like Zabuza. He and I disagree on a lot of issues."

"Like the Mizukage?" Toshiro looked up at the tall man next to him. Night was approaching quickly and a cold breeze moved the branches of the trees in a slow dance over the heads of the two men.

"Hmmm." Kisame turned thoughtful, "Zabuza was always all action and no thought. Of course, I can't say the Mizukage didn't deserve some kind of wake-up call at the time, but that kid should have known his coup wouldn't work. He knew who the Mizukage was. After all that, I doubt he made much of an impression. How's he doing in Konoha?"

It was Toshiro's turn to be thoughtful. "He's… coping I guess. I think he's fully healed by now. Kakashi really did a number on him, I understand. He even helped us fight Orochimaru's people during that invasion attempt a few weeks back and let Kakashi give him orders. Perhaps he's ready to settle down. Who knows? Fugaku isn't above having him executed if he pulls something."

"Not everyone gets a second chance. For what it's worth, I hope he takes advantage of his."

"Ha ha! If you keep talking like that people are going to start thinking you have a heart!" Toshiro laughed heartily at Kisame's blunt words.

Kisame also laughed, "He was my partner for many years, after all. Although I have to say, I much prefer missions with Itachi. He doesn't pick fights with every guy who looks sideways at him. I can't tell you how many times Zabuza got us kicked out of places because of his attitude. It got real old, real fast."

"Humph. I can imagine. He does seem rather short tempered." Toshiro glanced back up at Deidara, who had gone back to blowing up tree branches. "Why is he using such small explosives?"

"Don't know. Maybe its part of a new strategy he's working on?"

Toshiro activated his Sharingan for a couple minutes then leaned back against a moss encrusted tree, "He's running low on chakra. His jutsu must be pretty draining. My guess is he uses small explosives so he can train longer."

The pair were distracted when Deidara suddenly changed his course and flew off to the north a short ways. Being experienced ninja, Toshiro and Kisame were instantly on alert, directing their chakra in the teen's direction.

"Probably a local." Kisame muttered. There was a lone chakra source nearby, and it was steadily getting further away, as if running.

"Then why is he running away from the village instead of toward it?" Toshiro spoke quietly as he activated his Sharingan. There were a lot of reasons why someone would do that, some innocent, and some not so-innocent. After all, training at night was good practice for missions.

An explosion a moment later sent both men racing through the forest toward the sound. Bursting through the brush they entered a small, newly-blackened clearing. Kisame used a water jutsu to put out a small brush fire before turning to look at Deidara who was in the process of lifting a man off the ground by the back of his jacket.

"He still alive?" Kisame knelt down next to the prone man and snickered when his eyes fluttered open.

"Looks like it." Toshiro muttered.

The brush moved again and everyone reached for their kunais, then smiled when Sasuke appeared, followed closely by Itachi.

"Sasuke," Itachi sounded annoyed, "I told you to be quiet. If they had been the enemy you would have been dead by now."

"But I knew they weren't the enemy so…"

Itachi banged his fist down on top of his little brother's head. "Whatever."

Sasuke gave his brother a dirty look as he rubbed his new bruise.

Itachi turned his attention to Deidara, "What's going on?"

"That's what I was just about to find out. I was training when I saw this guy speaking into a radio, un, so I sent a small centipede to spy on him. I'm not sure who he is, but I am positive he doesn't work for Mist, un." Deidara had pulled the man into a sitting position. His face was dirty and his hair and eyebrows were singed, but surprisingly enough there wasn't any blood.

"Humph." Itachi sighed. "Toshiro, could you go pass on to the gate guards that the Mist Daimyou has a spy in the woods? We'll be bringing his head in a few minutes, but they may want to go look for his friends."

The prisoner's eyes opened wide with shock at the prospect of his imminent beheading, but he kept silent.

Toshiro gave Itachi a suspicious glance before nodding his head and taking off.

"So you going to question him?" Kisame grinned.

"No, Sasuke is."

"What?" Sasuke and Deidara exclaimed simultaneously. Sasuke, because he had never done anything like that before, and Deidara because he had never seen Itachi walk away from an opportunity to inflict torture using his Sharingan.

Itachi moved closer to Sasuke and spoke in a low voice so the prisoner couldn't hear, "You won't be able to use Tsukiyomi for very long; you haven't had Mangekyou Sharingan long enough for that, so make it count. I can tell this guys a coward so it should be easy."

"Okay." Sasuke glanced self-consciously at the two S-ranked ninjas in front of him. Itachi's comrades were not the people he wanted standing around when he failed at his first attempt to question an enemy. However, refusing his brother's request would be even more embarrassing so he steeled his determination as his eyes bled into their Mangekyou form and he caught the spy's gaze.

Instantly the two of them were caught up in a red and black world devoid of the familiar. Time and space no longer held any meaning as Sasuke took control of the new reality.

"Tell you what… you tell me everything you know and I won't do this to you." A sword appeared in the boy's hand and he thrust it purposely into the man's stomach and pulled it out. Screams escaped from the man's mouth as he clutched at his stomach, only to pull back in shock when the wound instantly healed and the pain disappeared.

"What…what… is going on?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Sasuke pointed the sword at the man's stomach. Apparently the man _was_ a coward because he immediately started talking. He wondered how his older brother was able to read the man's character so well with only a moments glance.

"I… um… I'm a spy for the Daimyou… and we heard there were Uchiha in Mist… one of which was the Hokage. The Daimyou has signed an alliance with the Fire country Daimyou and has agreed to hand over the head of the Hokage. He's going to invade. You're going to let me go now, right?"

"He's… going to invade… a village full of ninjas?" Sasuke broke out laughing, but quit suddenly when he felt a sharp pain behind his eyes that forced him to break the jutsu. Falling to the ground he placed his hands over his eyes and gasped as he tried to suppress the groans that were threatening to escape his lips.

"Sasuke…" Itachi was on the ground next to him, one arm wrapped protectively around his waist.

Letting out a long sigh, Sasuke sat back on his rear and gritted his teeth. "That was worse than I thought it would be. But I got the information." He grimaced as another wave of pain shot through the back of his eyeballs. Taking in a couple of short breaths he spoke in a strained voice, "The Daimyou has made a contract with Danzou to get dad's head. I say we help him."

Kisame's reaction was instant. He dropped to the ground and was laughing so hard, tears started coming out of his eyes. Itachi and Deidara just stood still with blank expressions on their faces, as if considering the proposal.

Finally Itachi spoke up, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "As tempting as that is…" He paused as if reconsidering something, then shook his head and continued speaking, "it would probably cause more problems than it would solve." He pulled out his katana and stepped forward.

Sasuke opened his eyes wide, "You're going to kill him?"

"Would _you_ rather do it?" Itachi replied sarcastically.

"N...no… it's just… he gave us the information… shouldn't we… let him go… or something?"

"Absolutely not, un." Deidara finally spoke up. "If we let him go he'll tell his boss everything he's learned here."

"But… what did he learn? We…"

"Sasuke," Itachi interrupted with the tone of one who has lectured a child forty times about the same thing, "The Tsukiyomi. He saw it and he'll tell them about it. Granted, they probably already know what it is, but…"

"But?" Sasuke stood up and clenched his fists. "Just stick him in a jail cell then! What harm is there in that?"

Itachi sheathed his sword. "Fine. We'll take him back to the village. But Madara _isn't_ as nice as you are and he is the Kage here. However, I will request that he be imprisoned. But keep this in mind. His death here would have been quick and painless. If they decide this guy has more to tell them, he will die miserably during torture."

Sasuke closed his eyes again as the pain intensified. Nodding his understanding he felt his brother wipe a finger under his eyes and looked up. Itachi was looking closely at his hand. "What's wrong? My eyes are watering. I'm not _crying_ or anything."

"Just… making sure it isn't blood." And with that Itachi turned his back and watched as Deidara draped the man over the back of his owl.

"Blood?" Sasuke whispered. He wondered what exactly his brother was going through to make him worry about bleeding from his eyes.

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Itachi watched closely as two maids helped Sheeta with her kimono. He was always amazed at the lengths women would go to for fashion and the many layers of fabric that were being draped over his girl-friend – he still couldn't think of her as his wife – was, quite frankly, astounding. The final layer was a beautiful turquoise silk fabric with a garden scene embroidered in red, yellow and black. He had to admit that she looked best in red, but the final result was still beautiful.

He, himself was wearing a pair of dark green hakama pants and an elaborately embroidered black yukata. The back of the yukata had two hawks with Sharingan eyes facing off at each other with their wings outspread and a snowcapped mountain in the background. The pattern was continued onto the front with two more hawks, one on each lapel, flying over a forest with dead ninjas in their talons.

Both garments had been custom designed by Mikoto, made in Mist, and paid for by Madara as gifts. Itachi had been surprised when he had seen them. While he knew his mother could draw well, she had hardly done any artwork in years.

"Lord Itachi, Lady Sheeta is almost ready. I would like to do you hair now." The middle-aged woman bowed formally before the teen, causing Itachi to sneak a glance at his girl-friend. She was now seated on a chair while two different maids worked quickly and expertly on her beautiful long hair, piling it on top of her head in an elaborate design of combs, braids and twists.

"What exactly are you planning on doing to my hair?" Even though he would never admit it, Itachi was quite proud of his waist length ponytail and rather protective of it.

The woman laughed at him, "Don't worry! I won't cut it or make you look girly. I promise."

"O…kay." Itachi allowed the woman to remove the leather tie from his ponytail and sat still as she ran a brush through it. Gathering the hair high up on the back of his head she put the leather tie back in and stood back. He moved over to where Sheeta was and looked in the mirror next to her. "I usually don't wear my hair up like this."

"It's more traditional." The woman answered.

Itachi wasn't exactly sure whether that was true or not and continued to stare suspiciously at his visage.

"It looks cute." Sheeta piped up. "I wish I could wear a ponytail." Her hair was finally done and truth be told, she looked a little top heavy. "I feel silly."

He frowned, silently agreeing with her. While she was beautiful in her formal attire, he realized he preferred to see her in regular clothes with her long hair falling down her back and much less make-up.

"I'll leave it then." Itachi decided the pony-tail was definitely not worth arguing about.

Everyone's attention turned to the closed door when Sasuke called out from the other side, "Mom wants to know if you guys are ready!"

Itachi slid the door open and smiled, "Yeah, we're ready. But we still have a couple more hours."

"She's getting nervous. She keeps going over checklists and asking the servants to check on things. She keeps messing with her clothes and hair and my clothes and my hair and dad was smart and took off somewhere saying he would meet up with us at the ceremony."

"Hmm." Now that the wedding was only a couple hours away Itachi felt a wave of sorrow wash over him at the thought of Aya marrying Madara. It wasn't the way things were supposed to work out. It wasn't supposed to have been like this.

"She misses Shisui." Sheeta sighed, as if reading his mind. "Aya, that is. He died so long ago… but it still seems like yesterday to her."

"He was the kind of person that stood out. There is no forgetting someone like that." Itachi added, almost as an afterthought.

"I remember him and I was just a kid back then." Sasuke added. "But you also remember Kakashi's friend Obito, don't you Itachi?"

"Yeah. He and Shisui were a lot alike, now that I think about it." Itachi added quietly, then looked at his brother and girl-friend, "I wish you guys could have met him."

Sheeta suddenly smiled in a failed attempt at being cheerful, "Well, we better go see Mikoto and let her know we're ready. At least that'll be one less thing for her to worry about."

As they made their way out into the hall, Itachi got a closer look at the embroidered pattern on Sasuke's yukata. It was done in the same colors as his own but the design was a little disturbing and he suspected that Madara may have had a hand in it. A young hawk was flying over the same snow-capped mountain and lying limply in its talons with its eyes half open was an obviously sick and injured larger hawk.

"I'm going to hang it on the wall when I get home." Sasuke had noticed his brother was staring at his yukata.

"I take it mother didn't design this one?" Itachi offered.

"Madara did." Sasuke didn't sound very happy about that, "But I like it anyway. It's like, it's me helping you out. Just like I promised to do." He flashed his brother a smile that was full of warmth. Despite the disturbing nature of the picture, Itachi couldn't help but smile back.

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Time passed quickly and soon enough everyone found themselves seated on plush cushions in two long rows facing each other across a carpeted aisle. The room itself was long and narrow and decorated modestly. A small table sat low to ground at the front of the room with two small cups and a bottle of sake. It was a big contrast to the room next door and the lavish decorations and gourmet food that awaited the wedding party.

Itachi resisted the urge to fidget as Sheeta reached over and grasped his hand. He could feel her trembling and looked at her closely as he tightened his grip. "Are you okay? Do you feel ill?"

"No. No morning sickness. I'm just worried is all." She gave Itachi a look that clearly told him that this was not the time to be discussing such things. He nodded his understanding and glanced at Sasuke, who was fidgeting and looking at their mother. She, like Sheeta, had reached out for a hand and was holding on tightly to her youngest son. Fugaku was sitting on the other side of his wife with his hands folded loosely in his lap and a far-away look in his eyes.

Across the aisle, surprisingly enough, sat Pein and Konan. They were both modestly dressed; Pein in a plain black hakama and yukata, and Konan in a dark blue kimono embroidered with red and yellow flowers.

Pein was sitting with a stern expression on his face and his Rinnegan eyes staring placidly at the empty aisle. Konan, on the other hand, was sitting with her eyes half closed and a frown playing at the side of her mouth. Though what exactly she might be frowning at was a mystery.

Next to Konan was a very skittish Deidara. The teen obviously wasn't happy about the seating arrangements and kept glancing at the powerful woman as if he expected her to suddenly jump up and strangle him. It was actually quite amusing, and Itachi found himself repressing an urge to smile.

Kisame, however, was sitting on the other side of Deidara and smirking. It seemed as though very little every got through to the big man and that thought did make Itachi smile. Knowing him, he had probably been teasing the younger Akatsuki member all morning and of course, Deidara was not one to take such things lightly.

Sasuke gasped, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts, "Tama! What is he doing?"

The large, lazy cat was reclining at the front of the room on top of the priest's cushion, looking very smug and comfortable. The rest of the room soon noticed and several people laughed at the daring cat.

"You better go retrieve him, son." Fugaku shook his head and smiled.

"Right." Sasuke stood up quickly and made his way to the front of the room just as the priest entered. The boy quickly scooped up the cat, throwing him over his shoulder and bowed respectfully to the elderly man, who nodded back to him with an amused expression on his face.

"That was embarrassing, Tama." Sasuke whispered to the purring cat after he had sat back down. The cat looked up at him and slowly blinked his eyes once. "Just stay here and don't cause any more problems." The cat blinked again, then stood up. Sasuke grabbed the scruff of his neck and pushed him down. "You're not going anywhere."

Itachi gave a short laugh, "Having fun, little brother?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Don't laugh too hard, big brother. You're going to have your own kid to chase after in a few months. Remember?"

That wiped the smile off of Itachi's face as an image of himself chasing a two-year-old through the market back home suddenly popped into his head.

Sheeta laughed, "He'll do fine."

"Yeah. I'll just take a lot of missions for next ten years. When I get back the kid will be old enough to take care of himself." Itachi teased.

"Famous last words." Toshiro snickered behind them.

"The ceremony is about to start." The priest called out from the front of the room. Everyone immediately settled down, including Tama who had decided that sitting on Sasuke's lap was acceptable.

A door slid open and all eyes turned to the back of the room.

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Madara held onto Aya's hand as they made their way to the front of the room. She was dressed in a traditional white wedding gown that consisted of a shapeless white kimono and a large white fabric hat that covered the top of her head and trailed down her back. He was wearing the traditional black hakama and yukata of a groom.

Sitting on their cushions in front of the priest, Madara glanced sideways at Aya. She had been trembling badly all morning and had even dropped a tea cup, shattering it on the wood floor of his bedroom. He had offered to cast a Genjutsu over her, to relieve her nervousness, but Aya reminded him that it probably wouldn't work. She was right, of course, but it was the thought that counted. She did relax a little bit after that, but after all the planning and waiting that had gone on over the last few months, he could certainly understand why she would be nervous.

Madara, of course, was as calm as ever. This wasn't the first time he had ever been married and, given his increased life span, he doubted it would be the last. Although, he hoped Aya lasted longer than his previous wives. Of course, he had been the one to leave them. A long time ago when he had abandoned Konoha. He had no intention of abandoning Aya, however. His new world had her firmly entrenched in his household, along with lots of children.

The couple spoke their vows and traded cups of sake, and the ceremony was finished. It was short, of course. Aya was quickly hurried off by the maids to change into fancier clothes for the reception, leaving Madara to greet everyone as they piled into the banquet hall next door.

Pein lingered as Konan spoke with Kisa and Mikoto. She was very formal, and slightly reserved, but seemed to be enjoying herself. He watched her closely, although what, exactly, he was thinking was completely hidden in his expressionless face.

"You can stay for a while, you know." Madara replied quietly as he jerked his head toward Konan. Pein looked at him for a couple seconds before returning his gaze to his friend. "It's okay to enjoy yourselves occasionally."

"Hmm." Pein muttered. "Perhaps. Konan doesn't get the opportunity to be around other women anymore."

Madara nodded in understanding. While he didn't really get along very well with the blue-haired woman, he did feel a small amount of sympathy for her.

"However," Pein continued, "she won't want to stay long. Even I can't convince her to take a break. Staying here this long was hard to justify. We are both very dedicated to our work."

"Understood. At least have something to eat before you leave."

Pein nodded before disappearing into the crowd.

"He's a difficult man." Kisame chimed in. He moved closer to Madara and gave him a toothy grin. "Don't think I could take much of that attitude of his for very long."

"He has his reasons." Madara commented lightly.

"We all do." Kisame took a deep breath and let it out, "So how's married life?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Madara teased.

Kisame laughed, "Wouldn't know about that."

"Your sixteen-year-old partner is beating you to the altar. You're going to be an old maid if you keep this up, Kisame."

"Better him than me!" Kisame spied Itachi in the middle of the room talking to Deidara and Sasuke. "He's changed quite a bit since he first joined the organization."

"Yeah. He and Deidara even get along somewhat, though I can't imagine them ever being friends I would certainly settle for this." Madara waved his hand at the teens who were not fighting, blowing up the room, or otherwise terrorizing the wedding guests. "I am surprised at how well Deidara gets along with Sasuke, but I guess after he helped saved his life a few years ago he sort of feels a connection to him."

"It is boring though." Kisame admitted. "I had forgotten how much I hated being tied down to one place.

Aya entered the room then, and judging by the reception, her choice of attire was excellent. The woman wore a kimono, in same style as Sheeta's, but in a beautiful light yellow with an image of a woman in a garden full of flowers and song birds embroidered across the bottom. A red pagoda decorated the center and cherry blossoms were scattered across the top. It was wonderful spring scene, made even more wonderful by its contrast to the winter rain that had been falling since the previous evening.

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As the party drew to a close, Itachi found himself speaking with his father. The elder Uchiha had been pre-occupied most of the day – deep in thought and not especially social. However, that changed somewhat when Fugaku pulled his son aside in the garden outside the reception. The rain had finally stopped, bringing back the heavy mists in its wake.

"Itachi, we're leaving in a couple days."

"Yes. I already knew that." The teen said matter of factly.

"Of course. But we have a problem."

"The Daimyou's forces will be waiting for us."

"They won't dare attack Mist while we're here. He's too afraid of the Sharingan, so he'll wait until we're gone. However, Madara will be revealing the clan at that time so there will be no harm to Mist. We, on the other hand, will have to fight our way out of this country."

"Sheeta…" Itachi left the thought open-ended.

"And the children. Sasuke and Hinata included. We can't let anything happen to them. We can't let Sasuke's new abilities be discovered."

"So what's your plan?" Itachi had a feeling he knew what it was, and he was right.

"We will be splitting up into two groups. The first group will be the all the adults, as well as Hinata, Hanabi and her cousins. The second group will consist of you, Nui, Sheeta, Sasuke and the twins. The first group will leave in two days and make its way to the same port we arrived at. The second group will leave two days later and make its way to a different port. I leave it up to you to decide which one."

"So why is Hinata staying in the main group?"

"Her cousins refused to leave her side. Having four Byakugan users travelling with your group would be too conspicuous, plus she is the clan chief of the Hyuugas and not yet able to fully protect herself. I owe it to her parents to see her safely back home. It also gives you four less people to worry about.

"Anyway, while the Daimyou is busy attacking us, you should be able to slip away with few problems."

"Sounds good, then."

Fugaku clapped his son on the back and smiled, "I better see you all back in Konoha, all in one piece."

Itachi blinked in surprise. There had been precious few words of worry ever spoken by his father - few enough that the teen was sure he could count them on one hand – but the fact that he was speaking them now was alarming.

"If I'd of thought a little more about what Danzou might do, I would have left Sheeta and the twins at home, as well as Hinata and Hanabi. The next few days are going to be very difficult, Itachi."

"This is the best plan, though. It should work without too many problems, father." Itachi smiled, "Danzou is never going to harm my family again."

Fugaku sighed, "That's my boy."

Itachi's smile disappeared as his attention drifted to Sheeta who was sitting at a table with Aya, Nui and Hinata laughing. Of course they'd make it back home. After all, the difficult part wasn't leaving Mist, it was Sasuke's mission with Orochimaru. As dangerous as the next few days was going to be, he knew it wouldn't compare to what faced them when they got home.

But if everything worked out the way he had planned it, then both Danzou and Orochimaru would be gone forever.

And that left just one person on his list.

Madara.

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**Next week – The Uchiha fight their way out of Mist.**

**Sasuke won't be using the MS again until he faces Orochimaru, since it's supposed to be a secret and Itachi doesn't want his brother to suffer too many side-effects (I hope that was somewhat obvious when he was checking his brothers tears.) He only did it here because Itachi knew it would be easy, there was no one else around, and to give his brother some practice.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	41. Chapter 41 An Unexpected Mission

**There are a couple of great new anime's out, if you're interested. "Yumeiro Patissiere" (Crunchyroll) is an evil anime about a girl who goes to a school to make cakes. There are lots of beautiful cakes on the show – which is why it's evil. You can't eat them. xD The other one is "Thriller Restaurant" (only on Torrent as far as I can tell) and has 3 ghost stories that revolve around the three main characters. I like ghost stories o.O**

**Edited: corrected several spelling errors **

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is own by Kishimoto**

* * *

**Chapter 41 – An Unexpected Mission**

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but with the departure of Pein and Konan, the rains that had plagued Mist for the last few days also departed. Of course, the damp fogs that shrouded the village weren't much of an improvement, but at least they were familiar.

Preparations began the day after the wedding. Madara donned his Kage robes and called his council and the heads of the various clans to his office. The meeting was surprisingly short. The Mizukage had called for the clans to reveal themselves to the coming forces – to show the Daimyou once and for all what he was up against. And teach him why attacking a ninja village was not a good idea.

They agreed, of course. Very few people in Mist ever disagreed with Madara. Then again, it was something they had been wanting to do for a very long time. The Kage had laughed when the meeting was over and he was alone. The clans had been hiding their Kekkei Genkais for years. Living in fear they would be discovered and persecuted by the Daimyou's single-minded desire to wipe them all out. Now, they would show themselves. The dogs would finally be let off the leash.

Pulling off his hat he set it down on the floor next to him and glanced at the sliding door before calling out, "Come in, Itachi, Kisame."

The big man grinned as he entered and leaned against the wall near the door. "What are you up to now?"

Itachi followed a moment later, a grim expression on his face and his Sharingan locked firmly on man in front of him.

"Got a mission for you two.

"No problem. Samehada has been feeling a bit hungry lately."

Madara gave a short laugh, "This is right up your alley." He threw a scroll that Kisame caught easily. "Kill all the people on that list."

He opened the scroll and held it so that Itachi could read it also. Kisame looked through the scroll for a few minutes, then grinned, "The Daimyou, his council, his advisors and about fifteen other people. You are being thorough this time. If we had done it this way when I got the last Daimyou…"

"No need to say it, Kisame. I was being nice back then, but it didn't work. This country has fallen onto bad times and is dragging us down with it. This time, we do it right. You have seventy-two hours. I have Sasori, Kakuzu and his new partner… umm… I don't remember his name right now…"

Kisame laughed, "He won't be around much longer anyway, so don't bother."

"True. Kakuzu does have a problem with that. Anyway, I spoke with Deidara a few hours ago and sent him off to join them. The four of them are going to take care of the first and third battle divisions. Those two are the strongest and composed of many ninja and samurai. The Daimyou no doubt has them marching this way right now."

"So are you using Akatsuki for your own personal vendetta or is there an overriding point to this?" Itachi's quiet voice held a hint of annoyance as he crossed his arms across his chest and began to mentally run through various strategies for killing the large number of people on Madara's "shopping list".

Madara smiled, "We are getting rid of a man who could become one of Danzou's most powerful allies if he isn't stopped. The state of this country should give you a hint as to his greed. Any and all uprisings are dealt with immediately. If a rebel is tracked down to a certain village, that entire village is slaughtered and then burned to ground. You came here from the north, when you leave you will go south. On that road you will see three such villages. Look closely, Itachi, twenty-five thousand civilians were murdered."

"That…" Itachi had a flashback that was so vivid he wondered for a second if Madara had shot a Genjutsu at him. However, since that was impossible he knew it was nothing more than his own mind trying to grasp the decimation this country was going through.

The valley he had walked into as a young boy had been full of death. Once again he saw the corpses, smelled the decay, and felt the horror that had squeezed at his heart. And it was still squeezing, Itachi belatedly realized. It would never stop.

Madara continued, "A man with an army that efficient is certainly one to be reckoned with."

Kisame wasn't impressed, "So we kill this Daimyou, who takes his place? He has no heirs. The bastard killed his own son last year, if I remember right. And didn't his wife kill herself after that?"

"Yeah, you remember right." Madara added bitterly, "I have a Kunoichi here who will become the 'acting' Daimyou for a while. She is quite remarkable – she has two Kekkai Genkai."

Itachi wondered who he was talking about, then decided it was probably the blonde with the odd hairstyle – a folded over topknot - who had been at the wedding the day before. She had been flirting with about three other guys and picking fights with two others. Mikoto and Sheeta had been quite amused with the odd woman's antics. When he had looked at her with his Sharingan he had noticed that her chakra was rather unusual. The two blood limit inheritances would certainly explain that.

"Her?" Kisame sounded amused, "No one would dare give her any problems. Good choice."

"Plus it gets her out of the village. She's a pain in the ass, quite frankly. Asks too many questions. But she is very loyal, nonetheless. Anyway, you two should leave immediately."

"Yes." Kisame and Itachi responded as they turned around and left the room.

* * *

The downcast look on Sasuke's face when Itachi told him he was leaving for a few days and wouldn't see him again until it was time to return home made him feel very guilty. Once again his thoughts strayed unbidden to his own unborn child. How many times would he see that same expression before it tore his heart apart completely?

Or maybe he was just tired and over reacting. He hadn't been able to get much sleep, of course. Worrying about his brother, Danzou, Shisui, Sheeta… the list was too long and he knew that the longer he lived, the longer the list would get.

Itachi smiled and poked his little brother on the forehead, "Even if I'm not here, you know what you are supposed to do for your training. You can have Hinata help you with the Tai Jutsu, of course, but you're on your own with Genjutsu. Although mother might be willing to help with that, she's leaving tomorrow anyway."

"Okay. I'm meeting up with Hinata in a couple hours to train already. She said she's feeling lazy being here and needs a good workout to prepare for the trip back. I wish she was coming with us, though."

"Yeah, well, father feels a bit protective of her after what happened to her parents. Anyway, don't do any training with your Mangekyou Sharingan while I'm gone. You've already learned the basics and if there is an emergency you are more than equipped to deal with it so don't worry about it."

Sasuke's eyes opened wide with surprise, "But I want to get better!"

"You have seen how it weakens me when I use it. If there is an emergency and you are drained from training then it's not going to matter how good you are."

"But the Mist ninja are training hard and they will be fighting in a few days! How is that any different?" Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration, not understanding what his brother was trying to get across.

Itachi sighed, "Look closely at what they are doing. Actually, take Hinata with you. Both of you, watch their chakra and the type of jutsus they are doing. You will see that none of them are high level or chakra-draining. A good ninja goes on a mission with as much of his chakra intact as possible. What they are training for is tactics, speed, and running drills to stay in shape. Like I said, look closely."

Sasuke's shoulders drooped, "Okay. I'll see you when you get back, then."

Itachi turned around to leave, but was stopped when his brother placed a hand on his arm. Turning around he saw that Sasuke was staring at the ground and seemed a little embarrassed about something. "What's wrong?"

"Ummm… well… Shikamaru said that we shouldn't part ways with friends if we are mad at them. Or something like that. So… I'm sorry I was mad at you. I know there was nothing you could do to stop them…" Sasuke's voice disappeared and he stuck his hands in his pockets.

This was a surprise, and Itachi wasn't too sure what to do next. As far as he was concerned, he didn't deserve his brother's forgiveness. "He still misses Choji. Well, things like that… you never get over them. But he's right. Thank-you, Sasuke."

"But…" Sasuke clenched his teeth for a few seconds before continuing, "I can't bring myself to forgive dad. Even though… I guess…"

"Don't worry about it so much. He'll be around for a few more years. And after we teach him our little 'lesson'… well… we'll worry about the consequences then. Not now. And it's okay to be mad at him. Even if dies he knows that what he did to you was unforgiveable. You have nothing to apologize for."

The look of relief on his brother's face was a slightly uplifting and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief after exiting the room. However, a moment later the stress returned. He was about to assassinate a lot of people and not all of them were guilty. But if it save more lives, wasn't it justified? No it wasn't, Itachi decided.

He was mature enough to understand that the leader often wasn't the only person giving the orders, and he also realized that the underlings weren't always "just following orders" but enjoying them as well. However, the rest were either "toeing the line" to keep their jobs or if their leader was particularly despotic, to keep their heads. Was it really fair to lump everyone in the same category?

Itachi's thoughts turned to all the people who had been killed in the last few years, and all the Kekkei Genkai bearers who had been forced underground to protect themselves and their families. He wondered if that woman Madara had selected could really make any kind of a difference, or if she would just carry out some weird agenda of his, resulting in more deaths.

"You know, Itachi," Kisame was standing at the mansion's gate with his big sword strapped to his back and his cloak slung over one arm, "a famous man once said that the history of revolution is not to free the people from opression but to replace one dictator with another. Or something like that. Can't remember the exact wording. But I can say…" He paused and looked out at the village, still gripped in its usually mid-morning routine of shopping, sweeping sidewalks or running to errands. It was very normal-looking and most of the people appeared to be rather cheerful. "I can say, no matter what, I will never live in this country again."

'Time will tell.' Itachi thought to himself. 'Never' was a very strong word to use, after all.

* * *

"There it is, Kisame." Itachi's firm voice directed the tall man to look at the tall castle spread out over the valley before them. Situated on about ten acres it was a typical medieval style eastern castle with a tall central tower and smaller buildings snaking around it in a circular pattern. The early morning light cast a grayish glow over the horizon, even though the floor of the valley was still dark.

Kisame pulled off his kasa hat and ran a hand through his hair before putting it back on and mumbling, "Damn hat has a piece of bamboo sticking out of it. Keeps scratching my head."

"At least it keeps your head dry. This rain is awful."

"Pein is probably hanging around somewhere close, then. On the other hand, we are on an island and it is winter."

"True enough." Itachi pulled his arms through the sleeves of his Akatsuki cloak and wrapped them around his chest. "So what can we expect when we get inside?"

"The council meets in about four hours at the central meeting room. That is easy to find. It's in the government building, over there." He pointed to a long, three story building near the front gate. "The Daimyou rarely attends, opting to send a representative instead. He is also on the list, by the way."

"So the Daimyou?"

"He is usually inside the castle itself. Which, by the way, is very traditional, not just on the outside but on the inside as well."

Itachi sighed, "Meaning the hallways are arranged as a maze to confuse intruders."

"Exactly. However, I know how to navigate that maze, so if you don't mind, I'll do the honor of taking him out myself."

"I have a feeling I'd have trouble stopping you." Itachi gave a short laugh. "I'll get the council, then." He pulled open the list, "We need to divide up the rest of the people."

"I'll get this group." Kisame pointed to about fifteen people at the bottom. "They will be in the castle near the Daimyou. If I make enough noise they'll come running and I can get them all at the same time."

Shaking his head, Itachi snickered, "You are never quiet, Kisame. Anyway, since you are so familiar with the area, where will the last ones be?"

"Those guys…" He looked up from the list and glanced over the royal compound, deep in thought, "Might be at the council meeting… might be hanging about nearby if they weren't allowed in. They are basically lackeys who are hanging around waiting for one of their superiors to kick the bucket so they can take his place."

"You sure know a lot about the Water country government." Itachi knew it was prying, but Kisame's knowledge of the castle was, quite frankly, astounding.

"Yeah… well…" The big man looked as though he was about to say something, but instead shut his mouth and squatted down on the ground.

Itachi knew better than to ask again so he also kept his mouth shut and leaned back against a tall tree. Kisame's past was getting more and more mysterious and the urge to pry was almost overwhelming. But there were more important things to take care of right now.

"We have a four hour wait." Kisame finally said. "I wonder how the others are doing with those battalions? They should be attacking about now."

"Having fun, probably. I think Deidara missed Sasori."

"Yeah. Stupid artists." Kisame teased. "I'll never understand them if I live to be ninety. Which, by the way, won't happen."

Itachi smiled, "You never know."

"True! It would be my luck to live that long! Bad luck, that is!" He gave a loud laugh that reminded Itachi of a certain elderly Senju sailor who was still kicking around the docks of Water and Fire country. He wondered if he would have time to ask after him before they left the country.

"It took a day to get here, even at full speed." Itachi commented, "This place is pretty close to Mist."

"Yeah, that's always been a problem. Not sure why Madara put up with this for so long. If it were me I would have moved the village to the other side of the island. Unlike Fire, Mist has never had a good relationship with any of Water's Daimyous."

"Well, we're making up for that now." Itachi added bitterly.

* * *

Soon enough, Itachi found himself inside the Government building striding confidently down its halls under cover of a Genjutsu. It had been easy enough to gain entry. He had used another Genjutsu to convince the two guards that he was someone they knew and not to tell anyone they saw him.

Pulling out a kunai he glanced around at the various faces of the throngs of people milling about in the hallway. Most were civilians, there to conduct business or turn in paperwork. None of them were on his list so he continued on his way. Eventually he came to a set of double doors, and used the same Genjutsu he used on the first guards to pass through.

The hall he entered was more of a waiting room. Elaborately carved wooden benches lined the wall on both side and three black lacquered tables with elaborate floral arrangements sat in the middle. It was very gaudy and, Itachi thought, ugly.

At the end of the hall was another set of double doors. This set was round, painted red, and lined with gold paint. No doubt about it, beyond it lie the conference room and if the voices that escaped its confines were any indication, the council was in session. Which meant the people seated around him were probably the "lackeys" Kisame had mentioned.

He had already recognized a few and as he glanced around he saw the rest. Everyone was there. It was too easy.

Slipping off his glasses he pocketed them inside his cloak before pulling out a second kunai. Still hidden by his Genjutsu he made his way to the only exit – the doors he had entered through only moments earlier and crouched down.

Fifteen seconds there were only three people left. Standing up he gazed at the two men and one woman who were cringing in fear. They were so shell-shocked they hadn't even cried out. After all, to them it had looked like a blur had just materialized before them and wiped out their colleagues – then turned into a man.

Itachi raised his kunai again and had dropped into a crouch when one of the men dropped to ground and kowtowed, "Please don't kill me! My wife is pregnant! Who will take care of her? The Daimyou will call me a traitor for dying and banish her or…"

"Kill her?" Itachi's cold voice echoed ominously in the nearly empty hall. "And this is the man you keep in power. A man who would do this to your family? A man who placed you in this situation?"

"But you can let me go. All of us! We'll leave! We'll… leave Water country and never come back!"

The other two dropped to the ground as well, "Please spare us!"

Itachi knew he had the power of life or death over the three stragglers. His orders had been clear. But his conscious was screaming, as was the imagined child of the soon-to-be dead father. He knew the man was telling the truth. He was experienced enough with his Sharingan to see that. The other two were also being truthful. They were serious about leaving the country. But in an hour, would that still be the case?

Human beings had a habit of changing their minds, sometimes on a whim. However, Itachi had a way to ensure their intentions.

Dropping his Kunai he stood straight and pulled his kasa far enough up to reveal his red eyes. "Stand up. All of you."

They quickly stood up, but kept their eyes averted to show respect. All were trembling badly and had tears streaming down their faces.

"You have not called out for help. Why not?"

The first man spoke up in a shaky voice, "We… would be called traitors. And if we lived we would be executed anyway. And… it would be… he uses torture to execute his enemies. The Daimyou does."

"Look at me." Itachi said sternly. The stragglers looked cautiously at their would-be assasin and were instantly caught in a red and black world as his eyes morphed into a different, more ominous shape. "This world, I am its master. You can neither escape nor deny my bidding."

"What… what is this?" The woman was wringing her hands and breathing heavily. Itachi noticed that she was probably the same age as his mother, and even wore her hair the same – loose and down to the middle of her back.

"You will return to your homes, collect your families and a few treasured belongings, then leave the country. Upon arriving in Fire country you will settle down as merchants and live the rest of your days as such. You will change your names and never return to Water country. Should you attempt to interfere with my orders you will suffer debilitating migraines and if you actually ever step on the shores of Water country again your brain will explode. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" The trio spoke in unison.

Itachi broke the jutsu and resisted the urge to rub his aching eyes. He couldn't actually explode their brains, but the suggestion he had placed in their subconscious would produce the desired migraine. Or rather, the person would do it to themselves. Which meant, of course, that the suggestion could be overcome with enough willpower, but the chances that these three actually had that ability seemed slim.

"Go now. Don't tell anyone what you saw here. I can still find you if you do."

They immediately started running to the exit, "Thank-you!"

When they were out of sight Itachi finally rubbed a hand across his eyes and smiled. He wasn't sure that one good deed was enough to make up for all his sins, but it did make him feel a little better. Hopefully no one would ever find out that he had let them go.

* * *

Kisame didn't bother disguising himself as he made his way through the castle. If he saw someone, he knocked them out. It was simple. Too simple.

"The guards around this guy are incredibly weak." The big man mumbled to himself as he dropped another uniformed sentry to the ground. "He really has gone insane." For all intents and purposes, it looked like the Daimyou had decided that fifty incompetent guards were better than three or four good ones. There wasn't even any point to killing to them.

The maze took a good thirty minutes to navigate. It was straight-forward enough for Kisame, he knew it like the back of his hand, but the fact that it continually ran in circles and double-backed to the other end of the castle several times made it time-consuming. And using a transportation jutsu inside the building was out of the question. In order for that jutsu to work you needed to be reasonably sure that your destination would be "unoccupied". Materializing inside of a couch or even another person would kill you. The place was far too cluttered to take that kind of a risk.

Without even stopping Kisame kicked the double-doors open and swung his sword forward, crashing it down onto the floor. Long cracks spread out across the highly polished white marble. Scanning the room, he saw his target immediately.

A thin man, way too pale to be healthy, was reclining on a low couch in front of a table set with several sweet snacks. Kisame smirked. His partner would be salivating if he saw a spread like that.

"I've come for you, Your Highness." Kisame mocked. "Do you have any last words?"

"Who are you?" The Daimyou sputtered. Crumbs flew out of his mouth and Kisame could see that the man's shirt had several food stains.

"What do you mean 'who am I'? You know me! I killed your father!"

"Ummm…" The man sat up and scratched his head, "Don't think we ever found out who did that… or… I guess we did. I don't remember who it was. You could just be saying that."

Kisame blinked, shocked at the realization that the Daimyou truly didn't know who he was. He finally growled and lifted Samehada off the ground, pointing it at the man. "I am Kisame Hoshigake. The man who has come to take your life."

"You'll never make it past my guards!"

Kisame glanced behind him. The corridor was in full view – the doors had fallen off their hinges – and several unconscious guards were sprawled out on the floor. "Wow. I don't know whether you're and idiot or… I don't know what… But I think you _will_ be the dumbest person I have ever killed."

"Humph." The man stood up confidently and yelled, "Guards! Kill this intruder!"

No one came.

He tried again, "If you aren't here in five seconds I'll have you flayed alive!"

Still, no one came.

"What was your name again?" The Daimyou had a confused expression on his face and Kisame dropped his sword again and stared. There was something seriously wrong with the man and it wasn't stupity. Obviously, it was a jutsu of some kind, designed to control the Daimyou's mind. However, because he had a good amount of chakra and a small amount of training on how to use it he was subconsciously fighting it. But it was a battle he was losing. Badly.

"Great." Kisame grumbled. "How many years _has_ he been under Danzou's influence? I'm going to have to have Itachi take a look at him before I kill him." He was silent for a couple minutes when another, more menacing thought crossed his mind, 'What about the other Daimyous?'

Sighing, he pulled out a wireless radio and tapped it a couple times to let Itachi know he wanted to talk to him. Itachi's voice came through a minute later, "Are you finished?"

"Ran into a problem."

"What?"

"The Daimyou is under some kind of mind-control jutsu. I'm going to bring him outside so you can probe his mind and find out more about what's going on."

"I'll see you at the rendezvous point in a few minutes." The radio snapped off.

* * *

"Are we going for a walk?" The Daimyou was smiling cheerfully as he tipped his face up, letting the rain fall across it. "It's such good weather today. The sun is so warm. My wife and son should come join us. They've been cooped up for so long. I haven't seen them in days."

Both Itachi and Kisame felt a chill run up their spines at the man's words. Neither moved or made any attempt to interrupt the man who continued to ramble on about his son's first steps, first words, his wife's new kimono, her beautiful hair, how the three of them would have breakfast together every day… it was very creepy. Especially since the man was rumored to have killed his son and turned a blind eye to his wife's depression and eventual suicide.

Finally, Itachi took a deep breath and stepped forward, instantly catching the man's eye. He used a jutsu designed to ease the mind and make the subject talk without inhibition. In certain cases it could even override mind-control jutsus.

"What is your relationship with Danzou?" Itachi asked in a kind voice.

The Daimyou's face turned into an emotionless mask as he stood stock still and answered the question, "I hate him. I kicked him out when he came. Two, maybe three years ago. I haven't seen him since."

Itachi considered his words. The jutsu could have been placed back then and poor man wouldn't have known. It would allow him to be controlled without him realizing anything was wrong. "What… did your wife think of him?"

"She slapped him and told him she hated him. She was a kunoichi, you know, very talented. Good thing father's dead. He would never have approved of her."

That was a surprise and Itachi turned his head slightly when he heard Kisame fidgeting. The woman had obviously paid the ultimate price for insulting Danzou. He wondered if she had seen through his tricks and had tried to protect her family.

"That was when you kicked him out?" Itachi asked.

"Of course. Youko meant everything to me. I would… never…" His face fell, as if remembering something unpleasant.

"Have you ever seen anyone with eyes like mine?" The teen noticed how intently the thin, sickly looking man stared at him.

"Danzou had one eye like yours. An evil eye. Kekkei Genkai. The evil that threatens to lay my nation to waste and steal my family away from me."

"He stole it." The words were out before Itachi could stop them and he snapped his mouth shut after they had escaped.

"If it didn't exist, it wouldn't have been there for him to steal." The Daimyou's voice had gotten stronger.

Kisame had finally had enough, "Circular arguments are easily resolved by cutting the circle in half."

Itachi closed his eyes and stepped away from the Daimyou, "I think we've learned enough from him. I was almost feeling sorry for him, but he was already rotten to the core _before_ Danzou got his hands on him."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Kisame raised Samehada and in one strike, reduced the once-powerful leader to a corpse. The sword had sucked out all his chakra, as well as dealt him a fatal blow.

"Is that everyone?" Itachi sighed.

"No. I need to go back inside and get the rest of the people on the list. It should only take an hour." Kisame took off at a run, leaving Itachi in the company of the dead Daimyou. Oddly enough, his corpse was smiling.

* * *

Itachi returned to Mist alone. Mission accomplished, Kisame had taken off on his own. It was late when he entered his bedroom. The last two weeks had been hard and because of that, this room he shared with Sheeta had taken on a slightly menacing feel.

Sheeta was sitting at the table reading a math book and working out problems. Her face was set in such concentration that she jumped in surprise when she saw Itachi enter.

"Still studying. You're going to ace that cryptology exam in the spring."

"That's the idea. Can't let you do all the work in this family, after all." She smiled as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I miss you when you're gone."

Itachi pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her forehead, "I'm back now."

"Forehead? You can do better than that." She teased.

"Hmm. Don't start something you can't finish." Itachi said seriously, referring to his girlfriend's refusal to allow him to do anything more than kiss her since she became pregnant. He pulled away and walked toward the adjoining room where the futons were.

"True." Sheeta wasn't one to be blackmailed.

"So why aren't you with Aya? We leave in the morning."

"Oh, we spent all day together. I actually only got back about… I guess forty-five minutes ago. It is almost midnight, you know. Did you want to go tell Sasuke you're back?"

"He'll figure it out in the morning. Right now I just want to sleep. I've been living on soldier pills for two days. Oh… did Fugaku and the others get off okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. They left yesterday, of course. Mikoto was upset about leaving you and Sasuke and me behind to fend for ourselves. I guess we'll just have to show up in Konoha alive so she can see how silly it is to worry about us."

"She's our mother. It's her job to worry." Itachi laughed.

Sheeta grinned widely, "I know. I'm teasing of course. My baby isn't even born yet and I worry constantly about her."

"Him."

She smirked, "What if it's both?"

"Hermaphrodite?"

"You idiot! Twins!" Sheeta was laughing.

"Oh. I guess. As long as they're both boys."

"You know, if you say things like that you curse yourself to be surrounded by girls."

Itachi shrugged, "I'll just dress them in pants and tell them their boys."

"Usually you accuse me of watching too much TV, but it sounds like you're the one who been doing it this time.

A few minutes later Itachi was freshly showered, wearing clean pajamas and resting comfortably in a clean futon. Drifting off to sleep he imagined a household of daughters, all of whom were clones of their mother. A laugh escaped his lips. "At least I would never be bored."

* * *

_A cold moon shone down on the riverbank as Itachi walked along its shores. The sound of the gently lapping water as it hit the rocky bank was soothing and the teen found himself thinking of nothing in particular and he continued his midnight stroll._

_Soon enough he came to a bend in the river where several small boulders had been deposited. There was a boy sitting on one. Alone, illuminated by the moon, his dark hair blew in the wind and his shoulders sagged. Moving closer, Itachi saw that the child had his back to him._

"_What are you doing here?" He called out, suddenly worried. It was cold out and the boy wasn't wearing a jacket._

"_I was waiting for you. You're mind is hard to talk to. I'm… glad you finally came."_

"_Do you get lonely?" Itachi realized it was Shisui who was sitting in front of him. "If you tell me how to clear my mind… I can come see you more often."_

"_I get lonely… but there is nothing you can do. It was my choice to be here… to walk along side you…"_

"_It was not!" Itachi yelled. "You were goaded into it! As far as I'm concerned, you were the first casualty of the coup, which was all completely planned out by Danzou!"_

_Shisui turned his head and stared over his shoulder at his friend. Itachi gasped when he saw the empty eye socket. "He took more than my life, Itachi. He… he took the one thing that could be used to kill you… to kill all of you."_

"_How? How could he have gotten it? Your… corpse… was never left alone."_

"_Until after I was buried. The village crematorium had broken. I had to be buried whole. Despite their Buddhist teachings my parents allowed it. Danzou was the one that sabotaged the crematorium. Then… a few hours after I was buried… he entered a tunnel underneath the graveyard and opened my coffin."_

"_He… took your body?" The thought of his friend laying in pieces outside of sacred ground was very disturbing._

"_No… he put me back. He didn't want to arouse suspicion."_

_Itachi took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "Of course. But why didn't you tell me before?"_

"_Like I said, your mind is hard to talk to. Even staying this long… it's difficult. I couldn't tell you before, but once you learned the truth you started to open a path to me and tonight it finally reached me and I could say something."_

"_I'm sorry. I'm going to get him and I promise I'll retrieve your eye and return it to you."_

"_Itachi, I have a better idea."_

"_What?" _

"_You and I, we are like brothers. Therefore… you can use my eye. Transplant it."_

_That was certainly not what he expected to hear from Shisui and it made him cringe, "I can't do that. It would make me like Madara."_

"_Do it Itachi. I want to be closer to you. If you us my eye we can talk more often and your vision will be restored in that one eye and never again fade. As it is… you will go blind in four or five years."_

_Itachi wondered if he could really bring himself to implant his dead friends eye, especially after it had been in Danzou's head for so long. Itachi clenched his fists, "Can you talk to Danzou? Can you see his thoughts? I mean, hear them?"_

"_No. I do not have an emotional link to him. Nor is he an Uchiha. I keep trying… I know it would help you… but I fear it's impossible."_

"_Oh. It was worth a try. Thank-you, Shisui. I will consider your offer. But I also have to think of your parents feelings. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to them about this."_

"_Please do. And tell them…" The river suddenly disappeared, leaving Itachi in a cold, black world with no illumination, "that I miss them." His voice was fading, as if he was moving away, "And I miss Aya."_

* * *

Their departure from the village was a tearful one. Aya, Sheeta, Nui, the twins and even Sasuke were wiping tears from their eyes. There was no knowing when – or god forbid – if they would ever see each other again. The world was changing and there a lot of battles ahead of them.

While the impending invasion by the Daimyou was no longer imminent, word had come back to the village that Fugaku's group had been attacked. Luckily, no one had been injured severely. They had interrogated a few of their attackers and discovered that there were more soldiers lying in wait along the road Itachi was planning to take, and taking the road Fugaku was passed down was out of the question since it was now blocked by even more soldiers. No matter what, the group was in for a hard time.

"Let's go." Itachi finally said. He glanced over at Madara. The man was saying his good-byes to the twins. Both toddlers had become very fond of him and were trying very hard to make him promise to visit them.

'I was like that when I was four.' Itachi thought to himself. Madara had seemed like the greatest adult in the world back then. Helpful, kind, and powerful, he was just what he had needed at that stage of his life. Toddlers needed an adult to guide them, Itachi decided. They wanted to be protected.

"Are you going to daydream all day, or are we really leaving?" Nui wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed.

"Oh. Yeah." He slapped the ox on the rump and the wagon lurched forward. Glancing inside he saw that Sheeta and the twins were busy getting comfortable. Tama was already comfortable, having staked out his own spot a couple hours earlier – in the exact dead center of the wagon.

"I can hardly wait to get back and find out what Naruto's new jutsu is." Sasuke said a few minutes later. "But I don't want to show him mine."

"Good idea. Let's keep it a secret for now. I think for our plan to work, he'll have to be kept in the dark. You know how bad of an actor he is. Besides, after we get Orochimaru and Danzou, you'll never have to use it again."

"I really hope you're right."

'So do I.' Itachi thought to himself.

* * *

**Next week, the group is attacked! Will they survive? Will they ever make it back to Konoha? Will Sheeta find that hairball Tama hid under her pillow? Only time will tell…**

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	42. Chapter 42 The Way Back

**Sorry this is a few hours late and a little shorter than usual. Too much going on this week. I considered skipping this week's chapter, but a short chapter is better than nothing and I'm afraid if I start skipping I'll make a habit of it. I'm a procrastinator at heart, really. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! They're great. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

* * *

**Chapter 42 – The Way Back**

A cold wind had started up as the small group made their way slowly south though Water country. The ox pulling the small wagon down the muddy road was in no hurry to get anywhere and it would have been pointless to try to convince him otherwise. To him, time was nothing more than whatever was happing right now.

The humans he travelled with, however, were tense and impatient. Somewhere up ahead, on their current path, an enemy lay in wait. An enemy that had already wiped out three villages along the same road.

* * *

Walking behind the wagon, Itachi could see Sheeta reading a story to the twins and Nagi. Nui was walking up front with Sasuke. As a medic-nin she had combat training and had gone on several missions, but was usually required to stand back and stay out of the way when the fighting started. Today, that order was put to the side. She would be fighting if – or rather, when – they were attacked.

Tama, oddly enough, had decided that riding on the broad back of the ox was more desirable than the wagon. But then again, having three toddlers petting your fur backwards, pulling your tail and poking your ears had probably driven him to escape to the one place they were sure not to follow. Somehow, the lazy cat managed to fall asleep anyway.

"So…" Sasuke had dropped back to speak with his brother, "Three days to the port, then we catch a ship the northwest port we arrived at, catch another ship to Fire country and then walk back to Konoha."

"That's about the gist of it." Itachi silently agreed that it was a rather long journey. Especially when you really wanted nothing more than to sleep in your own bed and eat at your own table. It didn't help any, either, that Water country had never heard of the concept of "straight lines" and every road seemed to be competing for the "most curves" award. That was why a journey that should have taken a day-and-a-half was, in reality, stretched to three. It was really quite an accomplishment for such a small country.

"There _are_ such things as trains you know." Sasuke added with a sour face.

"Your point being?"

"Oh… nothing… except that I haven't a clue why there is no train service from the Fire country port to the interior. We have a line going south, but not west. Why is that?"

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell ya what, little brother, when all this nonsense is over and we're living in Konoha happily ever after I'll give you some money out of the Uchiha clan account to invest in your railroad. How's that?"

Sasuke gave him a dirty look, "Too little, too late. I _might_ take you up on that though."

"It would be a nice wedding present for your bride." Itachi tried to tease his brother, but Sasuke took him seriously.

"Yeah… it would… she could go home to visit easier. And I could build a railroad here in Water country too!" He trotted off to rejoin Nui, leaving Itachi to wonder whether his brother had an aversion to travelling, or was just impatient. He finally decided it probably both. On the other hand, he himself enjoyed being on the road. No clan, no Konoha, no one looking over his shoulder every half hour to see what he was doing. With just a mission to think about and Kisame at his side, it was easy to relax.

"Wanna go out!" The high pitched screech of a little girl's voice broke his concentration, causing him to cringe, however that turned to laughter when he saw Nui pretending to pull her hair out in frustration.

Wails soon followed the screeching when Sheeta refused her niece's request. "Nagi, you can play when we get to the hotel later."

Of course "later" to a two-year-old held little to no meaning and the child continued to cry until she fell asleep fifteen minutes later. The twins completely tuned it out and continued to play with their wooden horses, but Sheeta leaned back against the edge of the wagon and put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. Nagi wasn't the type of kid who liked to be cuddled when she cried. Instead, she had a habit of kicking and hitting if you even attempted to negate her right to break everyone's eardrums.

"_Some kids are like that. Just let her get it out of her system and she'll fall asleep soon enough_. _She should grow out of it in about forty or fifty years_." Nui had told everyone when the trip started two weeks earlier. It was certainly a very different philosophy than the one Itachi was raised with.

The twins were now sitting at the back of the wagon looking longingly down at the ground. It was too dangerous to get out of the wagon. If an ambush came they could be separated and possibly killed.

However, Itachi couldn't help but think of his own trip, twelve years earlier to the Uchiha hideout. He had also been four-years-old and stuck in a wagon most of the day. However, he and Shisui were allowed to get out occasionally and run around. That trip was one of the few happy memories he had of his childhood. And it was also the first time he met Rumiko. The talkative, happy teenager who had befriended the two young boys, playing with them, giving them snacks, and being cheerful.

"She would have made a great mother." Itachi whispered.

"Who?" Nui was now walking next to him, having looked in momentarily to make sure her daughter was asleep.

"Rumiko. I was just… thinking of the first time I met her. I was their age." He nodded at the boys who were beginning to look rather sleepy and were now resting their heads on the edge of the wagon.

"She would have. She did wonders for Aya and Sheeta as their sensei. But that's all gone now."

"So… you are going to be their sensei?" Itachi nodded once again towards the twins.

"I have to talk to their grandparents first, but Madara's suggestion to supervise their developing ninjutsu skills is definitely worth taking seriously. It would only be for thirty minutes a day. Just until they start school. But… I could never forgive myself if anything happened to either one of them. No matter who was responsible."

"Yeah, me too." Itachi sighed.

* * *

The three burned out villages weren't as decimated as Madara had implied. While thousands had certainly died, there were survivors and they were rebuilding. It was both sorrowful and uplifting. On the other hand, they were also very suspicious of strangers and not pleased in the slightest when the small group passed through. But while there were a few rude comments and the occasional empty threat, nothing impeded their progress and as their second day of travel began to come to a close and they started to discuss which of the two upcoming towns to stop in for the night all hell broke loose.

The sun had come out and while it wasn't warm, it was still welcomed. The morning fog was gone by noon and big puffy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. The pinks and purples that painted the sky as the sun began its descent over the horizon was very beautiful and, as luck would have it, the group was crossing a large pasture and decided to watch. The wagon was situated so the kids could see from inside, but they were less than impressed with the brilliant spectacle and gave up after a couple minutes, deciding that their toys were much more important than "grown-up stuff", as they put it.

As the pinks began to fade into purple and dark blue and the first stars appeared Itachi suddenly tensed up and squeezed Sheeta's hand. "Get in the wagon."

The demanding tone of his voice shocked her and she subconsciously pulled her hand out of his and stepped back before running to the wagon. Quickly, she pulled down the flaps and tied them shut. The children were understandably upset at the turn of events, but Sheeta quieted them down by using a jutsu to put them to sleep. The three dropped off quickly, their quiet breaths and slowly rising chests the only indication that they were still alive.

Clenching her teeth in frustration as she listened to Itachi giving Nui and Sasuke orders she crawled over to the long box the driver would sit on and used another jutsu to open it. The side facing in towards the wagon was hinged at the top and she pulled it up, using a stick to hold it up. The inside was about five feet long, three feet wide. Not very big, but good enough for their purposes.

The three children were quickly moved to the hidden compartment. The twins were laid end to end and Nagi… Sheeta closed her eyes and groaned with anger as she laid next to the twins and placed her sleeping niece on top of her. Hiding was not what she wanted to do. She was a ninja and should be fighting, but Itachi and Nui would have none of that.

Closing the door, Sheeta used a jutsu to lock it in place. If they lost this battle, only the most advanced ninjas would be able to detect their presence. They were safe. And if the worst happened, and Sheeta died, the three children would remain asleep until they died as well. It wasn't a happy thought and she stroked Nagi's hair subconsciously as she used her Sharingan to verify that the ventilation holes were free of obstruction. It wouldn't do if they suffocated, after all.

While Sheeta was getting herself and the kids situated, Itachi was scanning the horizon as he spoke to his brother and Nui. "There are twenty-four shinobi making their here. Twelve coming up in front and twelve behind. The road is narrow, but we also have the field to spread out to. They'll be here in a couple minutes."

Sasuke and Nui nodded their understanding and all three spread out. Nui and Sasuke took the front of the wagon and Itachi the back. As the sun disappeared over the horizon the enemy showed themselves. Fully armed and out for blood.

* * *

"What are you doing here? If you want to stay alive, then leave." Itachi yelled out a challenge.

"We're here to kill you." A woman dressed in what appeared to be a shirt comprised entirely of fishnet with a dark purple sports bra, and tight shorts with high-heeled boots.

'Why do women dress like that – it's so impractical.' Itachi wondered to himself. Of course, he completely ignored the fact that all of the other women were dressed in long-sleeved shirts and pants, and that about half the men were bare-chested in the chilly winter air.

Shaking his head, Itachi pressed on, "Your Daimyou is dead. You don't have to follow his orders anymore."

The enemy shinobi laughed, then a tall man, build suspiciously like Kisame but without the blue skin spoke up, "What makes you think we're following _his_ orders?"

"Oh great." Nui mumbled behind him. Itachi glanced back and sighed. Danzou had his arms shoulder deep in this mess. He had, for all intents and purposes, completely taken over governance of Fire and Water countries. Which probably meant he was involved, somehow, in the affairs of the other countries as well. That was definitely worth checking into when he got back.

But right now, there was a battle to win.

"So be it." Itachi lifted his hands and cast a Genjutsu. It caught about a quarter of the twelve in front of him in an imagined graveyard swamp full of ghosts, zombies, and ravens picking off their flesh. It was his favorite – having won him his Chuunin status many years earlier.

The rest formed a circle around him and ignored the pitiful cries of terror emanating from their comrades. Itachi's Sharingan was blazing red as the attacks began. He copied their jutsus instantly, matching their jutsus move for move. They were no match for him, however, and he quickly dropped them, one by one.

Turning around, Itachi jumped over to where Sasuke and Nui were dealing with their group. It was hard, but he successfully resisted the urge to help. Instead, he closely watched his brother's fighting style and made mental notes about what needed to be improved. Nui, on the other hand, was using medical ninjutsu to take down her group. It was a technique that was frowned upon, but it worked very well for her and was quick.

In the end, all twenty-four shinobi lay on the ground, unconscious or so severely chakra depleted that they couldn't fight anymore. They watched the three Uchihas warily, wondering why they were still alive. Finally, Itachi faced them and spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"Time is passing quickly and you are numbers, Danzou the hour hand, and the Uchiha the minute hand. Danzou passes over your number twice a day, but the Uchiha… we pass over your number once and hour. Therefore, pissing us off is infinitely worse than pissing off Danzou. Now, if I leave you alive, what will happen?"

"What will happen?" The woman who had spoken up earlier spat the words out with the same expression as one who had just eaten the foulest of meals. "Danzou comes after us! We die anyway! What did you think would happen? And what's with that stupid analogy?"

Itachi was slightly insulted. He had thought the analogy was pretty good. "You should return to the capital and support your new Daimyou and protect your country from Danzou's influence."

"New Daimyou?" Someone else, another woman, asked sarcastically. "And who is that supposed to be?"

"Lord Mitzukage has selected her and will be handling things for the near future."

A man, laying on the ground and clutching a broken arm gasped, "That Kekkei Genkai loving asshole? Why would I work for him again? Did you hear what he did yesterday? He revealed that his village has a branch of the Uchiha clan!"

"Wow he really did it." Sasuke voice was full of awe, "I thought he was just telling stories to get us to like him, or something."

"Yeah, really." Itachi agreed. While Madara rarely went back on his word, such a revelation seemed too good to be true. He wondered, though, what the repercussions would be when Konoha found out. Would they react favorably or be upset at the deception? He found he couldn't even guess.

"I might actually start liking the guy." Nui stated with amusement. Of course, Itachi knew that the women's only gripe with Madara was that he was keeping her little sister from returning the Konoha. But that was enough to cause a small division between the two.

"The farmers are coming." Sasuke said quietly, "Should we high-tail it before they yell at us for messing up their road and pasture?"

Itachi looked over his shoulder and saw about fifteen men, armed with scythes, pitchforks and torches making their way across the field. He gave a short laugh, "It looks like one of those horror movies where the villagers go after the monster."

"And we're the monster." Nui also laughed, "I also vote we get out here."

"Right. Let's go!" Itachi slapped the ox on the rump and the cart jerked forward once before the wheels began rolling. He realized that Tama had been sitting on the back of the big animal the entire time, watching everything. He locked eye with the cat and mumbled, "Lazy animal. The least you could have done was earn your keep a little by helping."

Tama blinked his eyes once, very slowly. If it was possible, Itachi was sure the cat was laughing at him.

* * *

They were able to catch a ferry north to the port town although before leaving the captain had warned the passengers that pirates were seen nearby a few days earlier. The children were happy to be able to run about again although Tama was imprisoned in a kennel for the duration of the trip as the ferry didn't allow animals to be loose. The ox and cart were dropped off with an agent of Madara's before they departed, as they belonged to him.

Once the ferry was under way Sasuke, who was sharing a room with Itachi (Sheeta and Nui were rooming together with the kids), started to get anxious. He looked like he had something on his mind and had even gotten up and started pacing. Quite a feat in a room that was only ten square feet with a set of bunk beds attached to one wall and a table with two chairs taking up the rest of the space.

"Sasuke, sit down. That's annoying. Or got up on deck." Itachi was laying on the bottom bunk and reading a travel brochure he had grabbed from ticket booth.

"I wonder where Tama is?" The boy finally said after he plopped down on the stiff wooden chair.

"In a kennel. You put him there, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect him to stay."

"He knows a good thing when he sees it. The cushion in that steel box is probably more comfortable than these mattresses anyway. You can go see him if you miss him that much." Itachi had a feeling Tama wasn't what was bothering his brother and he looked carefully at the boy, wondering if he should pry. Feelings weren't something he really liked to talk about.

"The girls… they said sometimes people with Mangekyou Sharingan hear voices." Sasuke's voice was so quiet Itachi had trouble hearing him.

"Your girl friends back in Mist?" Itachi teased. This was also something he didn't really want to talk about.

"Um… yeah… But…"

"Just say it, Sasuke." He put down the brochure and sat up.

"I heard him." Itachi wasn't sure he heard his brother, his voice was nothing more than a small whisper.

"You…"

His voice got a little louder, "He's not an Uchiha though and they said the link could only be made with an Uchiha. Madara said…"

Itachi was instantly alert, "Madara said the boy's mother had a child out of wedlock and came to Mist when her family exiled her. Of course! Why would she choose Mist instead of a civilian village? The father had to have been an Uchiha. Probably already dead by the sounds of it. It's so bloody obvious it's pathetic." He took a deep breath and let it out. "So you heard his voice."

"Yeah…"

"Well?"

"He said he doesn't know where he is and wants me to help him go back home. I told him what the girls said, that it was just his chakra and not his soul that's trapped. He doesn't believe me."

"It is rather absurd at that." Itachi had to agree with the boy. If he wasn't experiencing it himself he would never have believed it either.

"I know. But he was so scared. And I heard you can talk to Shisui so I was wondering…"

"If Shisui can help? The next time he can connect with me I'll ask. I don't really know how all this works though. Disembodied chakra isn't something I've studied much about. But, don't go around telling people what you're experiencing though."

"I wasn't planning on it. The last thing I need is to be locked up in a padded cell because I hear voices in my head."

That made Itachi laugh and he dropped back down onto the bed, noticing that the ferry was rocking a little more than it had been when they had left the small village port, indicating they were now in the ocean. Closing his eyes, he soon drifted off to sleep, and pretty much slept the entire trip as the soldier pills he had been living on since his mission a few days earlier worked their way out of his system.

* * *

No pirates attacked and they arrived at the port and immediately booked passage on a ship to Fire country. Luckily, there was one leaving in a few hours, so by dinner time they were sitting in the dining room of a medium-sized cargo steamer heading across the ocean. The twins were excited about their panda-shaped rice balls and Nagi had somehow managed to fall asleep in her chair after eating only a few bites of her own panda rice ball.

Itachi realized Fugaku was probably in fire country now, making his way toward Konoha. By now, word of the Daimyou's death and the Uchiha in Mist would have reached the village. For the first time he was glad he had left a few days late. However, it did put one chink his plans.

Originally, Sasuke was supposed to pick a fight with the elder council and Fugaku during the meeting on the first night back. That was no longer possible. He would have to see to it that a council meeting was held their first night back. Of course he did have good reason to call one. His suspicions about the Daimyous of the three remaining big five countries would be best investigated by the Uchiha clan, although he suspected Pein was already moving along that route. Well, the subject was unimportant. Just so long as their was a meeting.

The second problem lay in the methods their father would use to retrieve his wayward son. Unlike the elder Uchiha's original plan where Sasuke would willingly go with Orochimaru to collect information, Itachi's modified plan had Sasuke running away and breaking connections with Konoha to help Orochimaru. In all likelihood Fugaku would not sit back and let that scenario play out. He would send shinobi after Sasuke and bring him back.

Itachi couldn't let that happen.

There were two ways he could stop the pursuers. Let them in on the ruse and ask them to pretend to look and go back empty handed, or confront them and fight them off. Neither was a good idea as not everyone would be that willing to let Itachi's plan play out. Toshiro certainly wouldn't allow it and he was one of the clan's best trackers. If Fugaku sent him, Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance. He cared too much about the boy to let him do anything that dangerous.

Tama wandered over to the table and meowed a request for table scraps. Without even thinking, Sasuke dropped a piece of pork to the floor.

"Did you see Tama come in here?" Itachi glanced at the closed doors – one set let to the hall and the other to kitchen.

"Nah, he teleports!" Arata gave him a toothy grin before stuffing more rice in his mouth.

'That's how Sasuke can get away.' Itachi thought to himself. The cat, who was really a ninja familiar, could easily transport Sasuke. However, he would have to make a contract with the animal first. Noticing his brother's empty plate he glanced back at the front door and stood up.

"Let's go out on deck for a while, Sasuke, while the girls finish with the kids." He paused, "And bring Tama."

Sasuke scooped the big cat into his arms as he stood up, "You aren't going to throw him over the rail, are you?"

"What?" That was a surprise.

"I've seen the way you look at him sometimes, is all."

"I… he…" The thought was very tempting.

"Well?"

"No, I promise I won't hurt him."

Itachi wasn't sure his brother believed him, but he did follow him onto the deck and listened without interruption as he explained the modified plan. It was quiet for a few minutes as both brothers digested the information. Or as quiet as it could get on the deck of ship in the middle of an ocean churning with waves and wind.

"I don't know how to make a contract with Tama." Sasuke finally broke the silence.

"Tama, you need to take the initiative." Itachi addressed the orange cat who promptly jumped to the ground and scratched his paws on the ground, as if trying to dig something up. After a few second he stopped, sat back on his haunches and lifted his paws, putting them together, as if clapping.

"Sign you name on the scroll using your own blood." The cat had a dry, scratchy voice, somehow reminiscent of Sasori's, yet also very distinct.

"Oh my god he talks!" Sasuke backed away surprised.

"Of course he talks." Itachi muttered, then louder, "Sign the scroll. Then work out an escape plan with him."

Sasuke blushed slightly, "Sorry, I should have expected it. Dad's cat summons talk after all." He bit his finger as the scroll unrolled. As he signed, Itachi made a note of the other ninjas who had previously signed the scroll. All of whom he recognized and one of whom he had killed many years earlier. Was that why the cat loved to torment him? Well, that man wasn't exactly a pillar of society so he kind of doubted the cat held much of bond with him at the time.

The cat spoke again once the scroll was signed and transported back to its inter-dimensional bookcase. "You are now my servant, so do as your told and this relationship will work out."

Sasuke's face scrunched in thought, "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Have fun, you two. I'm going to see how the others are doing." He snickered as he left the boy and cat alone. For some reason, it didn't surprise him that the arrogant cat would push his way to the top. Well, he seemed to like Sasuke so he had to admit he did trust the animal after all. And his plan could only work if Tama helped.

"To be rid of Orochimaru and Danzou, after all this time." Itachi looked up at the dark sky. The stars were nowhere to be seen, but a bright patch revealed pieces of the moon. "It just doesn't seem real."

"What?" Sheeta was standing a few feet from him, tightly wrapped in a jacket with the hat pulled over her head.

"Nothing, just talking to myself. What are you doing out here?"

"The kids are back in the room so I came to find you."

"Why?"

Sheeta huffed with annoyance, "Do I need a reason?"

"Yeah… I mean no… Um…"

The girl moved closer and planted her lips directly over his. He immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. She was warm and for some reason he felt a strange calmness settle over him as she molder her body against his. It was where he was meant to be. Wherever Sheeta was.

"We're getting married next." Itachi finally commented.

"You haven't even proposed yet." Sheeta pretended to give him a dirty look.

"Oh. I still need to do that? I mean, we're already legally married anyway…" He had actually thought the whole thing was implied.

"Itachi Uchiha, you will get me an engagement ring and you will propose properly." Sheeta pulled away and put her hands on her hips, glaring menacingly at Itachi.

"What do I get out of it?" He knew what he wanted.

"Whatever you want." She knew what he wanted too.

"I think I'll like proposing." He pulled her closer for another kiss, but she pushed him away.

"Not until I get the ring, sweetie." She teased.

"Bribery. And its working." Itachi laughed as he grabbed Sheeta's hand and pulled her back to the interior deck. "Then I'll have to do some shopping when we get back."

* * *

**Next week, there is a surprise waiting for them at the Fire country port. Will it affect Itachi's plans?**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	43. Chapter 43 Itachi versus Tsunade

**In the manga: We're not getting a back story on Kisame? That can't be right. There has to be more to that fight. I refuse to believe its over (stamps feet and pouts).**

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by some guy in Japan named Kishimoto.**

* * *

**Chapter 43 – Itachi versus Tsunade**

The bright sun beamed down on the freighter as it entered the wide bay leading into the Fire country port. A strong wind blew out over the water, forming white-caps over the waves that slapped roughly against the ship. Heavy black steam bellowed from the smoke-stack as the captain pushed his way through the heavy seas, thankful that he would be in port when the storm following on the tracks of the wind showed itself in a few hours.

On the deck, Itachi was resting on a lounge chair with his face to the sun and his eyes shut tightly against the bright light. As he meditated, red was the only color that existed as he stared through his eyelids and the only thing he could feel was the cold wind that chilled his body and froze his soul. It wasn't comforting, and after about five minutes he had to stop and return to his cabin to warm up.

Just as he was situating himself on his bed so he could read, Sasuke wandered in and dropped down onto a chair, "The captain is telling everyone to get ready to leave in the hour."

"Okay." Itachi didn't even bother looking up from his book.

"I was at the front of the ship with the boatswain looking at the dock we're heading toward and guess who I saw?" Sasuke gave his brother a big grin.

"Who?" He didn't like guessing games.

Sasuke sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you then. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. Oh, and Sai is with them too."

Itachi felt a cold chill run down his spin and he carefully laid the book down on the bed next to him as he sat up. "Why are they here?"

"You're not happy to see them?" This was rather confusing. Sasuke was thrilled to see his friends and sensei after being gone for what seemed like a year, and expected his brother to be as well.

"Think about it, Sasuke. Why are they here? Father is already in Konoha. Should have gotten there yesterday or even the day before. He could have sent them here."

"How? You can't get from Konoha to here that quickly. There's no way Team 7 could have gotten here that quick. They must be returning from a mission or something and heard that we… were… coming in…" His face dropped, "He could have sent one of his cats to give them a message. Why is that bad?"

"Our plan. We have to get you to Konoha. If father gave them a mission and they're here to collect you it would throw things off."

"Just for a week or two."

Itachi stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets, "I'm tired of waiting. This whole thing has been going on for years. This is our chance to stop it, and we are going to act now instead of later."

Sasuke was silent for a couple minutes, then got up to begin packing his few belongings. Neither brother was very messy so the activity was quickly over and the boy was forced to face the one fact that was squeezing at his heart, "Now that we're really here and our mission is about to start… I'm scared, Itachi. But… I guess… the sooner we do this, the sooner it will be over."

"That's the only way to look at it…" Itachi was interrupted.

"Because, I promised to look after you and Sheeta and the baby, and if Orochimaru and Danzou are still around… what if he goes after the baby? If he can't get at you or me, well…"

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "That… I hadn't considered that… he might try… in fact I'm sure he would try to kidnap my son."

"Daughter." Sasuke added with a lopsided grin.

Shaking his head, Itachi sat gave his brother a small grin, "We'll see."

"You know something?"

"Maybe."

"What?"

"None of your business." Itachi laughed and reached over to grab his book with the intention of packing his own stuff when the world suddenly went black and he fell forward and onto his knees. There was a strange tingling sensation in his brain as his vision returned and he found he could hear his brother calling out to him, but he couldn't move. After a couple minutes things returned to normal and he laid back down on the floor and closed his eyes as an overwhelming urge to sleep overtook him.

"I'll get Nui!" Sasuke ran out of the room as Itachi drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"What's wrong with big brother?" Naruto's excitement at seeing his foster brothers faded quickly when he saw Itachi being carried off the ship on the back of a tall sailor. The teen was extremely pale and obviously unconscious. Sheeta as walking behind him, wiping her eyes and trying, unsuccessfully, not to cry.

"He blacked out. Nui isn't all that sure why it happened." Sasuke explained worriedly. "He was just talking like normal and then he was on the floor."

Kakashi stepped forward and offered to carry Itachi, "We were supposed to be here to collect Sasuke for a mission, but it looks like that will have to be postponed. There is no way Fugaku would let Sheeta returned unescorted. If we took Sasuke now, and with Itachi like this… it would leave poor Nui to look after three kids and a pregnant woman."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Nui wasn't sure whether she should be insulted at being accused of not being able to protect her family and friends, or happy that he had offered to help without being asked. Because that was exactly what she was planning on doing – asking for help. Well, if meant keeping everyone safe, she wasn't going to hide behind her pride and gave him a heart-warming smile.

Sakura stepped forward and grabbed each of the twins' hands, "We got a wagon for you, and two horses to pull it. We had to buy it though. No one would rent to a Shinobi."

"Of course. Thanks for getting the wagon. Let's hurry up and get out of here. The captain said there's a storm coming and if we get inland a few miles it might not be so bad."

"But there aren't any clouds in the sky!" Naruto complained.

"What are those?" Sasuke pointed to the horizon where dark clouds were gathering, "And this wind is awful!"

"Oh. Didn't see those." Everyone rolled their eyes and smiled.

Itachi opened his eyes a few hours later, surprised to find himself in a wagon with Sheeta asleep at his side. It was dark out and the heavy rain was pounding fiercely against the heavy canvas above him. Sending out his chakra he quickly verified that the children, his brother and Nui were also nearby. Of course, the presences of the other four chakra sources was less than comforting as he remembered the conversation he was having with brother.

"Sasuke." His voice was a little hoarse, but the boy must have been close by because he quickly climbed into the wagon, begin careful to remove his rain-soaked jacket before it dripped on the toddlers or Sheeta.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke reached forward and placed a hand on his brother's forehead.

"Okay." Itachi brushed the hand away and tried to sit up.

"You're not fine, big brother. Nui said you have pneumonia again."

"What? How? That's impossible!" He fell back down as another wave of dizziness took over, "I was feeling fine!"

"She said it's sometimes called 'walking pneumonia' and the person thinks they just have a cold or flu or something. But it can get worse before you know it."

"Sounds fishy."

"You have a fever and you've been sleeping for almost two days. What's so fishy about that?"

"Sheeta! She shouldn't be next me if I'm sick!" Itachi tried to move again but his arms didn't want to hold his weight and he dropped back down.

"You're not contagious."

"Pneumonia is contagious, Sasuke, it's caused by a virus. If I'm not contagious then I don't have pneumonia."

Nui climbed into the wagon just as Sheeta was waking up and crawled over to Itachi, "You have pneumonia because of fluid build-up in your lungs. That type of pneumonia isn't contagious. It's… more like an infection. However, you should have noticed the symptoms before-hand and told me you weren't feeling well. You know, like being tired all the time, running a fever, loss of stamina, coughing, etcetera."

"I'm sick of this. I'm not an invalid."

A rain soaked and obviously miserable Kakashi poked his head through the driver's flap and snapped at the teen, "Itachi, drop the attitude. It's cold, it's wet, and we're doing our best to get you to Konoha before you get worse."

"So we're returning to Konoha. Why are you here?"

Naruto, who was sitting next to Kakashi stuck his head in as well, "We were supposed to be picking up Sasuke for a mission in Tea country, but getting you home is more important than some stupid mission to guard a warehouse."

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. His suppositions had been correct, however everything had, somehow, worked out. They were returning to Konoha and Sasuke would be leaving again a few hours later. But not with Team 7.

"Granny Tsunade is back, she'll patch you up!" Naruto volunteered.

"Granny?" Itachi had wondered a couple times over the years if Minato, Naruto's father, was Tsunade's son – the blond hair and outgoing, yet calculating personalities were similar. However, he had never been interested enough to actually find out the answer and his suspicions were probably incorrect anyway. After all, he had never met the healer – only seen her picture. Assuming relationships from only a picture was tricky, at best.

"He's being disrespectful." Sasuke said quietly.

That didn't surprise the teen and he nodded once to acknowledge the comment.

Sheeta brushed her boyfriend's hair from his face and continued to stoke his cheek. "We'll be home tomorrow. Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

Again Itachi nodded, but another concern crossed his mind, "Who is keeping watch?"

"Sakura and Sai are running a perimeter. They are quite good when they work together like that. No one will get through without them knowing about it." He smiled under his mask, causing the one eye not hidden by his forehead protector to wrinkle shut, "We got it covered, Itachi. Now, quit making your pregnant girlfriend worry. Go to sleep."

After drinking some water and swallowing some overly-bitter medication from Nui, Itachi found he was very exhausted, but definitely not sleepy. After a lifetime of dealing with insomnia it was a sensation that was very familiar to him.

Closing his eyes he concentrated on his body, trying to gauge how it was feeling and how accurate the diagnosis was. He had been coughing a little after they boarded the freighter, but it wasn't harsh like it had been a few weeks earlier when he had collapsed in Madara's meeting room. He also had been running a low fever, but that hadn't concerned him at the time either since there was no nausea. Other than being tired and weak he didn't feel ill at all.

However, Nui and Sheeta had dealt with their older brother's illness for years so discounting their observations would no doubt be a mistake. They knew better than most exactly how the disease he had been cursed with would progress over time. It was disturbing, knowing that they were waiting, day by day, to see how bad he was and then comparing his condition to a man who had already died.

"It was only days after Shisui…" Itachi spoke out loud without thinking. "Your brother…"

"The news that Shisui had… killed himself… really upset him." Sheeta whispered. "He died a few days later. But you aren't as bad as he is and we have Tsunade waiting for you back home." Her voice had risen slightly as she spoke, but it dropped again, and was nearly silent when she uttered her final words, "So don't give up on us and die."

'Because if I die,' Itachi said to himself, 'our children will be unprotected. Even if Sasuke uses Mangekyou Sharingan, it will eat away at his eyes and his body until he, too, dies. He will be able to protect at first, but eventually, even he will fail.'

Glancing over at Sasuke, he made a decision, "Don't act on your own, little brother. If I can't be there you will die."

"But I…" Sasuke stopped talking when he saw his brother's stern face. The others looked back and forth between the two, trying to guess what was going on, but knowing better than to ask.

Itachi couldn't speak freely, but he hoped his brother got the message, "Don't do anything without me." If Sasuke left while he was sick, he would be unable to protect him. The idea was that Sasuke would tell Itachi where Orochimaru was. However, he couldn't do that if he was too sick to respond. If this plan resulted in the boy's death, he knew he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Okay." The words were spoken quietly, and Itachi definitely detected an undertone of frustration.

* * *

The next time he awoke he was staring at a white ceiling and something warm was holding his hand. Having expected to wake up in the wagon only a couple hours after he had fallen asleep this was turn of events was rather disorienting. He realized he still wasn't feeling nauseas, but his chest and throat were sore – as if he had been coughing for a long time.

"Itachi, are you awake?" It was his mother's voice and as he turned his head he could see her sitting next to the bed. Worry lines were carved into her brow as she gazed with concern at his confused expression.

Nodding, he turned his head to look at the rest of the room. It was a private suite, of course, so there were no other patients. Nor were there any other visitors.

"Please drink some water." Mikoto made her way to the sink and returned with a class of the clear liquid. Placing it on the nightstand she pushed a button next to the bed and the back slowly rose until Itachi was reclining. Passing the glass to her son she held on to it, even after his own hands closed over hers. With her other hand she stroked his hair lovingly.

"Thank-you." Itachi mumbled. He was still feeling rather weak. "What's wrong with me?"

"Tsunade has been here and she said you have an infection and a mild case of pneumonia. I'll call the nurse and have her bring you some soup. You must be very hungry."

"I don't feel sick."

"That's good, at least. But you are very tired. You're fever is finally gone. It was quite high by the time they got you here. Tsunade worked her magic and it was back to normal an hour later. Nui was a little jealous of course." Mikoto gave a small laugh, "But everyone was so relieved."

A soup spoon was easier to hold than the water glass and Itachi felt a little stronger after he ate the simple miso and the bowl of rice that came with it. He was even feeling a little hungry.

"Where is Sasuke?" Itachi finally asked as he finished his meal.

"Well, you see…" Mikoto's good mood suddenly disappeared and she averted her eyes from his to stare at a spot on the floor.

Itachi felt his chest tighten and his entire body grow cold, "What did my little brother do?"

"He… it wasn't his fault. Fugaku… he… he should have stopped them…"

"Mother!" Itachi said angrily, "Tell me what happened!"

"He was called in front of the council to give an accounting of your journey back and explain your illness. I was there. They verbally attacked him, accusing him of getting in your way, and of not taking care of you properly to keep you from getting ill."

"That ridiculous! How can one possibly 'keep away' and 'stay close' at the same time!" Itachi had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"He completely lost it. He became very angry and when Toshiro put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down, Sasuke grabbed him by the arm and broke it. He then stood up to leave, but the elders got mad and one even threatened to stick him in jail if he didn't amend his ways. Fugaku did tell them to back off, but it wasn't enough. It was too little, too late, and, well, Sasuke was still so made at his father from what happened in Mist that it also served to add fuel to the fire. He started yelling at everyone and said some things that hurt a lot of feelings. He then… he used a jutsu to disappear… we didn't even know he could do that yet… and when he got back to the house…"

Itachi reached over and gripped his mother's hand as the tears started to drip from her eyes, "Go on, it's okay. I'm not mad at you."

"Thank-you, Itachi. But I'm mad at myself. Anyway, Naruto burst into the meeting a few minutes later and said that Sasuke had come home and had told him that he was running away to live with Orochimaru because Fugaku was a jerk and he didn't want anything more to do with the clan. Of course your father sent about twenty people after him, but no one could find him. He must have used Tama to escape. I knew I shouldn't have let him keep that cat. He looked like trouble, and I was right." The woman was openly weeping at this point and she pulled her hand out of her sons so she could grab a tissue and wipe them.

'Idiot brother.' Itachi cursed silently, 'I told you not do anything while I was sick.'

"Fugaku is so worried. I've never seen him so upset. And Kakashi has been gone for three days, searching with his dogs."

"Three days!" Itachi sat straight up, "How long have I been here!" When he had woken up he had been certain he had only been asleep for one day at the most.

"Um…" Mikoto was surprised at her son's outburst, "three days. This happened a few hours after you were admitted to the hospital."

"Damn it!" Itachi pushed his blankets back and started to get out of bed. However, he discovered he was attacked to a couple IV's and a heart monitor. Pulling the needles and sensors off his body he quickly made his way to closet and began scrounging for some clothes.

"Itachi, please, get back to bed. You aren't going to be able to help in your current condition!"

As if on cue, Itachi's legs gave out and he fell against the wall, trying valiantly to keep his body from falling on the floor.

The door slid open at that point and a blonde woman, about Mikoto's height, with a blue diamond on her forehead and an ample bust-line strode in confidently and stopped a couple feet from the teen and gave him an evil smile as she folded her arms across her chest.

"And why, exactly, is my star patient no longer in bed?"

* * *

It was rather emasculating, Itachi decided bitterly, when the woman grabbed him by front of his hospital gown and slammed him down onto his bed. It was worse when his mother smiled and thanked the blonde demon for her assistance. He lay where he had landed, without moving or making any attempt to acknowledge that his circumstances had, in any way, changed from a few minutes earlier. Maybe if he pretended she wasn't there…

But he didn't have time for that. Sitting up he threw his legs back over the edge of the bed and started to stand up. He needed to get in touch with his brother.

"Where are you going?" The room, quite literally, dropped several degrees when Tsunade's cold voice stopped his in his tracks.

"Sasuke…"

"Kakashi and Jiraiya are out looking for him now, as well as a large number of your clansmen. Don't worry, they'll find him."

'That's exactly what I am worried about.' Itachi said to himself. He began to regret his plan. He was use to dealing with shinobi who were professional and followed orders. Not his over-emotional little brother who pretty much did whatever he wanted. The boy was going to get himself killed. Or worse. Orochimaru needed a new body after his defeat with Sarutobi and Sasuke had just placed himself directly in the line of fire.

There was a chance to save the mission, but it couldn't be done if he remained stuck in a hospital bed. He wasn't very confident in his brother's mastery of the Mangekyou Sharingan – the boy hadn't had it long enough, after all. He needed more practice and that was one thing Itachi didn't want Sasuke to do. The more he used the advanced Sharingan, the more damage his body would sustain.

Then there was the problem of Kakashi and Jiraiya. If they caught up to Sasuke there would be no chance at all to continue the mission. Now or in the future. The boy would probably be placed under house arrest or even stuck in one of the secret jail cells to keep his eyes (and body) away from Orochimaru. What that would do to him, psychologically, was not something Itachi wanted to consider.

Hopefully Tama was able to teleport Sasuke far enough away that it would be impossible to follow him. He had a brief regret that he hadn't tested the cat's range before this. It was an oversight he would not have made if this had been an actual village or Akatsuki mission.

Sitting back down on the bed, Itachi realized he would have to get the two women out of the room before he could make his escape.

"That's better." Tsunade's tone turned pleasant and she sat down on the chair that Mikoto had vacated.

Mikoto laid a hand on her son's head, "I'll be going home now, Itachi. We moved Sheeta into the house yesterday and she's a little nervous about the whole thing, and Emi is fussing over her, trying to make sure she has everything she needs."

Itachi nodded as his mother picked up her jacket and left the room. He was now alone with the demon. The atmosphere turned cold again.

"I know what you're thinking, young man. And you are not going to be leaving this hospital for another two days. I can tie you down with chakra restraints if necessary."

Even though his anger was raising, Itachi was careful to remain to maintain a calm demeanor, "Why should I stay?"

"Let me tell you what is going on with your body." Tsunade changed the subject. "The short story is that you were poisoned. I haven't revealed that to your parents, or anyone else for that matter. There are still a few other factors I need to check out."

"Poisoned? How? When?" It made no sense at all and Itachi began to wonder if the woman was off her rocker. As a matter of fact, she looked awfully young to be Jiraiya's contemporary. Was this really Tsunade? On the other hand, his mother wouldn't have been fooled by any Genjutsu this woman could create so she had to be the real thing.

"A few years ago. It's a very advanced poison, very sophisticated in its execution. It basically has placed a series of time-bombs within your body that release poison in minute quantities, enough to cause fevers and pneumonia-like symptoms. As for how or when you were infected, my guess would be while you were working for Danzou. He ordered you to kill your clan and promised to let you leave the village unmolested. However, do you really think he would have let you go that easily?"

"I…" Itachi had to admit that at the time he hadn't thought too closely about the whole thing. He had just assumed that the old man was too afraid of him to do anything. Apparently he had been wrong. "We were given several injections during missions to protect us from poisons or viruses. If those are your suspicions, then it would have been easy for him to poison me at that time. And strategically it would have been a smart move. I never suspected such a thing. Although I was suspicious this time around, why I became ill when I had no symptoms before-hand."

"I removed all the poison, but it was taxing on your body and took a lot of my chakra. That is why you have been unconscious for three days. It took seven sessions to completely find all the little 'time-bombs' and each time you became weaker. You need to rest to build up your chakra and stamina again."

"So my illness… the one I was born with… is that…"

"That is real enough and part of the reason the poison was so effective. If it had been used in a healthy person it would have been found easily. But you… because of your illness he knew that the symptoms were close enough to the poison's side effects that there would be practically no chance of discovery. The danger, here, Itachi, is in the severity of the symptoms. The poison made them several times worse than they should have been in your state. Frankly, you aren't nearly as sick as you have been led to believe you are."

His eyes shot open and his heart leapt at the thought that hew might not die after all.

"I can guarantee, Itachi, that unless you do something stupid, you will probably live a very long time. And by stupid…" She paused and moved her head closer to look him in the eyes, "I mean using that Mangekyou Sharingan of yours. I know a lot about those eyes. I had to study Kekkei Genkai in order to become a healer in this village, so I know how destructive it is to your body. That can kill you, Itachi."

That was an acceptable risk, as far as Itachi was concerned and he nodded his understanding, "I have two people to kill, Tsunade. And after that, possibley two more. It is unavoidable."

"I realize that." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "And while I would be selfish and wish that you would not use it, I am also selfish enough to wish that you would. I know there are people out there that only you can save us from. I don't believe in sacrificing one person to save a dozen. Never have, never will. I'm not like Danzou, or Sarutobi for that matter, when it comes to that."

"I learned that the hard way. And I'm not planning on sacrificing myself… at least not on purpose. But I can't promise how the fights will go or what will happen afterward."

"That is going to have to suffice." Tsunade stood up and gave him a bittersweet smile, "Now please rest for a couple days and let Jiraiya and…"

"Jiraiya!" Itachi had an idea, "Please, call Jiraiya here and let me talk to him. Right now. It has to do with Sasuke and it is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. But… it has to be done in secret. No one at all must know about the meeting or what we discuss." He was sure he could trust the Sannin. The man had a mind of his own and would probably support Itachi's plans without causing him more grief. Hopefully, he could even help.

"If it'll keep you in bed, I'll get in touch with him."

* * *

It was two hours later when the white-haired Sannin shook Itachi awake. "So what's so important that I had to rush back here in the belly of a frog?"

That sounded rather unpleasant and the still-groggy Itachi tried to dispel the image of a chibi-sized Jiraiya floating around with bits of undigested flies and worms. It was rather disturbing and he felt his stomach churn.

"You look a little green today." Jiraiya bent forward for a closer look.

"Umm… yeah… anyway…" Itachi got right to the point, explaining what happened in Mist, Sasuke's new Sharingan, and his plan to kill Orochimaru and Danzou.

"That's…" Jiraiya was speechless when the teen had finished speaking.

"I would be eternally grateful if you would get in touch with Sasuke. He took off against my orders and I'm afraid he might have tried to contact me already without me knowing."

"Of course. I will help. Although… Orochimaru… he's my old teammate and while I can't say we are friends anymore, I will not look forward to him dying."

"I understand." Itachi was beginning the feel the same way about Kabuto. There were a lot of regrets and he kept hoping that somehow, someway, the teen would turn up and the whole defection would be nothing more than a misunderstanding.

"Then I'll take off again. I'll let you know as soon as I find out something. I just hope he doesn't mind talking to me. He might not understand what's going here."

"I'll be out of here in two days. Just tell him that and it should be okay. I'll contact him then. I'm worried… I heard Orochimaru needed a new body…"

"He did. But he couldn't wait and already moved. Sasuke is safe for a while."

"Who did he use?"

"Some prisoner. He did have another boy, a Kekkei Genkai holder who can regrow bones somehow, but he has the same illness you do and couldn't be used. Or so I heard. My spy is a little stingy with his information."

"Thank-you, Jiraiya." Itachi gave the man a warm smile, then closed his eyes as a sigh escaped his lips.

"Don't mention it, kid." Jiraiya patted the teen on the shoulder as he stood up. Smiling he turned to look at the large three foot frog.

"The kid's already asleep." The frog's deep voice echoed in the small room.

"Tsunade told me what was wrong with him. That Danzou is despicable."

"I hope his plan works."

Jiraiya stretched his arms over his head, and yawned, "It will. I'll see to that."

* * *

**Next week, Itachi is out and about again, and feeling better than he has in a long time, but will Sasuke still be willing to help after what happened?**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	44. Chapter 44 That Young Mans Strange Life

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Sorry this is late again(!!) but I ended up having to re-install Word and then I had to run an errand. Anyway, please enjoy!**

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**Chapter 44 – That Young Man's Strange Life**

_Time moved indistinct and without meaning as Itachi drifted in and out of consciousness. Memories and dreams flowed together, intermingling with current events and words whispered by well-meaning, yet curious visitors. In one reality Itachi walked the earth beside Kisame, a heavy burden on his back and slightly hunched over.. In another he was alone in a small room, deep underground, imprisoned and broken. In yet another he sat beside the lake with a nineteen-year-old and very much alive Shisui who was laughing about his recent wedding to Aya and how happy they were in their new house. _

_The eddies and ripples of time caught him up in their folds and submissively he allowed them to carry him along. His eyes hurt, and the images that were clear at the beginning began to fade as the progression of events continued. He saw Sasuke and Naruto fight at the Valley of the End and Zetsu spying on them. He saw Sakura pledge her undying love to the reticent boy. He saw Naruto pledge to "bring him back". He saw Orochimaru licking his lips at the "meal" that had just delivered itself to him. And at the very end, right before he finally woke up, he saw himself on the ground, alone, with his head bent forward and a sorrow beyond tears eating its way into his heart for he knew that everything he was seeing had happened because of him._

_He found himself standing in front of that broken teenager and he knelt down to get a closer look. There was a kunai pointed directly at the vision's throat, and he was mumbling over and over, "If I die now, he will no longer suffer." The world went black when a clanging sound echoed in the forest as the blade fell to ground and bounced off a stone._

"_I can't do it."_

Itachi uttered a single cry of shock as he awoke and jumped out of his bed. Suddenly out of breath he dropped down onto a nearby wooden chair and lowered his head onto his hands. Where was he? Which reality was this? What was he doing here? Why was he trying to kill himself?

The sound of wood being slid over wood made the teen look up suddenly and he saw a young woman standing in the doorway and staring at him curiously. "Are you feeling better, Itachi? Jiraiya came to see you a couple hours ago and couldn't wake you up."

He was struggling to remember who this person was. Blonde, with an assertive personality, and she seemed to know him.

"Itachi?" She moved closer, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of him.

A white haired man with red stripes under his eyes also stepped in and pulled up a chair. "What's wrong?"

"He's disoriented. I'm not surprised. I should have known Danzou would booby trap his poison. I should have looked when I finished taking out the time-bombs. I suspect he picked up the technique by studying my old reports from the war. Its something Chiyo from the Village hidden in the Sand would have done."

"Well, if you hadn't been here to catch it when the seizures started he _would_ have been dead by now. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"It's my job to be hard on myself. These are living beings I'm treating everyday, Jiraiya, not broken radios."

Jiraiya frowned and nodded his head in understanding.

"Itachi, can you tell me who you wanted to talk to you? You asked me to get him for you a few days ago."

Odd, disjointed images started to flow together and Itachi could feel his eyes changing from normal, to Sharingan, to Mangekyou Sharingan and back as he fought to retrieve a memory. He felt a hand on shoulder and when he traced its owner he saw Jiraiya looking at him intently.

Pieces began to fit together and in his mind's eye he saw the same tall man sitting next to his bed, promising him something. Something very important.

"Sasuke!" Itachi stood up quickly as the final piece fell into place.

"Close, but no cigar." Jiraiya laughed.

The woman was smiling, relief evident on her face, "Answer my question, Itachi."

"Jiraiya. I asked you to get Jiraiya." He dropped back down onto his chair. "What… what happened, Tsunade? I feel so strange."

"There was a second poison in your system. It was dormant as long as it was able to detect the presence of the first. When the last of the little 'time-bombs' went off it was triggered to activate. And that's exactly what it did twelve hours after I finished the last treatment and removed them all. Without the first poison to tell it to 'back off' it became active. It was a fail-safe in case the first poison didn't work or was discovered and removed. We almost lost you, Itachi. It took everything I had, and then some, to create an antidote. But you're fine now. The disorientation may last a few more hours, but I think after that you'll feel you're old self again." The woman stood up and moved toward the door. "It's one AM, but I'll phone your parents and wife and tell them you're awake anyway. They're very worried about you."

Itachi nodded once and glanced at the clock, then at the dark world beyond the window. Sighing, he folded his hands in his lap and frowned as he tried to digest what he had just been told. Danzou had lied to him. He wasn't going to be allowed to leave the village after murdering his clan. That teenager who sat alone in that forest contemplating his death had been wasting his time. It was coming anyway.

"Hey, you want to talk? I have some things to pass on to you if you feel up to it." Jiraiya had moved into the chair Tsunade had vacated so he could be in front of the teen.

"Oh. Yeah. First, I remember I was only going to be here for two more days. How long…"

"Have you been here?" He reached over and pulled a wire stand holding an IV closer to Itachi so he wouldn't tear the needles out, "Five days. When the seizures started Tsunade placed you in a deep coma until she could work out the antidote. It gave you some extra time, but she said it could cause side effects, like strange dreams, temporary memory loss and some other stuff."

"I had the strange dreams all right." Itachi replied bitterly. "If that's what they were."

"What else could they be?"

Itachi sighed, "I don't know. Sometimes…"

Jiraiya waited a minute, but when the teen didn't continue he prompted him for more information, "What?"

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm seeing the future. Sometimes, the present, but on a different timeline."

"The Mangekyou Sharingan could be doing that. Over the years, I've heard it causes all sorts of illusions. Toshiro's father went insane in his later years from it."

"You know about that?"

"His dad was a sensei at the Academy when I was a kid. Later, he got his own team and my team joined his for a few missions. Toshiro is also about my age, you know. We went to school together and fought in the war together as well. We're pretty good friends, actually."

That made sense, Itachi decided, but there were more important things to discuss, "What about Sasuke?"

"Safe and sound." Jiraiya replied bitterly, "As expected, Orochimaru welcomed him with open arms. I got a hold of him using the information you gave me. By the way, that's a great jutsu… moving ink…"

"Sai showed me how to do it a few months ago." Itachi added.

"Anyway, I got a response pretty quick. He's sorry he ran off, but he doesn't regret it. And… he's not coming back."

"What!" Itachi's eyes automatically switched to their Sharingan form and he started to stand up.

"Let me finish!" Jiraiya said quickly.

Itachi gritted his teeth, "Go on then."

"He will help you with your plan and is awaiting your recovery. When you contact him next he'll tell you where Orochimaru is and he'll help you take him down. But after that, he's taking off on his own."

"Stupid kid." Itachi growled. "Madara…"

"Yeah. He'll grab him pretty quick when that happens. We have to make sure you can get him back to Konoha before he finds out."

"I will…"

"No, Itachi, this is too important to leave up to you. You are a top of the line Shinobi, probably second only to me, but there are too many variables hiding here. I'll stand back and let you and Sasuke take out Orochimaru and later Danzou; your original plan was perfect and you _do_ have a valid point to prove to Fugaku, but a second after they're gone I step in. "

While Itachi had to acknowledge the logic in Jiraiya's intentions, he didn't like the idea of him butting into his affairs, "But…"

"You aren't alone in this kid, I'm in this to help you. If you end up using your Mangekyou Sharingan it could weaken you and if Madara shows up to grab Sasuke you won't be able to do much. You need me, Itachi."

Itachi stared at the big man for a moment, trying to size up the implications of the new plan, "Immediately after interrogating Orochimaru, we will leave to hunt down Danzou. I have no way of knowing how long that will take because until we have that information, I don't know where he is. If he's nearby it could be one or two days. If he's in another country it could be a week or two. Also, I will have Akatsuki following me. Leader knows where I am at all times. And therefore, so does Madara. And Madara is Sasuke's real father."

"I realize this isn't going to be something that happens overnight. It will require a commitment to stay with you two for a while and I will do that." He paused for minute, as if contemplating something important, "In fact, I'm going to add one more person. Naruto is coming with us."

"Naruto!" Itachi exploded, "This is much too dangerous for him! He is a Jinchuuriki, remember, and this could place him too close to Akatsuki! If, like you suspect, I do become weakened it would be a perfect opportunity for Madara to grab him as well. And he might just grab Naruto instead of Sasuke. While I get the impression that Sasuke is somehow important to whatever that man is planning, I know for a fact that Naruto is indispensible."

"Yes, I realize that. I have been training him…"

"Whatever it is, it's not enough. Pein is… he's beyond anything you've ever seen or even imagined. Even I don't know his full power. And Madara… if he and I fought it would be a toss up as to who would win. And Naruto would be nothing more than a pawn caught between two powerful shinobi."

"I realize that Itachi. But…"

"But what?" Itachi replied adamantly, "Have you finally lost your senses Jiraiya? Do you know what my father has sworn to do if he cannot protect Naruto?"

Jiraiya's face twisted into a grimace of sorrow as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists, "He will kill him."

"And so will I." Itachi stated firmly. "It would be a quick death that would remove the Kyuubi from their grasp. His death if they get him… I've seen it Jiraiya. It takes days to remove the demon and they suffer the entire time. If it comes down to it, I will do what I must."

The big man growled under his breath, "It won't come to that. And I will bring Naruto. He still has a long ways to go, but leaving him behind every time something dangerous comes up is not how a Shinobi grows."

Itachi had a feeling he was going to loose the argument and relented, "Just so you know the facts."

Jiraiya reached over and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, "If I were to die on this mission, Itachi, and you were truly faced with such a decision… I don't know if I could forgive you… but do what you must to keep the Kyuubi away from those people." He stood up and started to walk towards the door, "I'd better get back out there and pretend to search for your wayward brother. No one knows I'm here except for you and Tsunade. Contact me when you are ready to leave."

* * *

A few hours later Itachi was reclining on his hospital bed, awake and very bored. His mother and Sheeta had visited him earlier, but had left a couple hours earlier. Now, he was just biding time until he got word that he could go home. Supposedly, it was coming anytime now. He glanced expectantly at the door as it slowly opened, but instead of the nurse it was Hinata. She shyly stepped inside, "I'm sorry to bother you big brother, but are you well enough for visitors?"

He could sense someone in the hallway – another Hyuuga. From the way Hinata was worriedly glancing behind her he had a feeling it wasn't her that wanted to visit him. He hoped it wasn't one of the council members. While the newly re-formed Hyuuga elder council was considered by the clan to be a step above the last one, he wasn't in the mood to deal with politics at the moment. Unfortunately, as the Uchiha heir he had little choice.

He gave her a warm smile, "I am well enough, Hinata. Please show your companion in."

"Neji? You may enter." Hinata was always polite and her manners were so impeccable that Itachi felt somewhat out of sorts in his hospital gown and sleep-tousled hair. He hadn't taken a shower or brushed his hair since he had woken up twelve hours earlier. His dreams and the reality of his brother's predicament had been so dominant in his thoughts that he had spent the intervening time sitting on his bed and staring into space, going over strategy after strategy in an attempt to discover the best way to approach Orochimaru and Danzou. It was overkill, of course. He had defeated Orochimaru once and doing a second time would be equally simple. However, he had to let his brother have his chance to fight or Fugaku would never learn his "lesson". And that meant backing off and not fighting at full power.

"Good afternoon, Neji. Or is it still morning?" Itachi replied politely, "Please have a seat." He sat up higher on the bed as the boy walked silently to a chair next to the bed and took a seat. Hinata excused herself and shut the door softly behind her.

It was silent for a couple minutes as the young Hyuuga sized up the injured Uchiha. Finally he sighed and looked away, "Lord Itachi… I have a question."

"I assumed as much. After all, we have never spoken before to my knowledge."

"I know. It's just… I heard the rumors about what Danzou told you to do. After the exam Fugaku came to see me the next day along with one of the elders who survived the attack." He was quiet again and Itachi sat quietly, patiently waiting for him to continue. The Chuunin exams had only been a couple months ago, but already it seemed like a year. "The elder said my father wanted to sacrifice himself because Cloud wanted Hiashi's head. Because they were twins they didn't know they got my father's head instead. Fugaku said you had been faced with something similar. That the rumors were true and Danzou ordered you to kill your clan to stop the coup."

"What is your point?" Itachi wasn't usually impatient, but revisiting that painful past, especially with a stranger only a year older than his little brother was not pleasant and he wanted the conversation to end quickly.

"That… do you think… it was possible that the agreement to give Cloud the head of the man who killed their Kage was also Danzou's idea, and Cloud had actually wanted something else?"

Itachi blinked a couple times and looked closely at Neji, who was now gazing worriedly at his folded hands. It was likely that Cloud did want Hiashi to die. An eye for an eye was the usual trade-off when revenge was involved, but the boy did bring up a valid point.

"Danzou was a master of subterfuge, Neji." Itachi stated calmly, "But at this point it would be difficult to discern the truth. In my case…" he paused and wondered why everything was always so complicated, "In my case, every time Sarutobi tried to settle things, Danzou would influence the council to go against him. Fugaku and the rest of the clan couldn't take it anymore. Did you ask Fugaku this same question?"

"No. It only occurred to me the other day that the whole thing might have been a setup to kill Hiashi. I've been wondering too if that seal they used to put on the side branch was also Danzou's doing."

"Hm. I wonder. You know, Neji, I am on good terms with the Cloud Kage. I helped with that peace treaty a while back. I'm going to ask him exactly what the circumstances behind that were. But it will be a month or two before I can find the time."

Neji smiled for the first and sat straighter in his chair, "No hurry. Everyone involved is dead now so waiting a little while longer is fine."

"Not everyone involved is dead." Itachi was surprised when Neji shot him a curious look, "You're still alive."

That shocked the boy and the smile quickly faded, replaced with a sorrow that had followed him around almost his entire life. He started to stand up, but Itachi stopped him.

"Have Danzou's agents contacted you? Is that why you are thinking of him lately?"

The boy pursed his lips and looked away. That was enough of an answer for Itachi and he swung his legs over the bed and stood up. Neji followed him with a forlorn look on his face.

"Make no mistake, Neji Hyuuga, I will have no trouble killing anyone attached to that man if they harm this village. That includes you."

"Can an Uchiha fight a Hyuuga and win?" Neji countered instinctively and before he could think his next thought found himself lying on the ground. Itachi had moved so quick, and unexpectedly, that the boy hadn't even had the opportunity to consider defending himself.

"Should be easy enough." Itachi stated angrily. "I'm not someone you want as an enemy, and I have reason enough to dislike you already after what you did to Hinata. I have spoken with you and promised to follow up on your concerns because you are a member of this village and because Hinata obviously wants me to help you or she wouldn't have brought you here. Don't push your luck any further."

Neji stood up slowly and glared at the Uchiha. "No one defended my father, but Fugaku defended you. Why?"

"The people you need to talk to about that are dead."

"Humph." Neji punched the wall, cracking the plaster and sending shards of drywall drifting to the floor. "It's because the Hyuuga are weak. They put seals on us because Danzou was afraid of us. What's so special about him? Why do we have to please him?"

Itachi sighed. The boy was throwing a tantrum, just like Sasuke would. Only unlike his little brother, this boy had no one to listen to him. His mother, he had heard through rumors, was too deep into her own problems to do much with her son.

He punched the wall again and leaned his head against it, "It's good that Hinata is being raised by you guys then. I thought about it. She's different from the elders. She even talks to everyone, not just the main branch. Hiashi never did that unless he had to. She's even nice to me… although… I don't deserve it…" His voice slowly drifted away and Itachi could see tears dripping down his face onto the floor. "She calls you her big brother."

"She also calls you 'big brother'." Itachi said quietly. The conversation was getting awkward and he was quickly moving out of his element. "You must mean a lot to her."

This surprised the boy and he quickly turned to look at the teen, who was still standing next to the bed in a white hospital gown with his long hair in tangles and his hands clenched into fists. "She… means a lot to me. Now."

"Neji, if Danzou's people have been trying to recruit you, go talk to Gai or Fugaku. They will help you. Fugaku was hard on you, but he also feels protective of you because you are Hiashi's nephew."

"Okay. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"It was no bother." Itachi smiled, "I'll get in touch with you again when I get more information. Until then, don't do anything stupid."

Neji wiped his face on his jacket sleeve and left the room just as quietly as he had entered. As Itachi dropped back down on his bed he was interrupted when the door slid open again. He half expected it to be Hinata, since it would be just like her to come in and thank him for talking to her cousin, but instead it was Fugaku.

"You will make a wonderful clan leader, Itachi." The man stated plainly.

"You heard that."

"He is a troubled young man, but I think you may have just solved the majority of problems in ten minutes."

"It was… not that hard." Itachi was a little thrown off, his father rarely talked this openly.

Fugaku sighed and sat down on the vacated chair, "You will also make a great father."

That was something Itachi couldn't respond to. He knew his father's failings all too well and there was literally nothing he could add to that conversation.

The elder Uchiha continued, "I really messed up with Sasuke. I want to blame Madara, to accuse him of convincing me to give that cursed eye to him, but it was my decision. I know in my heart, if I would have said 'no' he would have backed off."

"Father, he would have back off _now_, but I'm sure that eventually he would have arranged the fight somehow." Itachi had a feeling that was the truth and as bitter as it was, it made him wonder, once again, just what Madara had planned for Sasuke.

"That may be true. But at least…"

"But at least your hands would be clean?" Itachi shook his head, "That's not how it works, and I think you should know that. Sasuke isn't like anyone else. He's his own person. He's unpredictable and does things his own way. He is also a genius who can match me in many ways. Or will if he gains more experience. Your failing is in underestimating him. But… that is also my failing. I don't want him to advance that far."

Fugaku gave his eldest son a bittersweet smile, "I am thinking of stepping down as clan Lord when Danzou is killed. It is obvious I cannot handle the job if I can't even handle my own sons."

"Father…"

"What I did to him… it was unforgivable. What I did to you…"

Itachi suddenly got a whiff of something and scrunched his nose, "Have you been drinking?"

Fugaku pulled out a bottle of eighty proof whiskey, opened it and took a gulp, wrinkling his face at the bitter taste as he swallowed. "Yeah."

Rubbing his forehead in a futile attempt to stop the headache that was threatening to ravage his brain he wondered what was wrong with everyone today. It seemed to be "Cry on Itachi's Shoulder" day in Konoha.

"I spent the day you were born drinking. Why shouldn't I spend the day Sasuke ran away drinking?"

"That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever." Itachi stated firmly. "And Sasuke's been gone for about five days now."

"It all runs together."

That didn't sound good. The man wasn't drunk yet, but he was certainly very tired and had downed perhaps three or four swigs from that bottle before entering the room. "Father, where is mother?"

"I don't know. Somewhere. Maybe back at the house. I…"

"Excuse me Itachi, but is Fugaku here… yes he is." Toshiro stepped into the room, "Sorry about this, your mother asked me to come retrieve him."

"Ah Toshiro! My good friend." Fugaku stood up and patted the older man on the shoulder rather roughly.

Itachi glanced at Toshiro's arms and noted the lack of bandages, "I heard Sasuke had broken your arm."

"Yeah, but it got better. Nui's a miracle worker when it comes to bones." The man laughed as he took the bottle away from Fugaku so he could have a drink as well, "Good liquor. I needed that." He coughed a couple times, not used to the high alcohol content of the whiskey, "Anyway, I guess it's only what I deserved, after I bloodied his nose that one time. I can't blame him, and I'm certainly not mad at him. But the elders are taking a lot of shit from the rest of the clan. They blame them for driving your little brother away."

"It was my fault." Fugaku added despondently.

"Fugaku, quit taking the blame for everything that happens. Not everything is your fault."

"Going to quit…"

"No, you're not going to quit. You are going to go home, go to bed, and when you wake up you'll be in a bad mood, hit a couple people and yell at everyone else. Just like normal. Okay?" Toshiro opened the door and pushed Fugaku through it, "The front desk said your paperwork is done and the nurse will be up soon to discharge you. I'll send Naruto over to collect you as soon I get Fugaku home."

"I'll be fine."

"Humor me." Toshiro winked then closed the door.

Itachi stared at the closed door for a couple minutes. He wondered what Toshiro would do if he knew about the circumstances surrounding Sasukes Mangekyou Sharingan. He hated to admit it, but it might be best of his father did step down as clan lord.

Getting up he found a clean set of clothes in the closet and took them in the en-suite bathroom. It wouldn't do to return home looking like a bum. Gazing into the mirror he also saw another problem and he rubbed his hand across his chin. But this one made him grin. A small amount of stubble was beginning to grow. Fine and soft, it wasn't quite like he expected, but it was very obvious.

"I wonder if Sheeta would like me better with a beard?" After all, he didn't own a razor.

* * *

Itachi met up with Naruto outside the hospital where he had been sitting in the winter sunshine watching some small birds chasing after some seed someone had scattered on the ground. They flew away rather quickly when the loud blond ran up and threw his arms around his foster brother.

"Glad to see you!" He said boisterously.

"Yeah, likewise." Itachi had to pry the boy off of him. "How are things at home?"

His temperament changed instantly and he became quiet, "Oh, Fugaku fell asleep as soon as we got him into bed. He's really upset about Sasuke. I heard that some of the people on the village council are upset that his son would turn traitor and are calling for Fugaku to resign as Hokage. Toshiro said the ones saying that don't like him anyway and are always saying stuff like that so we shouldn't pay attention to them, but I still don't like it."

"You're quite attached to Fugaku." Itachi observed.

"Well," Naruto scratched his head, "no one else would let me live in their house. Even if he did just do it because he promised my dad to watch over me or because I'm a Jinchuuriki or both… I guess I owe him a lot. But I don't have to live like you guys. When I want to move out I don't have the clan holding me back."

"It's that bad, huh?"

"It's just what I've seen. Sasuke gets really stressed out when a meeting is coming up. He's afraid they'll want him to be clan leader because of what you did and he said he can't handle it. And they are always saying bad things about him."

"I know." Itachi admitted.

"But things will be different when we bring him back. Pervy sage came by at, like, two in the morning and told me about our secret mission."

"I'm not happy that you're going."

"I know. He told me that, too. But Sasuke is like my brother and I would do anything in the world to help him!"

Itachi smiled, "So would I."

* * *

"You going out?" Fugaku was out of bed and almost sober by late evening when he saw Itachi sitting in the vestibule putting his sandals on.

"Yeah. I need to discuss something with Toshiro and Kisa." It was almost ten o-clock and Itachi had to stifle a yawn. He had taken a long nap after returning home, but apparently it hadn't been long enough.

"Look, about this morning…"

"Forget it father. I understand."

"You do?" Fugaku sounded unsure.

"I never did anything about those elders either, and it was within my rights to object. While you did something reprehensible to him in Mist, their continued goading may have actually caused more damage than you ever did."

"That won't be a problem after tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'd like to string them up from the nearest tree, but I'm going to divest them of their positions instead. I'll form a new council, and Itachi, I want you to choose the members."

That was a surprise, and the teen stood up and faced his father with only one sandal on. "What are you talking about?"

"The next generation is coming up, and while there are babies being born in the clan again, there will be a gap between your generation and them. Each generation has its own quirks and values, and it appears that if the clan is going to survive it should accept that and look forward instead of backwards."

"Then I accept. I will have a list for you by noon."

"And Itachi… I am still considering resigning." He didn't give his son a chance to respond before turning around and heading toward the kitchen.

Sitting back down, the teen stuck his foot in the second sandal and slowly fastened it. The list of new elders might ease some of Sasuke's wounds, and he wanted to have that in place before he contacted his brother.

* * *

"That's… there isn't a word to describe how evil that is." Kisa gasped after Itachi had told them about how Danzou had stolen Shisui's eyes and implanted one of them in his own head.

Toshiro closed his eyes and rubbed his temple, "It explains how he was able to get around so easily, though. With a Sharingan, especially Shisui's, he would have access to our clan jutsus and Shisui was especially skilled with transportation jutsus. Shisui of the Mirage they called him. How long have you known?"

"I found out recently. Things just fell together and I was able to speak with Shisui about it. His chakra that is."

"We know what you mean." Kisa assured him.

"Fugaku knew?" Toshiro asked quietly.

"He would do anything to keep from hurting you." Itachi answered.

"Then I won't hold it against him. It's not something I wanted to hear and I find myself wondering why you felt the need to tell us?" The tone was accusing and Itachi steeled himself for what he had to say next.

"I… um… Shisui… wants me to take his eye from Danzou and instead of destroying it…"

"That might give you the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan." Toshiro observed, "But is that what you want?"

"No."

Kisa, who was wiping her eyes tissue took a deep breath and added, "You are going blind."

"Yes. In a few years, I will be blind."

"His eye will stop that."

Itachi sighed, "Yes, but…"

"Then use it." Kisa stated plainly. "You have a child coming. Several if the fates allow, and you deserve to be happy."

"But…" Itachi started to argue, but Toshiro interrupted him.

"I'm not happy about it either. I don't want that cursed eye in this village, but I lived with my father's blindness and saw how it ate him up. Of course, he was also stubborn and refused to re-educate himself to learn how to deal with it, but it was still hard on me and my brothers. If you can avoid that, I will be grateful and honor Shisui's desires."

"The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan will stop the blindness," Kisa continued, "but it will change you in other ways as well. Please, do not loose yourself."

Itachi stood up and stifled another yawn. "Thank-you for your time. I apologize for having to discuss such a difficult subject with you. And, I'm not sure I should thank you for approving, but perhaps when this is over…"

Toshiro stood up and draped an arm around the teen's shoulders, "One problem goes away, and two more step up to replace it. I've lived long enough to know that much, Itachi. Just be grateful for Shisui's gift and, he should be the one you thank."

Itachi bowed before turning around and exiting the house. He had expected them to approve, but speaking of such a thing was still very difficult.

A few minutes later he was climbing into his bed and wrapping his arms around Sheeta, pulling her against his chest. She opened her eyes sleepily as she draped an arm over his chest and he spoke softly to her, "How's the baby?"

"Fine." Her voice was a little husky, and she cleared her throat a couple times as she struggled to wake up, "But _she's_ wondering why you're waking her up in the middle of the night."

He gave a short laugh, "You can tell _him_ that it's because I wanted to give him his first order."

"Huh?" Even if she was half-asleep, that made no sense at all.

Itachi placed a hand over Sheeta's slightly swollen belly and spoke sternly, "Don't you dare die before you get old."

It was then that Sheeta remembered where Itachi had gone that evening. And as she drifted off to sleep again she wondered just what the world would be like when their child was ninety, because right now, things weren't looking so good.

* * *

** Next week, they head off to get Orochimaru.**

**The part with Fugaku was hard to write. I wanted him to be depressed about Sasuke, but I didn't want it to be too out of character. I may not have succeeded, but perhaps I got the point across at least. Also, I do believe Sasuke has the potential to be as powerful as Itachi, but in this story, while he is given the tools to achieve that, no one is going to teach him how to use them to that extent so although people in the story make comments about it, it's just rhetorical to emphasize how different the two brothers are. Kind of like giving two people a hammer. One gets an instruction book of 200 pages and the other gets an instruction sheet of one page. When they use the hammer they will handle it differently from each other.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	45. Chapter 45 An Unexpected Visitor

**Thanks for the reviews! More are always welcome,**

**Have you seen this week's manga! OMG! I knew Danzou had a secret, but that's just… I guess "sick" would be a good word to use. Poor Itachi, its looking more and more like he was just a pawn of Danzou's to gain more power and not protect the village like he thought. And if Madara needs Sasuke's help to defeat him… just how powerful is Danzou? This is starting to get very interesting. It would be cool if Kakashi showed up to help, but that's probably asking too much.**

**Oh, and thanks to the person who suggested "Ghost Hunt". That's a great anime! Too bad they only did one season. Luckily Netflix had the whole thing.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by the guy who owns him.**

* * *

**Chapter 45 – An Unexpected Visitor**

"No Itachi this morning?" Mikoto placed a small bowl of pickles in the middle of the table before sitting down across from Sheeta, who was trying desperately to keep from yawning.

"He's sleeping like a log. He didn't even stir when I got up."

"It'll be a couple days before he's completely recovered. Tsunade said all he needs now is rest." Mikoto leaned across the table until she was only a foot away from the girl's face and grinned conspiratorially, "So why are _you_ so sleepy this morning?"

Sheeta blushed bright red, "It's not what you think! I just… kept waking up and it is six in the morning, you know."

"And what was I thinking?" Mikoto asked innocently, sitting back down and picking up her tea cup.

"Oh. Umm. Nevermind." That embarrassed her even more and she quickly started spooning rice into mouth to hide her discomfort. That made the older woman laugh.

"You're so cute when you get embarrassed! Don't worry about it so much. You're already pregnant; there isn't much you can hide after that."

'That may be true,' Sheeta thought to herself, 'but that doesn't mean we have to talk about it at the breakfast table. At least Fugaku isn't here.' Looking around she listened carefully and couldn't even hear anyone else moving around.

Mikoto picked up on what she was doing and answered before she could ask, "Fugaku was called to his office a couple hours ago. Some sort of emergency. I don't know what it was, though." She changed the subject, "So where are you off to so early?"

"My study group decided to meet early from now on because Yuka, one of the girls in the group, had her work hour's change and that's the only time she can come."

"Are you feeling any morning sickness?"

"Not right now. It's sporadic. I have an appointment with Tsunade at ten this morning but… I'm a little nervous…" Sheeta set her rice bowl down and frowned. "She called me yesterday and asked that I come in because she wanted to check something. But… she didn't say what."

"Nothing at all? You didn't miss any appointments or anything did you?" Mikoto was suddenly concerned.

"No. I've only had three so far, all with my sister. I don't know why Tsunade would want to see me. I'm not having any problems. I called Nui and she said she was busy and would call me back later, but she never did. I called back before I went to bed and her husband brushed me off."

"I'm going with you." Mikoto replied matter-of-factly.

"I… You don't have to! I know you're busy…"

"Doing what? I'm running damage control for what Itachi did to you and that means not letting you go through this alone. This time next year, I want all of us together. Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke, you, me, and the baby. And Naruto if he's not living full time with his 'pervy sage', of course. It has to be all of us, or else…" The room grew silent. The early morning darkness seemed to close in around the pair as they considered the implication of Mikoto's unspoken words.

The thought that one of them could possibly die within the next twelve months suddenly seemed more of a reality than it had ever been in the past, despite everything they had gone through. Perhaps it was the events of the last couple months had eaten away at their nerves, leaving them raw and unprotected, or maybe the reality of a new life possibly leaving them too soon. Whatever it was, neither could speak again until they had finished their breakfast and Sheeta had risen to her feet to leave.

"I'll be back around nine." She couldn't bring herself to look back as she silently left the room. The dark hallway seemed to swallow her up, leaving Mikoto alone in the empty kitchen.

* * *

"Is this true?" Fugaku looked up at the woman sitting on the couch across from him. The sun was just coming up, bathing the sky in muted shades of red and orange as large clouds drifted quickly across the sky, driven on by a strong northerly wind that had started just a couple hours earlier.

"Nui was quite thorough in her water sample collection. My technicians spent all night going over them. The results are incontrovertible. What I need now is to get blood samples from everyone in your clan. Nui can handle that so no one feels picked on. I've asked Sheeta to come in at ten, and several other women from your clan and the village who have had children in the last two years or are currently pregnant are also scheduled for appointments this morning." Tsunade leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes as she rubbed her temples, trying to dispel her headache.

"This has been one hell of a morning." Fugaku interrupted the silence that had suddenly fallen between the two. "First Neji, then you."

"Neji? Who is…"

"Hinata's cousin. The son of Hiashi's twin brother. Apparently Danzou's people had been in contact with him and tried to recruit him. He had accepted, but when they actually came to get him last night it seems he had a change of heart and tried setting a trap outside the village for them instead. It failed, of course. One thirteen-year-old against four 'A' rank ninjas – no matter how over-inflated his ego was, he wasn't good enough."

Tsunade sat straight up in alarm, "He's okay isn't he? I was busy all night…"

"He will be. Luckily the fight woke up a couple shinobi sleeping in the woods and they were able to apprehend the four and get Neji to the hospital. If they hadn't been there…" Fugaku's voice trailed off.

The sun finally rose over the horizon, only to be hidden just as quickly by clouds. Darkness returned to the earth as rain began falling and the windows rattled as a gust slammed hard against the building, causing the pair to jump despite their shinobi instincts.

"This storm came up a little too quick." Tsunade added, a little embarrassed at being startled by something as mundane as wind.

Fugaku gave a short laugh, "Hopefully it doesn't turn into snow."

Tsunade leaned back against the back of the couch and relaxed a little bit, "So who were the shinobi that found Neji?"

"Kurenai and Asuma."

"I… why… they both have their own apartments. Why sleep in the woods?" Tsunade laughed, "Unless, of course, they weren't sleeping."

"Yeah, they probably were doing other things." Fugaku agreed. "Neji's still on suspension, but I instructed Gai to look after him anyway. His mother is useless, obviously, so he'll be moving into his sensei's apartment. She didn't even seem upset by the news."

"Sad. I remember that woman when she was teenager. She must have changed quite a bit to have become that cold. Maybe I'll go pay her a visit."

Fugaku was quiet for a moment. He wondered why the woman in front of him would be concerned about such a useless person, but decided it wasn't any of his business. "Do what you want. But don't let it interfere with your investigation."

"Definitely not. If I am one thing, Fugaku, it's professional. I'm on to something and I'm not going to rest until I put all the pieces together."

* * *

Naruto was the only one at home when Itachi dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs to the kitchen. The boy was sitting at the table eating ramen and staring out the window at the pouring rain with a pensive look on his face. He was still in his pajamas and hadn't even bothered to brush his hair.

Itachi, on the other hand, despite feeling sleepy, and a little "out-of-it" had still managed a shower and was dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a blue t-shirt with a clan symbol embroidered on the right sleeve. He found it amusing that the most alert person in the house looked about ready to fall asleep, and the sleepiest looked ready to go on a twelve-hour patrol.

"Mother sees you eating that for breakfast she'll hit you over the head." Itachi smirked.

Naruto pulled his eyes away from the window, "That's why I waited until she left before I got out of bed. I can't go without my ramen after all. You feeling better?"

"Yeah, a lot better, actually. I have several errands to run today though. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

"Why not now!" Naruto practically yelled, "I want to get Sasuke back…"

"Naruto, calm down. Are you bipolar or something?" Itachi laughed, "You go from cheerful to yelling in zero seconds flat. Calm down. Sasuke is safe for the time being. Orochimaru won't let anything happen to him."

"But he's the one who hurt him! He stuck that cursed seal on him, you know that. How can you sit there and say something like that?"

"I can see your point." Itachi was silent for a couple of minutes. "He was badly injured, of course, but… and I know this sounds hard to believe… but that is the only thing Orochimaru is planning to do to him until…"

"Until he takes over his body with that jutsu." Naruto sat the empty ramen cup down on the table and sighed, "Pervy sage told me it would be a few years before that would happen. I guess… I guess I can see your point. I don't like waiting, but if it's only a couple days… I can live with that."

"That's my boy." Itachi teased as he rubbed the top of Naruto's head, messing up his hair.

"Stop it!" He laughed, "If it looks too messy Mikoto will make me brush it."

"So where did everyone go? Fugaku's at work, I take it."

"Yeah, I got an ink jutsu message from Sai this morning saying Neji tried to get himself killed last night, but he'll live. So that's probably where Fugaku is. Mikoto and Sheeta went to the hospital. Sheeta had an appointment."

"Oh. Just normal stuff, then."

"Are you going to check on Neji?"

"No. Let Fugaku sort that mess out." He turned around and looked out the window. The rain was pounding the ground, forming puddles in the garden. "Mother's pond is going to flood at this rate. That's a lot of water to come down at once. Anyway, I better get going."

"Wait! What do I do if it floods?" Naruto's expression was one of panic and he quickly ran to the kitchen window and stood on his toes to see the pond.

Itachi laughed at him, "The house is raised up off the ground. Don't worry about it. At the most it will get into the garden and make everything muddy. I just said that to get you worked up."

"You're mean." Naruto gave him a dirty look, but that quickly changed into a wide grin.

* * *

Itachi stuck a kasa hat on his head before stepping out of the house. It wasn't much of a protection again the wind and rain, but he knew if he didn't wear it his family and fellow clansmen would lecture him about his health.

The lake was bathed in whitecaps as the wind picked up the waves, practically throwing them towards the shore. Itachi was reminded of a similar day, long ago, right before the Kyuubi had been unleashed on the village. Fugaku had taken him out to the end of the pier and taught him how to do the clan fire jutsu. It had been easy for him to learn and his father had been very pleased with the results. As he stood staring out over the empty lake a sudden sense of nostalgia washed over him and a desire to return to that day, to a time when all those people who had died over the years were still alive, gripped his heart.

He could almost see the elderly Kentaro lecturing Fugaku about some point of fact concerning governing the clan, or his wife handing out sweets to Shisui and himself. Itachi suddenly turned to look at the bench next to the shore and stepped back when a boy turned around and looked at him before disappearing. Placing a hand over his forehead and taking a deep breath Itachi decided it was just a trick of the light and his own intense desire to visit the past. Or perhaps the poison was still working its way out of his body and he was having side-effects. Or even the layers of water that were running off his glasses and distorting his vision.

Because while chakra could live on after a person died, ghosts certainly did not exist.

"Itachi."

The teen stood stock still, showing no indication of having been startled by the voice. "What are you doing here, Leader?"

"Visiting."

"I doubt that." Itachi turned around to view the tall, red-haired main standing three feet away from him. He was dressed in the usual red and black cloak. Standing behind him, as always, was his companion Konan. Her expression was one of concern as she gazed intently at Itachi.

"Nevertheless, I am here to speak with the Hokage, not you."

That seemed a little odd and Itachi looked up at the sky, "I suppose this rain is yours, then? The Hokage isn't home yet. He keeps his own schedule."

"Then we will wait for him. Please conduct us to your home."

Itachi fought hard to keep his chakra in check and his emotions hidden. If he took those two into the house now, while Naruto was still inside, all hell would break loose.

Pein continued, "Unless there is some reason you don't think we should wait there."

"I can't leave you standing out here with those cloaks on." Itachi stated plainly. "Follow me." He turned around and led them back down the path toward the house. Luckily no one else was around, but given the weather, that was probably more a factor of no one wanting to get cold and wet rather than any kind of luck.

Entering the house he glanced up at the clock and saw that it was a little after noon. He figured his mother and Sheeta should be home soon, and he was late with the list of new elders he had promised his father. He led the pair down the hall and into the living room and, as expected, a pajama-clad Naruto was planted firmly in front of the TV watching a movie about ninjas.

"Naruto, please leave the house and don't come back until I come get you."

The boy was about to disagree, preferring to stay home all day and watch TV, but something about the strangers was sending chills up and down his spine. Silently, Naruto stood up and exited the room.

"Please sit down." Itachi turned off the TV, "I'll make you some tea."

Returning a few minutes later with a tea thermos and two cups he set it on the coffee table in front of his guests. Konan helped herself to a cup as she looked around the modestly decorated room. It had several couches and easy chairs, and was used occasionally for meetings of various committees or informal tea parties his mother would throw. Family portraits decorated one wall and for a moment they caught her inquisitive eye.

Pein sighed and leaned back, placing his hands on his knees. "Your prey has left the house."

Itachi resisted the urge to respond to that and nodded once to confirm the news. Naruto had changed his clothes and Itachi could tell from his chakra that he was heading over to visit with Hinata.

"Two people are approaching." Pein added a minute later.

"Oh, that must be…" He stood up and went to back door the family always entered through.

Mikoto spoke as she removed her hat and coat, "Itachi, the pond is flooding, could you please remind Naruto to stay away from it? I could just see him getting covered in mud and tracking it all over the house."

"I sent him away for a few hours." His tone was serious and it made Mikoto and Sheeta look at him worriedly. He glanced up, sensing the approach of another person and quickly held his hand up to stop him. Toshiro, no doubt alarmed when Naruto showed up with news of the two strangers and Itachi's order to evacuate, was on his way over to check things out. The older man stood still and gazed pensively at the teen.

"What's going on?" Mikoto whispered as she glanced back at her friend. "Who's in the house?"

"Pein and Konan. They are here to speak with father."

"Oh." There wasn't much more Mikoto could think to say.

"Why don't you call him?" Sheeta glanced at the phone hanging from the wall near the entryway.

Mikoto answered before Itachi could, "No, we don't want to draw attention to our unexpected guests. The phones aren't secure and even suggesting he break his schedule… he would worry that someone would see that as suspicious. He's very cautious that way."

Itachi nodded to confirm Mikoto's words, "You two entertain them while I go to his office. I'll return immediately with more information about when he'll be available." He grabbed his jacket and hat and ran out into the rain.

Toshiro was a little angry at being denied entry to a situation he was sure was dangerous, "What's this about, Itachi?"

"A couple people Fugaku met at the wedding are here to see him. I'm going to his office now to inform him. There's no need for you to intervene."

"If you have to order Naruto out of the house…"

"I know, Toshiro. Please, just take my word for it. I know they won't hurt mother or Sheeta. Naruto… he's different, you know?" Itachi hoped the hint about his Jinchuuriki status would get through to the man, and apparently it did.

Nodding his understanding, Toshiro pressed on, "Then, if you don't mind, I'll just wait here until Fugaku arrives."

"That is acceptable." Itachi used a teleportation jutsu to disappear.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Pein and Konan." Mikoto greeted the pair and sat down on the couch across from them. "Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think you've met Sheeta, Itachi's wife."

Pein nodded once to acknowledge the girl's presence, while Konan gave her a warm smile. "We haven't met, but Aya was quite complementary in her description of you. It's nice to finally meet you, Sheeta."

"I'm pleased to meet you too." Sheeta bowed forward a few inches.

"How is your baby doing?" Konan asked politely.

"Very well, thank-you. Although it's still strange to think of something alive and growing inside of me. I can't quite get used to it." She gave a short laugh and hoped that the older woman didn't think that was too weird.

Konan smiled, "I can certainly see that. But, I detect you aren't a kunoichi. I find that odd."

Sheeta wasn't sure if that was an insult or not even though the woman's words were friendly and polite. "No, I'm not. I had a lot of training, and I used to help my brother and sisters with missions before we came to Konoha. Right now I'm studying so I can become a cryptologist."

"So you weren't born in Konoha?"

Mikoto interrupted, "You didn't know?"

"No. I had just assumed."

"Hmm. It's probably not a big deal after all." Mikoto gave a short laugh, "But their mother and father left the village and set up house in Earth country. Their mother left her husband, taking the kids with her. She was afraid if she returned to Konoha her husband would come back and… harm her family so instead she wandered around taking independent missions and trying to support her kids herself."

That broke the woman's façade and her face immediately changed to an expression of pity, "That must have been hard."

"Yeah," Sheeta agreed, embarrassed at the attention, "we didn't always get to eat and when mother died and big brother got sick… there wasn't anything we could do about it. Healers cost money, after all."

"So you understand what it's like. To go without."

"Y…yeah." Sheeta stuttered, not knowing where the conversation was going, "But I want to forget it. Everything is fine now…"

Pein interrupted, his strong voice cutting into her words like a knife "Don't ever forget."

"W…why?" Again Sheeta stuttered. She glanced at Mikoto, who was looking pensively at the ground.

"Suffering, poverty, fear, war, sickness, ignorance… the list is long and once experienced should never be forgotten."

She had to admit that the big man scared her, but she pressed on, "It was a terrible time. I was really young. I don't want to go through that again. Not knowing from day to day what was going to happen, or if we would get to eat or if big brother would get sick again. No one wanted to hire kids and sometimes… sometimes…" her voice disappeared.

Konan spoke up, "Sometimes you had to steal. It's okay to admit it, Sheeta. I went through the same thing as a child. Hunger makes you do things you would never do in better circumstances. On the other hand… the merchants and villagers knew we were hungry and refused to give us food or a job. I refuse to feel guilty because of their ignorance."

"I never thought of it that way." Sheeta admitted in a small voice. "Why didn't they help us? I just… I was born after mother left father so it was literally all I knew. To me it was normal to live that way. Maybe my sisters and brother thought of that though. They're all older than me, of course."

"Understandable." Konan admitted, "But you mustn't forget any of what you experience. One day you will be in a position to help guide your clan, and your suffering will help you to understand their suffering, in good times and in bad."

Sheeta nodded and glanced at Mikoto again. The older woman smiled at her, "Wise words, Sheeta, we should both try to live by them."

* * *

Entering the Hokage's office he saw his father sitting at the desk reading mission reports. An empty plate had been pushed off to the side, and the chopsticks were neatly placed at an angle to indicate he had finished his meal. Otherwise, the desk was spotless.

"What is it, Itachi? Do you have that list for me?" Fugaku didn't even bother looking up as he spoke.

"No. I… got up too late to work on it."

"Well, just have it by eight o'clock tonight. That's when I'll be making the announcement."

"No problem. Father, you have guests at the house waiting to speak with you."

"Bring them here."

"That would be unwise."

The made Fugaku set the report down and look up at his son. "Who are they?"

"Pein and Konan."

That was definitely the last thing he wanted to here. Given his son's behavior he had expected it be a member of Akatsuki, but Kisame or Deidara or even Madara would have been reasonable guesses. Not Pein and Konan.

"Mother and Sheeta are at home with them now. I sent Naruto away and he went to Hinata's, causing Toshiro to come over to see what was going on. I stopped him, and he is waiting outside the house, keeping watch. He didn't see them go in. I told him a couple people from the wedding stopped by to visit."

"Then I'll leave right now. Have you visited the temple yet?"

"I was on my way there when those two showed up."

"I suggest you go straight there and read those scrolls I told you about. It will tell you more about what Pein is and his relationship to the Sharingan." He stood up and exited the office, followed closely by Itachi. "My aide is around here somewhere…. Oh there he is. Ai, Itachi and I are going to go follow up on a lead he found with regard to that attack outside the village. I'll be back in a few hours."

The tall man bowed respectfully, "Yes, Lord Hokage. By the way, I was just on my way to inform you that Zabuza has accepted a position as Jounin. I'll place his paperwork on your desk."

"Thank-you."

* * *

The temple was empty when Itachi entered it a few minutes later. The bright light of the large meeting room was a strong contrast to the stormy darkness outside and he found himself squinting as sharp pains radiated up from his eyes, across his forehead and into his brain. Rubbing his head he was reminded once again of the penalty he was paying for the use of his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Looking up again he made his way to the altar at the far end of the room. It was a simple black table, about three feet high and five feet long. A small statue of Buddha sat in the center with several other smaller statues of various gods surrounding it. Pots filled with sand were evenly spaced along the table and several had incense sticks stuck in them, their smoke rising lazily to the heavens to deliver the prayers of mortals to the immortal.

The teen removed a fresh stick of incense from a box on the floor near the altar and used a candle to light it. He stuck it in a sand pot and clapped his hands together a couple times before uttering his prayer for the safety of his family and his unborn child. It felt strange to him. He had never considered himself particularly religious, but this time, his prayer rose up from the depths of his soul with an intensity that would only be muted should a god actually answer it and make it come to pass.

Sighing, he stood up after a couple minutes and made his way to a certain tatami mat at the edge of the room. Pulling it back he lifted the trap door and pulled out a flashlight. The stairs were new and not as steep as they had been in the old temple. They were much easier on the older people who needed to navigate them, and he suspected the children also would have an easier time as well. His memories drifted back again to his first descent into the clan's "chamber of secrets".

On that day, an old man had looked into his eyes and predicted his future. It had been creepy and the man had died the next day. He had never bothered to find out who he had been and no one had been very eager to tell him. But he was obviously very important and well-respected.

Reaching the location of the secret scrolls he knelt down and placed his hands over the cold stone floor. The layout of the new temple was exactly same as the old one in order to accommodate the chamber, so the scrolls had lain undamaged and undiscovered by those who did not need to know of their presence.

Sending chakra through his hands he quickly formed a series of hand signs and slammed on hand on the floor. A four foot square section glowed bright red before disappearing, revealing a small compartment with three aged scrolls bound with red string tied into bows. The small cavity was surprisingly dust free, meaning the jutsu was not only hiding the scrolls, but protecting them as well.

Lifting them out one by one he read the writing on the ends to determine the order in which they should be read. Opening the first one he began to read, and as time passed slowly in the underground chamber, a mixture of horror and fascination gripped at his heart.

* * *

"I can handle it from here." Fugaku dismissed Toshiro as he walked passed him.

"Call me if you need help." Toshiro turned around to leave, pleased that Fugaku had returned so quickly.

"Of course."

Entering the house he could hear Mikoto, Sheeta and Konan making polite conversation. Pein was silent, as expected.

"So why are you here?" By the time he had reached the living room Pein was standing up and facing him.

"We need to talk."

"I gathered that much. But about what?" Fugaku's tone was impatient and he realized the only way to get this over with was to humor his "guest". "Follow me. My meeting room is at the other end of the house."

Pein followed him silently, with Konan remaining in the living room. Of course, she probably already knew what was going to happen and Pein would likely fill her in on anything else else.

"Have a seat." Fugaku pointed to one of three cushions placed before the small dais where he, as clan lord, always sat. Pein respectfully waited for Fugaku to sit first before taking his seat. The small courtesy was unexpected and he found himself relaxing slightly. The man wasn't malicious, and certainly wasn't as deceptive as Madara. On the contrary, he had always been very up front and matter-of-fact.

Fugaku prompted Pein, "So. What's going on?"

"I would request your cooperation in a certain matter."

* * *

The labyrinth of corridors that made of Orochimaru's lair was, somehow, fascinating the boy and he spent the time he wasn't training with his new sensei investigating them. It was somehow calming to walk alone through the eternal dusk that lit the maze. He was reminded of a sermon he had attended at the temple a few months earlier, in which the monk had explained the significance of certain caves – how passing through the opening could signify the passage through the birth canal and signify resurrection.

Could that be why Orochimaru lived underground? He had assumed it was because he was fond of snakes and mazes were a good way to confound invaders. However, the older man's obsession with immortality could also be somehow represented here as well. The maze could also be viewed as a lost soul unable to find its way to resurrection. Unable to exit the cave it would be doomed to continually wander, forced to eat other souls to gain their experience in an eternal attempt to find an exit. To find a way to be resurrected into an immortal body.

The boy reached up and hit himself over the head once with his fist, "Geeze Sasuke. You're thinking a little too deep today."

A door showed itself at the end of the corridor and he opened it cautiously. Peering inside he saw a laboratory with a series of wide, ten-foot tall tanks arranged in a circle around a console. Long pipes were connected to the tanks and fed into the console. As Sasuke entered the room he figured it was to re-circulate the water, like a fish tank.

He saw something move in one of the tanks and moved closer to it, but stepped back a couple paces when an obviously human eye with a purple pupil stared back at him.

"Ha! Did I scare you?" The good-natured voice of a boy laughed at Sasuke.

"No, just startled me a little. I didn't expect to see a human in the tank. And certainly not a live one. What are you doing in there? How can you breath?"

The boy's voice turned sarcastic, "Orochimaru lured me here with promises of power and glory. I guess we can both see how far that went. Now he's just studying me to learn my Kekkei Genkai so he can steal it. He'll kill me as soon as he figures it out, I'm sure."

That was rather disturbing and Sasuke stepped closer to the tank, "What's your name? I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

"Ah! Orochimaru's pet. I'm Suigetsu Hoozuki." The liquid formed itself temporarily into a boy about Sasuke's age with shoulder length white hair, purple eyes and very naked. Just as quickly the boy returned to his liquid state. "I can't stay in human form and breathe underwater at the same time, so I'm forced to stay like this."

"Okay." Sasuke was a little put-out being called Orochimaru's "pet", but found it difficult to hate the boy for his slur considering his current predicament.

"How about you let me out of here? Just break the glass."

Sasuke lifted one hand reflexively, but stopped himself, "I…" If he did that, he would break his cover. "I will, but not right now. Please wait."

Suigetsu's next words sounded rather depressed, "For how long? Every day I spend in here weakens me and if I die I'll never be one of the seven swordsmen. Of course, you wouldn't know what they are, being from Konoha and all, but its very important to me."

"I know what they are. I've met Kisame and Zabuza"

"That's right!" The boy perked up, "You were the one who defeated Zabuza."

"I? Me? What?" That was a shock and Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets to hide his discomfort and embarrassment.

"Yeah! Everyone is talking about it! Zabuza is famous after all. The son of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha, defeated Zabuza."

"It was my sensei who did it, not me." Sasuke corrected him half-heartedly. He wondered if that was one of the reasons so many of Orochimaru's minions were shying away from him. He had thought the snake man had told them to leave him alone, but if they were actually afraid of him that certainly cast things in a different light.

"Your sensei? Who's he?"

"Kakashi Hatake."

"Never heard of him."

Sasuke's voice rose in surprise, "But he's famous! Why would my name be attached to a battle he fought? It makes no sense!"

"Since when did rumors ever make sense? Seriously, you're what – twelve, thirteen-years old?"

"Twelve."

"You should be old enough to know what a rumor is. And how many of the ones you've heard have actually been true? Really, just go with the flow and accept the notoriety. You won't be able to change it, you know. After a while it'll go away. This Kakashi probably already knows about it if he's as great as you say he is, it probably doesn't even bug him."

"It wouldn't, would it? He's pretty level headed." Sasuke laughed, "He'd probably even thinks it was funny and would tease me about it."

"Besides, having a reputation around here goes a long way. There have been some pretty bloody fights between Orochimaru's followers and most end up with someone dying."

Sasuke sighed, "I guess you're right." He spied a chair at the edge of the room and moved it closer to the tank before sitting down.

"You're going to stay for a while?" The surprise in the boy's voice was obvious and made Sasuke smile.

"Sure. Why not?"

Suigetsu laughed, "You're not such a bad guy after all, are you?"

"Well it's either talk to you or go looking for Kabuto."

That made Suigetsu laugh even harder, "Point taken!"

* * *

**Next week, what did Itachi discover in the scrolls and why is Pein so eager to speak with Fugaku. And what is Tsunade investigating?**

**I had to get Suigetsu in there somehow. I'll also work the others in as well.**

**Please review! Updates on Fridays.**


	46. Chapter 46 Written in Blood

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Now that I think about it, in the manga, it does look like Madara is letting Sasuke fight Danzou to be "nice". Can't wait to find out why exactly he needs Sasuke. It has something to do with his plan. I mean, if it's just so he can recreate his failed battle with the First and watch Sasuke fight Naruto I'm going to be a little disappointed. But, it was quite a coincidence with this weeks anime – Sasuke hyperventilates and passes out when he learns the truth about Itachi, and in the Manga Naruto hyperventilates and passes out when he thinks about Sakura and Sasuke. They are a lot alike, despite their attempt to be different from each other, xD I'm probably the only one, but I thought it was kind of cute. o.O**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by the guy who owns him.**

* * *

**Chapter 46 – Written in Blood**

"He did what?" Aya grabbed one of the armless sleeves hanging from the black and white man's cloak and pulled on it in a useless attempt to negate the words he had just uttered.

Chuckling came from behind her and she released the sleeve as she turned to stare in shock at her husband. A couple minutes later he wiped a tear from one eye and grinned at the pair. "Boy's got guts, I'll give him that. I had a feeling Itachi would find a way to turn the tables on his father."

White Zetsu seemed concerned, "The boy was quite upset. He was crying."

Black Zetsu laughed mirthlessly, "Wouldn't it be funny if our plans fell through because Orochimaru killed him?"

Aya put her hands together and pleaded desperately, "Madara! You have to go after him! There's no way Sasuke could stand up to Orochimaru! I don't want to loose him!"

Madara bent down slightly and looked her directly in the eyes as he spoke in a kind voice, "Aya, nothing is going to happen to Sasuke. Orochimaru needs him alive and well. Besides, Itachi is no doubt getting ready to go after right as we speak."

"But how can you be so sure of that? Sure, he has Mangekyou Sharingan now, but he can't possibly have learned enough from Itachi yet to protect himself from Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru needs Sasuke's body for an immortality jutsu. He moves his soul from body to body and he can only do it every two or three years. He just did a transfer a few weeks ago. _That_ is why I'm not too worried about Sasuke."

"So…" Aya calmed down slightly as she considered his words.

"So there's nothing for you to worry about either."

"I always worry." Aya countered petulantly. Madara's laid back attitude towards danger seemed to go against every survival instant the woman had, and for the hundredth time she wondered how he had managed to live so long.

Madara sighed and looked at Zetsu who was standing very still and staring straight ahead, as if ignoring the conversation. Of course, there was every possibility that he was retrieving information from the various shoots and vines he had wrapped around the area, looking for trouble.

Things had turned rather nasty after the Daimyou had been killed and even though a substitute had been placed in his seat, several of the man's allies had disagreed with the situation and Water country was now in the beginning phases of a civil war.

To make things worse, some of the former Daimyou's troops had decided that following orders was too much trouble and raiding small villages and deliverymen was much more to their liking. Travel inside the small country had come to a standstill after the first week as news of the raiders spread and concern grew that some of the more remote communities would soon run out of food if things continued.

It was rather suspicious how quickly and efficiently these small groups had been able to turn outlaw. While they were already armed and trained for battle, and had no trouble intimidating civilians, the ease at which they traded lawfulness for lawlessness made a lot of people, including Madara, think that perhaps they were following orders. Perhaps Danzou had designed the resulting chaos in case the Daimyou betrayed him.

Madara shook his head and sighed. He literally had better things to do than chase after a wayward child who was probably not even in any real danger. However, he had to keep Aya happy. Or rather, he wanted to keep her happy.

"Zetsu, what exactly were the circumstances that lead to Sasuke's running away?"

Black Zetsu answered, "Well, I can't get very close to Konoha because of their jutsu shield, but what I can gather from the gossip of those coming and going, he got in an argument with the clan elders."

White Zetsu countered, "They must be very disagreeable people to treat a child that way."

"Hmm. And where was Itachi during this? Wasn't he at the meeting?"

White Zetsu continued, "Ah. Now this isn't gossip. He became sick on the way back and was hospitalized. This time he almost died. Tsunade did something to save him, but if she wasn't there he…"

"Shit." This completely ruined his mood and he threw himself down onto the couch and pounded his fist a couple times against the wooden arm. He glanced at the window directly across from him and growled under his breath. The winter sun was very low on the horizon and invading the small office. Closing his eyes against the bright light he considered his options. "Has he recovered?"

Black Zetsu answered, "Yes, but that is all we know right now. We don't even know if he's out of the hospital, but we'll let you know when we find out more."

"I'll get in contact with Pein and have him send Kisame and Deidara to Konoha. Itachi is going to move against Orochimaru. I have absolutely no doubt about that. But if he is too sick to carry through with whatever plan he has Sasuke could end up getting killed in the crossfire. Also, when it comes right down to it… I suspect Orochimaru would rather have Itachi's body that Sasuke's. Even if he is sick."

Aya was suddenly filled with dread, "In which case…"

"Sasuke would become expendable."

* * *

The wind blew in through the cracks in the temple doors, down the opening in the floor and into the underground chamber where shadows flitted about in a macabre dance, swaying to and fro, up and down, filling the dark corning with light and then taking it away just as quickly. The flames of the torches sputtered and crackled with each new gust; that, and the rolling of paper around aged scrolls were the only sounds to be heard in the subterranean room.

Near the altar, at one end of the room Itachi sat motionless on a floor cushion engrossed in his reading. It was cold and at one point the teen had returned the scrolls to their hiding place in order to retrieve a blanket from one of the monks. They also gave him a thermos of hot tea and a portable oil heater. It had helped, and he returned to his studies. His chakra was still a little low from his illness and using it to heat his body would have tired him out too much.

As he continued to read he found that the secret compartment had held about twenty scrolls and after only four hours he sealed the compartment up and stared off into the dark recesses in front of him. The scrolls had been much more than he had dared imagine. "I can't believe such a thing exists." He said to himself.

"Lord Itachi?" A voice echoed down the stairs as the old priest called down to him, "The monks and I are getting ready to have dinner, would you like to join us?"

"No thank-you." Itachi called up, "I'm finished here. I'll be leaving soon."

The man walked away and Itachi shook his head to clear it as he stood up. The scrolls had been a chronicle, written by the chiefs, of the entire history of the clan from the time of Rikudou Sennin. The Rinnegan user's eldest son had been the first Sharingan user and his youngest son the first Senju. It was a shock and contradicted everything he had ever been told. They weren't descended from the Byakugan at all. That was a lie invented several generations later to hide the truth of the Rinnegan – Sharingan connection from the rest of the ninja world. It was, perhaps, one of the best cover-ups Itachi had ever seen.

Through the generations, without fail, each clan chief wrote out a short history of his or her era and the continued fight for supremacy over the Senju. But there was one similarity: life back then had been a constant battle that directly contradicted the deathbed wishes of their forefather. Yet none of the chiefs ever saw it that way. They never even questioned their actions. Nor did the Senju. For a thousand years, both sides fought each other and other clans, living the life of a Shinobi and all the blood and suffering it entailed.

Then came Madara. His great-grandfather's description of his birth was ominous. A cold, winter day, a storm, and a baby who, as he lain for the first time in the arms of his sixteen-year-old father, wasn't afraid of thunder and lightening but seemed to delight in it, gazing upward as the sharp, brilliantly white bolts shot up to the heavens as if daring the gods to come down and get him.

And the most chilling thing about the account was the man's last entry, written mere hours before his death, _"When Madara was born, I had an uncontrollable desire to throw him in the river. I have never felt that way before. Even in the midst of battle I never forgot the mission and would leave if the situation required. Why did I feel that way? Why do I continue to regret not having done it? This is the child of my precious grandson. I have tried to compensate for my feelings by showering the child with gifts and trying to include him in the family. Despite being a bastard, he is still my family. But today. Today I learned the full extent of his powers. He is five years old. He was attacked by his grandfather and in the process of defending himself and his uncle, he nearly killed him. He would have killed him if the healers hadn't gotten to him so quickly. His Sharingan has awakened, all three tomoes showed themselves clearly. This has never been seen before in one so young. And now I wonder if this foreshadows the rebirth of the Rinnegan back into the world. But my time is come and my heart is failing me. My final request is that my son, who will pick up my mantel of leadership, search for the Rinnegan and kill whoever carries it for the simple reason that I cannot bring myself to ask that Madara be killed."_

"It was one or the other." Itachi said to himself. "If both existed at the same time… the writings of the Rikudou Sennin could be read and the world thrown into war." He had continued reading, but while the next clan chief, Madara's father, did make a cursory search for a Rinnegan, he ran into problems of his own when he was killed a few years later. Madara was able to seize control of the clan at that time through his brother. Izuna had refused the position, opting to give it to his older brother instead. The council, knowing Madara's achievements, had been more than eager to go along with it.

And what did the next chief of the Uchiha clan write in his entry? The ink was black, but Itachi swore, as he continued to read, that it had turned red and he had even stopped a couple times to check. Battle and bloodshed was all he lived for. And after the deaths of his young children, it got twice as bad.

Then the Senju came into his life. Well, nothing he read about that conflict was any different from what he already knew. The founding of the village and Madara's eventual defection were well documented. His last words weren't even very dramatic, given the man's reputation. He had simply turned over governance to his uncle and left.

It had been interesting, reading the history of one's family had been like reading an adventure novel. There had been good leaders as well as bad ones. Some had died quite young, while others, like Madara's great-grandfather, had died quite old. The amount of information they shared varied widely as well. Most wrote yearly summaries of a few paragraphs, while some wrote histories the size of books. Of course, there was no way to read everything, so he had to pick and choose which ones. However, he found himself fascinated by the words of his own grandfather, a man who had gone insane and become a serial killer. Before his execution he had been allowed to write one last entry, and it had been short, _"Remember your promise Fugaku."_

Kentaro had been the next to document the history of the Uchiha. As Fugaku's guardian he had filled in as clan leader until the boy became old enough to take the position himself. His entries were rather generic, and consisted of reports of his young charge's progress in the ninja arts as well as the goings-on of the clan. Finally, upon reading Fugaku's entry he had learned what the promise was. To not have any children, _"…because the experiment had failed. I do not know what experiment he was talking about and he was probably just rambling, as he had just killed my mother and was threatening to kill me."_

It was chilling, and Itachi thought back to his own plans to wipe out the clan. His father had already gone through one betrayal, what had it been like to see his own son betray him as well? As it turned out, he had blamed himself instead of Itachi. Or so he had written. Of course, he had also layered a generous portion of guilt upon Madara, and later Danzou.

"I'm not guiltless, father." Itachi complained out loud, "Quit putting me on a pedestal."

But none of it was quite as shocking as the words written by the founder of the clan, in the very first scroll. Rikudou Sennin's own son.

The altar that was sitting in a position of prominence in the underground chamber had been created by that man after splitting the eleven-tailed beast into ten tails and disposing of him by throwing him into the sky and creating the moon. The chakra he had split became the tailed beasts of legend and reality.

Activating his Sharingan Itachi could clearly see the writing that described the event written across one side. He had known that was there for years, but, like everyone else, had only half believed it. The writing was considered nothing more than a decoration by most of the clan. A fairy tale to be told to children before they went to bed. Activating his Mangekyou Sharingan he looked again at the altar and was surprised to see more writing.

"It's true." He spoke into the empty room and the dancing shadows responded by flitting about even faster as a particularly strong wind blew down the stairs and disturbed the torches. Itachi looked behind him, up the stairs, half expecting to see the found of the clan standing there. It made him shudder and he pushed his hands into his pockets for warmth.

He tried to see if he could read anything else, but there was nothing. The only man who could read the final writing was currently in his father's study. Only the Rinnegan could finish the puzzle. The Mangekyou Sharingan and regular Sharingan were needed to read the first to sections. The Byakugan could read nothing. Nor could the handful of other eye jutsus that existed in the world.

A cold feeling of dread settled over the teen as he realized the altar was nothing more than a set of instructions for bringing together the tailed beasts for the purpose of controlling the eleventh tail. Madara's plan suddenly became clear.

But there was another problem. How much of this did Danzou know, or even guess at? Was it possible that he had ordered the demise of the Uchiha clan because he knew he wouldn't be able to kill the Rinnegan user? Itachi deduced that the Root commander probably knew Pein existed back then, maybe a lot longer than that. Pein was a little younger than his father, after all, and Danzou had connections to Rain country through its former ruler. If Pein had been careless in his youth, he would have stood out like a sore thumb.

So Madara, at some time in the past, had befriended Pein. He had linked Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnegan together to create the most powerful force the world had seen in a thousand years. No doubt, after he had become clan chief and read the words of his great-grandfather and his father, he would have had reason to suspect the Rinnegan had been reborn into the world. But how had he gotten Pein to side with him? What had he promised the man? It was obvious now, or at least strongly implied, that the figurehead of Akatsuki, the red-headed, pierced ninja who stood before the worlds most powerful terrorist organization as it's pretend leader was just as much a pawn as Itachi was.

But there was still one problem. Deducing the plan was one thing, but figuring out what the two men were going to do with it was quite another.

Rule the world? It sounded silly and, quite frankly, neither Pein nor Madara seemed inclined to be bothered with that much responsibility. Although he decided he could be wrong about that. After all, Pein was the ruler of Rain country, even if he did keep his identity a secret from his citizens. But what other reason was there, though? What could that much power be used for?

Itachi put out the torches and made his way back out into the storm. It was dark, and all hopes of shopping were now thrown out the window. Not only would the stores be closing soon, but when all was said and done, all he wanted to do now was get the list of elders completed for his father, eat dinner, and go to bed. It had been a long day. Unfortunately, it wasn't over yet.

* * *

"You understand the link between Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan." It was a statement and not a question. The red-haired man sat cross legged on the thin mat gazing intently at the Uchiha sitting in front of him.

"Of course."

"And Itachi?"

"You can't guess?"

"I am not psychic." The man wasn't even fazed by Fugaku's jab and continued to watch him closely.

"He is learning right now."

"Ah. I see."

Silence followed, and Pein closed his eyes and concentrated on the rain which was still falling rather heavily throughout the village. The wind had died down somewhat and the simple shoji doors separating the room from the walkway outside had stopped rattling. The only noise now was the kerosene heater that was clicking and humming as it attempted to ward off the winter chill.

"Madara concerns me." Pein finally opened his eyes and as he spoke his words were not only assertive, but delivered in such a way as to leave anyone listening no doubt as to his assertions. "We made our agreement many years ago, and I have always suspected he was less than up-front about his intentions, but lately… or perhaps to be more precise… ever since Itachi's failed attempt to massacre the clan… Madara has been slowly drifting towards some other goal."

"And that is?" Fugaku prompted quietly.

Pein inhaled deeply, letting the breath out as a sigh, "I am often accused of being paranoid. I will not deny the accusation, so you will excuse me if this sounds rather absurd. After the failed attempt to make Sasuke into a Jinchuuriki Madara began to talk about using him in a different way, but would never elaborate. A few years later we captured and sealed two Jinchuurikis. Madara immediately ordered me to back off and not capture any more. It made no sense, and again he refused to elaborate. However, I assure you we could have easily collected all the Jinchuurikis and been done with the formerly agreed upon plan within a year."

"I have already deduced some of this. It's obvious his interest in my son is somehow connected to Akatsuki. However… the rest…" Fugaku let his words trail off into nothing. He remembered Itachi telling him about the sealing, and, months later, his concerns about why they had been ordered to hold off on collecting the demon containers.

Once again, Pein broke the silence, "Are you aware that Madara was badly injured in his battle with the First Hokage and never recovered?"

That was a surprise and Fugaku shook his head, "How badly?"

"That I do not know. However, it's not enough to turn the tide if you or Itachi fought him. His knowledge of battle tactics and his shrewd intelligence more than make up for his deficiencies. What I'm getting at, is after considering these facts I am now under the impression that Madara is waiting for Sasuke to attain a certain level of power before going forward with our plan. If that is true, then the plan has changed."

"He wants to use Sasuke?"

"I believe he needs something of his. Perhaps his eyes? I am unsure of exactly what it could be."

"What was your original plan?"

Pein smirked, "Itachi has not told you?"

"Humor me." Fugaku didn't find the comment very amusing.

Pein, on the other hand, did, and gave a short laugh. He knew Itachi had been passing information to his father, but the plan he had told the Akatsuki about was different than the real plan, "After sealing all the Jinchuurikis into the statue we would then gain control of them, setting them loose to ravage the ninja world with war. The resulting chaos and misfortune that would befall the survivors would teach them pain and the wars would end. There would no longer be a need for ninjas, or ninja villages."

"And a couple generations later war would begin all over again."

"And we would unleash the tailed beasts to teach _them_ the meaning of pain as well."

"Humph. Whatever." Fugaku found the whole idea quite insane, but then again he had never exactly considered neither Pein nor Madara to be in their right minds in the first place. "That is actually quite straight-forward. How do you think Madara is changing it?"

"I have a feeling that Madara is changing it by completely throwing it out the window. As drastic as my plan is… or was… it would leave the majority of humanity alive to revel in their new-found world of peace. What concerns me is what a man like Madara could be up to. You know about the type of information written on your altar by our forefather. My eyes were able to read the final piece of the puzzle."

Fugaku suspected the Rinnegan user had been in Konoha in the past, and this confirmed it. "Please tell me you didn't give him a word by word translation."

"It was, perhaps, the worst mistake I have ever made, Fugaku. I deeply regret it now."

The admission took Fugaku by surprise and he gazed curiously into the man's ringed eyes. They were alert, as always, but now held a slight hint of sorrow. Pein leaned back on his hands and stared up at the beamed ceiling. The fluorescent lights flickered a couple times as a stray gust of wind hit the doors.

"So what's going to happen now?"

"My deal with Madara is off. I have considered this long and hard, and I see no way to execute my plan. He never intended for me to have the statue. Oh, perhaps the first stages of his plan called for me to use it, I don't doubt that, but in the end, it would not result in my peaceful world. It will be his. Whatever that is. Therefore, I am here to form a treaty with Konoha. A secret treaty, since it would be impossible to break all ties with him at this point. We will work together to gain information about Madara and what his plans could be."

Fugaku added his condition, "In return you will disassemble the statue and not use it."

Pein frowned, obviously unhappy, "Agreed. I have no choice. However, there are two demons sealed in it at the moment. They will have to be re-sealed into humans."

"Infants."

"Anyone else would likely die. We have many orphans in Rain, I will have my angel pick two and see that they are raised appropriately."

"Angel?" Fugaku was confused.

Pein smirked, "In Rain, I am a god, and the people call Konan my angel. She… can use her paper jutsu to form wings and fly short distances."

"Oh." He had to admit, that was one jutsu he wouldn't mind seeing. And with Konan, who was not only beautiful, but had a rather regal air about her, it would probably actually look like an angel, too. "Well, it has to be done, so do it. As for 'appropriate', I would like to see them in actual homes instead of tossed out to their own devices like Naruto was."

"You are a noble man." Pein added, smiling.

"Don't mock me. We both know what happens to orphans living on their own. You, in the middle of a war and me in a rich mansion in a village. It didn't do _either_ of us _any_ good."

"It did, Fugaku. It taught us pain."

* * *

Sensing that Pein and Konan had departed, Itachi made a u-turn at the porch steps of his house so he could retrieve Naruto. The rain was still falling, indicating that the Rain leader and his companion were probably still in the area, but he was fairly positive they would not be returning to Konoha.

The dark, winter gloominess of early evening was barely cheered by the lights of windows and streetlamps. He shuddered once as a cold breeze gusted past him and realized the temperature had dropped considerably since noon and the air smelled different. Less musty and more ionized. It smelled "fresh".

"It's going to snow." Itachi muttered distastefully. He wasn't looking forward to trudging through the countryside with two other people during a snow storm. Hopefully, in a couple days it would be back to rain. Or better yet, sunshine.

Toshiro met him at the door, having sensed his arrival, "Ready to reclaim your wayward brother?"

"Which one?" Itachi replied sarcastically. "They're both pretty wayward."

The older man laughed, "True enough. He can stay for dinner, though, and we'll send him home later. We have Konohamaru staying with us for a couple days while Asuma sorts out that Neji situation."

"Hmm. That's fine then. I'll pass that on to mother. So what's the problem with Neji? I spoke with him yesterday and I thought…"

Toshiro interrupted, "He tried to take on four A-class shinobi from Danzou's recruiting squad by himself instead of asking for help. Asuma happened to be nearby and was able to step in and help, but… during interrogation the four revealed the presence of several Hyuugas still acting under Danzou's orders. They were able to directly link them to the massacre of the main branch. It was quite a breakthrough."

"Hinata must be pleased."

"Yes. She spent the whole day with her cousin, even though he's still unconscious and likely will be for a couple more days." He changed the subject, "Would you like to stay for dinner as well?"

Itachi smiled, "No, yesterday Fugaku asked me to help him with something so I need to get back."

* * *

Sheeta was napping peacefully when Itachi entered their bedroom. The overhead light was still on and a book was still gripped loosely between her fingers. He glanced at the calendar she had tacked to the wall and stared suspiciously at the kittens who were looking a little too cute for the own good as they also slept peacefully in a red and green Christmas themed bed.

"Probably dreaming up new ways to shred the furniture." He muttered to himself. He turned around, half expecting to see Tama behind him before he remembered that the cat had departed with his brother. A feeling of remorse washed over him as he thought of Sasuke, far from home and without his family, sleeping in a strange room. At least Tama was with him, so perhaps that would give him some comfort.

"What did you get me for Christmas?" The sleepy voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to look at its source. Sheeta slowly sat back up and yawned widely.

"I wasn't able to go shopping today." He glanced back at the calendar and noted the date. "Christmas is tomorrow."

"But the stores will be closed." Sheeta smirked.

Itachi rolled his eyes up into his head and sighed, "You do remember that we live in Konoha, right?"

Sheeta laughed, "You promised to get me a Christmas present."

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten. I heard you had an appointment today." He easily changed the subject as he sat down on the bed across from her. He noticed that the bedspread was different, a floral pattern of red roses, bright green leaves and fat, happy robins now decorated his bed instead of his red one. Matching pillows, curtains, and a painting with more robins completed the ensemble. He wondered why he hadn't noticed the day before or even that morning. The oversight was disturbing.

"Yeah. It was weird. Tsunade herself asked me to come in. She took some blood samples and ordered me to drink bottled water for the rest of my pregnancy. She also said to eat only food prepared with bottled water."

"That's… weird. You didn't buy any though, when I saw you earlier you weren't carrying any bags."

"Mikoto ordered it to be delivered a couple times a week. Nui got in the habit of drinking bottled water when she became a medic, so she brought some of her stash over until we get our delivery tomorrow."

"So she thinks something is wrong with our water." Itachi muttered again. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"She said she was doing some tests and wanted me to come in every week for a while. It sounds like she wants to create a collection of blood samples so she can compare them to each other. She asked several other pregnant women to come in for the same tests and she pulled the toxicology samples from Rumiko's autopsy to study those as well. Remember, she got that infection after giving birth? She was really sick."

"This situation is making me sick." Itachi stated distastefully. Even though he had been very young when his mother was pregnant with Sasuke, he remembered how ill she had been, and how close both she and the baby had come to dying. It was not something he wanted to repeat with his own wife and child. Or anyone else's family when it came right down to it.

"It… it'll be okay." Sheeta muttered unconvincingly. "I'll drink the bottled water or other bottled juices…"

Itachi interrupted, "That isn't good enough."

"What?"

"Where is the water being bottled at? If there is something wrong with our water supply, then why assume the bottled water that comes from a factory outside of Konoha, and within Danzou's jurisdiction could be any healthier?"

"But… no one's had any problems giving birth in the last few years. The clan is calling it a mini baby boom."

"Okay. I know that. It's just…"

"Go talk to Tsunade then. I'll do whatever she tells me to do, as long as it helps our baby."

"I'll do that, Sheeta. Thank-you."

* * *

Fugaku was still in his study when Itachi sought him out an hour later. The brightly lit room smelled pleasantly of green tea and rice and the teen realized he was very hungry. The elder Uchiha took the list and glanced at it for a few minutes.

"Most of these names do not surprise me. A couple may get you into trouble, though, as they are members of the side-branch."

Itachi's evenly measured voice quickly explained his reasoning, "That was purposely done to give them a voice in the governing process. I decided to take a hint from the problems the Hyuugas were having and try to prevent the same thing from happening to us. When I am named chief I will make it a rule of law that at least two members of the side-branch be present on the council of elders at all times."

"Humph." Fugaku nodded once in approval, "Always six steps ahead of everyone else. Good job, Itachi."

"Is the change in the elder council the only thing you will be doing at tonight's meeting?" Itachi asked calmly.

Fugaku sighed, but didn't say anything.

"I don't have time right now to take over the duties of chief. I will be running after Sasuke to bring him back, and we both know that will take a while since we have no idea where Orochimaru is." Itachi lied easily and Fugaku, who had no reason to believe otherwise, went along with it. "I also have Akatsuki…"

"Akatsuki is no longer a concern of yours."

"What?" Itachi was a little put off by the suddenness of the news.

"Pein suspects Madara of betraying their agreement. He and I have formed an alliance to stop Madara. You are right, you will be too busy to take over my duties for a while."

"Madara will not allow Pein to back out of Akatsuki. No one leaves alive."

"That's why the agreement is a secret." Fugaku went on to explain the events of that afternoon.

However, Itachi wasn't convinced, "I can't believe a man who would agree to use a jutsu to extract demons would back out a plan that easily. He must have something else up his sleeve. He's very powerful, and very one-sided in his beliefs. He may want peace, but it's obvious he doesn't care what the cost is. Madara also wants peace, and he doesn't care what the cost is either. This agreement may be nothing more than a ruse."

"That is entirely possible." Fugaku admitted, "However, lying to me is the same as lying to you. He is smart enough to realize this without me explaining it to him. Any information we share, given our individual resources, could be verified and acted upon rather quickly. Therefore, his veracity is above board. However, you are right about suspecting his underlying maneuverings. If it weren't for my desire to uproot Madara I would never combine forces with him, and I certainly won't be turning my back to him."

Itachi smiled, "Then I will be leaving in a couple days. You can reach me with your cats, of course."

"Are you turning into a cat-hater, Itachi?" Fugaku smirked. He wondered if his son had noticed the slight annoyance that had crept into his voice when he has uttered the word "cat".

"Huh? No. Just a… little suspicious of the little monsters."

Fugaku laughed for the first time in weeks, causing his son to look at him as if he had lost him mind, "I guess they did tease you quite a bit when you were growing up. Don't worry about it, if they didn't like you they wouldn't give you the time of day."

Itachi had no idea how to take that and decided that nodding and saying nothing was probably the best course of action. He changed the subject, "Tsunade examined Sheeta this morning. What is she looking for?"

"Many things." Fugaku turned serious again, "She came to my office this morning and told me about how you were poisoned and her suspicions about the low birth-rate and infant survival rate in our clan. She had several water samples pulled and found trace amounts of the same poison in the water supply heading straight into the Uchiha district."

"That's… " For a couple minutes he couldn't think of anything else to say, however another questions soon popped into his head. "So if there are trace amounts now, and the number of babies born has gone up does that mean there used to be more poison in the water before the coup?"

"That is the assumption. She's collection blood samples now to see what she discover. She thinks the amounts are small enough now that it isn't a danger anymore."

"Bullshit!" Itachi clenched his fists tightly and instinctively activated his Sharingan. "I was infected! I had a large quantity of that poison in me and I impregnated Sheeta! It could be in our baby right now as we speak, in quantities much more lethal than what was in the water!"

"Yes, that's what she is afraid of." Fugaku spoke quietly. The idea that his son could loose his first child was horrifying. "Sheeta hasn't been told any of this. If you want to, tell her yourself. Or wait until we find out what the results of the tests are and if it can be treated."

"I'll wait." Itachi calmed down. There was no use worrying her before they had the facts. "But I will be gone…"

"If there is any danger, Tsunade will speak with Sheeta. She will have to arrange treatment anyway and that's a little hard to do if the person doesn't know they're sick."

Itachi sighed as he stood up. Only a few weeks into life, and his child was already fighting for his life because of a man who didn't even know he (or she as Sheeta would have added, had she been present) existed. It wasn't fair.

* * *

As predicted, most of the elders were rather bitter after being removed from their positions. The rest were rather pleased with Fugaku's decision and praised his actions. The list of new elders wasn't much of a surprise when they heard that it was Itachi who had drawn it up. Of course, Toshiro was on it. And when Itachi announced his intention to require the side-branch to become a permanent part of the elder council he was met with a fifty-fifty split as to whether it was a good idea or not. Of course, as Fugaku reminded them, it would be a few years before that happened. In the meantime, the two side-branch members who had been chosen could consider themselves in a "trial-run" of sorts, to convince any nay-sayers to change their minds.

As far as meetings went, it was very different from any Itachi had ever attended before, and more like the way he had always wanted them to be. Short and to the point. Thirty minutes after it began, it was over.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what the now deposed elders would do. Would they stand aside and let things go, or try to get back at his father or himself? Three of them were particularly distasteful, and he knew that Sasuke wasn't the only kid who had problems with them. Itachi clearly remembered being called in front of them as a child so they could threaten him if he didn't achieve some goal of theirs. He had never run away, but he had to admit he had thought about it a few times.

"We'll have to watch our backs." Fugaku gave voice to Itachi's thoughts.

"I know."

"Too many secrets, too many dark corners. If they start digging…"

When Fugaku's voice trailed off, Itachi had to steel himself for what was coming next, because he knew what his father would do to protect those secrets.

"I'll have to kill them."

* * *

Sasuke shivered once as he pulled off his black t-shirt and set it on the examination table he was now sitting on. The underground "hospital" Kabuto had set up was lit with several bright spotlights, powered by a generator that sat humming in a corner, but it was still rather dark and, the boy thought, spooky.

Kabuto smiled warmly, "I'm just going to do a cursory exam so I can baseline your current physical condition. It won't be anything invasive so don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Sasuke replied truthfully. Even though his brother had warned him about Kabuto's abilities, telling him that he was likely on par with Kakashi, or perhaps even exceeding him, for some reason he wasn't afraid of him. There certainly was non way the teen could escape if he use his Mangekyou Sharingan on him, no matter how skilled he was. Or at least he hoped so.

He still wasn't so sure about his new-found ability, but it did give him a bit more confidence knowing that if it came down to it he could defend himself. What happened after that… well, Sasuke knew he wasn't as good as his brother. He hadn't had the experience or even the same upbringing as the older boy and he didn't want any of that.

What he did want was to survive this mission and get away as soon as possible.

As far away from Konoha as possible. The other continent sounded like a good bet. Having picked up some Korean from Ji, Sasuke had been considering going off in that direction. But then again, he had also studied Mandarin. Then there was English and German. Too many choices. But all good choices if they got him away from all that chaos.

Then maybe in a few years he would go back home. Itachi would get healthy again, so he didn't have to worry about protecting him or have the burden of being named his heir. But a feeling of regret was still eating away at him. He wanted to see his first niece or nephew. He would miss that. And his betrothal would be cancelled. How would those girls feel? They seemed to like him, but at least he wouldn't have choose one.

That was also annoying him. He didn't like being pulled around between three girls who were, themselves, being used by their parents and clan to get closer to Konoha. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him, until now it made him angry to even consider the betrothal.

Kabuto rapped the boy lightly on the head, "Sasuke? Are you awake?"

"Oh." He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I was spacing out."

"That's okay. You're probably homesick. Mikoto's a great cook, huh? Much better than what Karin threw together last night." He glanced over to where a young red-head, the same age as Sasuke, was changing the IV bottles of a teen-age boy who was sleeping in some kind of life-support pod.

She looked up at him and glared, "If I remember right, I told you I couldn't cook, so don't blame me if you were running to the bathroom five times last night."

"I thought all girls could cook." Another boy, a little older than Sasuke and very tall, was sitting in the shadows near the pod.

"Juugo! You're a jerk! Girls aren't born knowing how to cook. They have to have someone teach them."

"Why didn't you study then?" It was a kind voice, and the question was honestly curious.

Karin's anger turned to sorrow and she clenched her hands in front of her tightly, as if trying desperately to hold onto something, "Because everyone who could teach me died."

That got Sasuke's attention, "They died?"

Kabuto interrupted, "Karin is a sensory type. She can sense chakra over large distances and her abilities are very powerful."

Karin continued, "I sensed enemies coming to my town and tried to warn everyone, but they didn't believe me. No one else in my family or the town had ninjutsu skills. I was something beyond their understanding. Needless to say, I was able to escape and they weren't."

"That's terrible." Juugo responded quietly, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Oh." Karin blushed slightly, "That's… okay… I guess… you wouldn't really know much about girls anyway."

Sasuke gasped slightly as Kabuto stuck an ice-cold stethoscope against his back, "Geeze, did you stick that in freezer before using it?"

"How'd you guess?" Kabuto teased, "Actually it was sitting on this tray over here, and it's kind of cold in here."

Karin had been staring at Sasuke after finishing her story and moved closer until she was standing directly in front of him. "I can finish up, Kabuto. I know you wanted to begin that treatment on Kimimaru."

"Sounds good. Here's the list of tests that need to be run. It's quite short, actually." He turned to face Sasuke, "Just so you don't find it odd that a twelve-year-old girl who is ogling your bare chest wants to examine you… she's my student. In addition to her sensory abilities, she was also born with a quite unusual medical ability. Like you, she's a new-comer, only been here a couple months."

Karin blushed again at Kabuto's teasing, "If you need anything I know where everything is by now, and I would be more than happy to show you around when we're done here." She bent closer to him so that she was next to his, "I know some even better places where we can be alone."

Sasuke's eyes opened wide and he quickly pulled away from the red-head, "No, that's okay. I think I'll go see Suigetsu."

"Suigetsu? Who's that?"

"Why don't you go with him, Karin? He's going to be one of your patients anyway, might as well meet him." Kabuto spoke while leaning over the unconscious teen.

"Fine." Sasuke sighed. At least he wouldn't be alone with her. "Just… don't touch me."

For some reason, that made Karin very happy and she smiled brightly at him as she picked up a small silver hammer and tapped him lightly underneath the knee, causing his leg to jerk up reflexively, "We'll see about that."

**

* * *

**

Next week: Kisame and Deidara arrive in Konoha, Sheeta gets her Christmas gift, and everyone sets out to "rescue" Sasuke. Who isn't really in any danger. Yet, anyway.

**You're probably wondering why Madara didn't call Itachi on his ring to see how he was doing. Remember, Itachi keeps his ring hidden and only checks it occasionally and if he's in the hospital, as Madara believes, contact would be impossible.**

**Almost forgot to add the Sasuke part. Karin isn't a jailer yet since she's only been with Orochimaru a few weeks longer than Sasuke, and I'm pretty sure it was implied that she worked with Kabuto at one point so I decided to make her his student. As for Juugo and Kimimaru… well, Kimimaru is getting a treatment but because this happens one year earlier than the manga, he isn't as far gone. And Juugo is supposed to be in a different hideout, but basically because Kimimaru is still alive Juugo hasn't been stuck in solitary confinement. Hopefully that's all somewhat believable.**

**Oh, and Orochimaru couldn't use Kimimaru's body to regenerate because even though it's a year or so before he dies, he's still too sick for the jutsu to work.**

**Please review! Updates on Fridays**


	47. Chapter 47 Their First Christmas

**Sorry this is late. I went out of town for Christmas and completely forgot about the story until I got there. Of course it was too late by then, xD. But anyway, I'm back now and here it is! **

**Thanks for the reviews and favs. They're great!**

**OMG! Are you reading the manga? I just… I can't believe that last panel! Genjutsu or reality, it doesn't matter. Just seeing him again was enough. Happy, happy.**

**Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

**Chapter 47 – Their First Christmas**

* * *

"Who's that?" Karin backed up a couple steps in shock when a voice from inside a tank of water questioned her presence.

"This is Karin." Sasuke was rather pleased to see the girl's reaction. Her flirting had been relentless as the pair had made their way down through the poorly-lit earthen corridors of Orochimaru's lair, and while he suspected most of it was done out of pure loneliness, it was still extremely annoying. "Karin, this is Suigetsu."

She moved hesitantly towards the tank and was greeted with a momentary vision of a naked boy with purple hair, purple eyes and very sharp, pointed teeth. "What… are you?"

That was something to ponder and Suigetsu was quiet for a couple minutes, "Existentially, I am nothing and everything. However, since I never really ever grasped the concept of philosophy, I guess I'm just one of a thousand of Orochimaru's 'guests', here to recline luxuriantly as he mercilessly caters to his whims to discover the secrets of my Kekkei Genkai."

"Hmm." Karin glared at Suigetsu. "There's no need to be condescending."

He laughed, "But it's so much fun!"

"Well, you two are going to be good friends." Sasuke teased. As expected, Suigetsu laughed and Karin gave him a dirty look. However, the mood quickly changed when a strong chakra source was detected.

Glancing quickly at the door, the three kids stared at it intently with mixed feelings of fascination, horror and revulsion. They knew who was walking down the hall toward the laboratory, and he certainly wasn't welcome.

Sasuke took a deep breath and released it slowly as he centered his chakra and hid his emotions deep within his psyche, just the way Itachi had had taught him. He wasn't an expert at it yet, but he was still doing a much better job than his two companions. Karin was radiating fear and Suigetsu's anger was rising by the second.

Soon enough, a pastey skinned man with long stringy hair, and a smile much to wide for his narrow head stepped through the door. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark brown, short-sleeved t-shirt. His sandals were the simple woven style worn by the local farmers. Considering how powerful he was, he looked rather normal and if it wasn't for his unusual skin color, could probably have passed through any civilian town without arousing suspicion.

The man's sibilant voice cut through the room like fingernails on a blackboard, "Ah! Sasuke, my boy, I see you've made friends."

"Where have you been Orochimaru? You said we would practice this morning and instead Kabuto shows up with some story about wanting to run tests on me." Sasuke's annoyance at being "stood up" was real. While he hated being around the man, after the first two training sessions he started to look forward to more. Orochimaru was amazingly powerful, and a very patient teacher. He never raised his voice or complained if Sasuke had to practice a technique a few times in order to master it, and so far, all the jutsu's he had shared had been "A" ranked. Something the boy was very pleased with. He had even suggested an alternate method of using the Raikiri jutsu that was rather intriguing.

"Well, for that I apologize. It was not my intention to cause you any inconvenience. However, my presence was needed elsewhere. You will have to be patient and accept such delays."

Sasuke nodded his head, "Okay. Are we going to go train now?"

"Not today. I have to leave again in a bit, but I'll be back in time for tomorrow's session."

Again Sasuke nodded. He could feel Karin fidgeting behind him and while the urge to turn around and look at her was strong, he refused to act on it.

However, Orochimaru had also noticed her discomfort and turned his attention turned to the red-head. He reached out a hand and placed it calmly on her shoulder. "For such a powerful young-lady, you sure are skittish." His words were kind and Sasuke wondered if he was truly concerned about the girl's well-being. It seemed impossible, though, from everything he had heard over the years. Orochimaru was a murderer who had kidnapped and experimented on Shinobi for years – men, women, children and even infants. No one was off-limits in his small world.

Karin seemed to be thinking the same thing and stepped back, forcing the snake-man's hand to fall away from her body. She shuddered once and she pulled her arms around her body and stared at the ground, not saying anything.

Orochimaru smiled, "My chakra is… unpleasant for you, isn't it?"

"Why… why would you say that?" Karin stuttered and she took one more step back.

"No matter. Once you are trained up by Kabuto I will be sending you to a different hideout. You won't have to be around me then." Once again, the concern in his voice seemed real, "So what do you think of Sasuke's chakra?"

"It… it's okay." She muttered.

Orochimaru laughed, "It's more than okay, Karin. Knowing what I do about your abilities, I daresay you probably find it _very_ pleasing." The way he said "very" sent chills up and down Sasuke's spine and he once again found himself the focus of the snake-man's attention when Orochimaru reached down and ran a hand through his hair, as if petting a cat, "Sasuke is very unusual. Very powerful, very driven and very…" He laughed as he dropped his hand down to rest on the boy's shoulder.

Sasuke had to pull out every reserve of self-control he had, and even some he didn't know he had to keep from reacting to Orochimaru's touches. His pride was not going to show much it repulsed him. However, he began to wonder if there might be another reason why he was warned to steer clear of the missing nin. Could it be possible that he had a fondness for children that possibly exceeded the student-teacher relationship Sasuke had assumed Orochimaru was trying to establish with him?

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Suigetsu spoke up in a clear, strong, and extremely angry voice, "Get your paws off of him you pervert!"

If the three children had expected that to anger the older man, they were sadly mistaken. Orochimaru started laughing and dropped down onto nearby chair. "Sure thing, my boy. I'll do whatever you say." His sarcasm was obvious and again Karin shuddered. "However, if I don't, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing, obviously." Suigetsu replied through clenched teeth. "However, Sasuke has way too much pride to lower himself to your level and Karin is too much of a chicken to speak up."

Orochimaru's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he answered the water-bound boy, "So you'll step forward to be their savior. How noble." Once again he laughed, "However, a threat with nothing to back it up is lost on me. I am one of the three sannin and, well, there is very little _anyone_ can do to threaten me."

Sasuke recognized the obvious arrogance in the man's words and wondered how many Shinobi backed off without fighting once they heard them. It didn't work on him, though. Itachi had told him that the Sharingan was more than a match for the snake-man's powers and once he was able to confront him, they would be able to defeat him easily. It was Danzou that his brother seemed worried about, and that scared Sasuke.

Orochimaru left the lab, still laughing. Suigetsu pounded a few times on the glass of his enclosure without any effect before disappearing from view, dissolving into a liquid shape with no form. Karin closed her eyes and dropped down onto the floor and drew her knees up to her chest. She was visibly shaking and began taking deep breaths in a effort to calm herself.

Sasuke knelt down on one knee next to her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded once and sighed, "I'm a sensor type. Kabuto told you that. There's something wrong with Orochimaru's chakra. It scares me of course, but there something else… something that makes me feel sick and… and… I can't describe it. I just hope I learn fast so I can get away from him soon."

Suigetsu spoke up, sounding rather sulky and very depressed, "Why don't you run away? I would if I could get out of here. Of course, I'd kill _him_ first."

Karin gulped once and stood back up, "Where would I go? I have no village, no family. I was living on the streets… hungry and cold and the things people wanted me to do to make money… it… I can't do that. I have to stay here. I have no where else to go." She turned around and quietly exited the room.

Glancing at the water-filled enclosure Sasuke sensed there would be no more conversation from his new friend and exited the room as well. Since training was called off for the day, he now had a perfect chance to take care of some personal business.

* * *

The snow started shortly after midnight and by morning it was still falling. The unexpected snowstorm was the talk of Konoha and while those who celebrated Christmas were joyously waking up to presents and snowmen, the rest of the village wasn't too happy with the cold weather. After all, who wants to patrol or train when it's wet and cold outside?

However, a short distance from Konoha a man and woman sat alone in a cave overlooking the region, seemingly oblivious to the inclement weather. They had stayed there all night, rarely speaking, as if waiting for some sign or perhaps weary and unwilling to move on.

The woman had slept for a few hours, pulling a black and red cloak around herself protectively. But the man had stayed awake. Vigilant and pensive, he had observed the entire area through the force of his chakra, as well as watched over his sleeping companion. When she had finally woken up he watched as she brushed out her long blue hair and put it in a bun and adjusted her sleep-crumpled clothing.

"Konan." He finally said, speaking in a hoarse voice, "What did you dream?"

She looked closely at her friend. Trapped as he was in a mechanical device designed not only to channel his chakra but also to extend his life, he was no longer the boy she had grown up with, yet at the same time she could not deny that he was anything but that boy. He had the same face, despite the emaciated and broken body that was displayed before her. He had the same voice, despite it's hoarseness and harsh words. He was still kind, despite his paranoia and hard-handed method of ruling Rain. He was still Nagato. The boy she had found all those years ago lying face down on the road nearly starved to death.

"I dreamt…" Konan paused and gazed out through the opening of the cave at the softly falling snow and for a moment she thought about how beautiful it was and how much she would like to just sit there all day and watch it cover the surrounding landscape in a fluffy mantle of pure white, "it's not important."

"It is." He insisted.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She easily changed the subject, but it didn't work.

"Please tell me." He whispered, "My dreams… I no longer sleep."

"You, me, Yahiko and Chibi were stealing some fish from a market, but the stall owner was Hanzou and Danzou was also there for some reason and we were caught. We escaped and ran away, but when I stopped running I was as I am now, in this cloak, and alone. Nagato…"

"Konan, I'm not leaving you any time soon."

"Your body can't take much more of this. Every time you use an advanced jutsu it takes more and more of your body awat from you. You are only alive now because of that machine. I know… and you have to accept… you will leave me."

"I'm sorry. I did it to save you. To save the world from war. It's probably just as well that I no longer dream. My dreams… If only I knew what Madara's real plan was. Back then, I thought I knew. I thought he walked the same path as me. As us."

"We were too desperate. Yahiko had just died and our emotions were raw. Our entire rebel force had fallen apart because of Hanzou and Danzou. Madara's promises of help were our only ray of sunshine back then. It was like the sun rising out of the sea."

"Like a sunrise after a long night of storms. Akatsuki. Sunrise." Nagato spoke wistfully.

"Is that all over now?"

"Perhaps not. I am not overly fond of Madara, but I have to recognize his sincerity. I will not make up my mind about what to do with him until I find out what he is up to. However, the demons are no longer a part of the plan. If his plan is to revive the ten-tails then I want no part of that. Releasing the first nine demons is enough of a message and there was never any need to go any further. If, as I suspect, he does want to go further, then I will do anything in my power to keep him from completing the statue.

"But he is not a fool. If his plan fails, or cannot be executed, he is completely capable of coming up with an alternate plan. It is that alternate plan that may save us, or cause us more problems."

Konan sighed, "As you wish. You know my feelings. I do not like him, however, I will follow your wishes in this matter. If you say to spare him, then I can accept that."

Nagato smiled, "Thank-you my love. Let's go home now. I think we've probably spent more than enough time here."

* * *

Itachi gazed thoughtfully at the rings in the display case with trepidation and an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. He had been staring at them for the better part of an hour, unmoving and undecided. It was a new feeling for him. As a top Shinobi he was often called upon to make instant decisions and formulate last-minute strategies. Yet this was different. He wasn't on a life-and-death mission with the responsibility of the village and clan resting on his shoulders. Instead it was a life-and death mission to get his girlfriend, well, his wife, an engagement ring so he could propose they could be married properly in a ceremony.

The clerk had kept a respectful distance from the teen, but when an hour passed the elderly gentlemen stepped forward and picked up a small gold band with a single red ruby setting that had smaller diamonds set on either side.

"Since you will be getting married in the next couple months, perhaps I could suggest a simple setting. You would, of course, bring your bride in for the selection of the wedding rings."

That appealed to the teen and he accepted the ring, looking closely at the stones and the gold band for any flaws. Having Sheeta pick out the wedding rings sounded like the answer to his dilemma. He wouldn't have to guess what she would want and anything she liked he was sure to be to his liking as well. And the small ruby ring did sparkle beautifully under the bright light of the lamp set next to the jewelry boxes.

"Okay, that's fine." Itachi reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I brought her favorite ring so you can see what size it is. Can you have it ready today?"

The man smiled warmly, "Lord Itachi, you have been coming in here since you were a small child and you have always been one of my favorite customers. Your eye for detail and perfection, and your ability to detect quality are to be admired. You would have made an excellent jeweler. So for you, it will be ready in two hours for no extra charge."

Of course, that made Itachi smile, "I feel silly then, I always feel rather stressed out coming here. Thank-you for your help. I'll be back to pick it up."

As he stepped out of the store he glanced around at the snow-covered shopping district. A few of the other pedestrians were protecting themselves with umbrellas while several small girls were making a snowman in front of a pastry shop while the owner's elderly mother looked on with glee. She was holding a scarf, hat and some small rocks in her hands, waiting patiently for the girls to finish so the finishing touches could be applied.

Itachi walked down the street to the river and leaned against the metal railing that protected people from falling in. Evidence of the previous days' storm could be seen as branches and other flotsam and jetsam lapped gently against the banks. He could see where some of the larger debris had already been fished out and was now resting on a small flat boat waiting to be hauled outside the village and disposed of.

"Itachi! What are you doing out on such a snowy day?"

He looked up and saw Yuri standing a few feet away from him. She was dressed in a long white cloak with a white muffler and white gloves, and looked very comfortable. "Oh, Sheeta wants a Christmas present."

"Hmm."

"So you got married?" Itachi smirked, knowing how hesitant she was about marrying her older cousin.

"Uh, yeah. Too bad you were on a mission, but thank-you for the beautiful cabinet." She bowed forward and when she straightened back up she had a big smile on her face, "I'm starting to fit in better as the clan head. I still miss Uncle quite a bit. Or, I guess I could call him father now, since he wasn't really my uncle…" her voice trailed off and she glanced out at the river.

Itachi noticed that he was now a couple inches taller than the woman and smiled. As the youngest and smallest person on their Genin team, he had always been forced to look up at all the people around him. He realized it was a bit of a relief to be able to look them in the eye. It was less intimidating.

'Was I intimidated by that?' Itachi wondered to himself. He remembered how angry it would make him when people underestimated him because of his size or age so perhaps it had.

Itachi spoke calmly, "Well hopefully you can make it to my wedding. We don't have a date yet, but it should be in a couple months."

"I'll look forward to it. I'm… not leaving the village for a while." She patted her stomach and Itachi instinctively activated his Sharingan and looked.

He smiled sheepishly at her obviously swollen midsection, "Oh. Baby. Congratulations, then."

Yuri laughed, "Of course, she's due to show up in a couple months so we'll really have to wait and see if we can go or not."

"Of course." Itachi had a sudden image of Yuri going into labor during the ceremony and gave a short laugh. It would be amusing. However, what would _really_ be amusing would be if Sheeta went into labor during her wedding. A few of the more prudish of the clan would no doubt be horrified at the thought. He had a sudden urge to postpone the wedding until the ninth month, but he repressed it quickly. While Sheeta would probably find it just as amusing as he did, she would probably not accept the delay very gracefully.

"I saw Sheeta at the hospital. You were a bad boy, Itachi." She gave him a worried grin, "She's still young, you know."

"Yeah. I know. I'm not living that down any time soon. Or ever. But… while I don't regret getting a baby, the way I went about it was unforgiveable. Which brings me back to the present."

"Good luck with that." Yuri pulled on her muffler and sighed, "I'm just out for a walk. I always loved the snow." She walked off slowly, leaving Itachi to his own musings.

"Back to shopping." He made his way back to the stores and began his quest for the perfect present. Whatever that was.

* * *

"Sheeta, it's beautiful." Mikoto clasped her hands together and smiled and the younger girl. The upstairs living room now held a six foot tall tree with multi-colored lights, glass balls of red and green, and garlands of gold and silver foil. The lights blinked on and off in a random pattern that was both pleasing to the eye and somehow reminiscent of a winter sky filled with stars. A red blanket with images of Santa Claus riding a sleigh was wrapped around the base.

"I don't have very many decorations yet. The clerk said it was better to buy a few every year instead of all at once." Sheeta stood back, proud of her work and eager for Itachi to come home and see it.

Mikoto fingered the garland, looking closely at the shiny gold foil, "I've never done Christmas before. What made you decide to put up a tree?"

"Oh, I got mad at Itachi and said something about how he had never bought me a Christmas present and, well, I kind of stuck my foot in my mouth I guess. I mean, of course he never bought me one. Technically, he's Buddhist and, well, before we came to Konoha my family was raised in the Shinto tradition and my aunt still worships at the shrine in the village on important occasions."

"Well, no reason to go to all this trouble then, but I am glad you did. It's a beautiful tree. Besides, Itachi has some retribution owed to you so maybe you two can use this as a way to make up. Christmas is supposed to be about new beginnings after all. Or so I've been led to believe."

"Yeah." Sheeta dropped down onto the couch, "That's what I'm hoping. Maybe that hole in my heart can close a little bit now."

* * *

The house was far too quiet when Itachi returned in time for dinner. Of course, with Sasuke gone there was no one for Naruto to argue with. It felt lonely. Making his way upstairs he heard voices coming from the living room and recognized Sheeta, Mikoto and Naruto. They seemed to be watching TV.

"Sheeta, I'm back." Itachi stated the obvious as he entered the room and took in the sight of the decorated tree. "Hn. It looks like you were busy today."

"Of course." The teen stood up from the couch and made her way over to Itachi, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a big smile.

"Come on Naruto, why don't you help me get dinner on the table?" Mikoto stood up and waved the blond boy over to her as she exited the room.

"Ha ha!" Naruto winked at Itachi as he walked past him, "If you need any help, the good magazines are under Sasuke's mattress."

"No they're not!" Mikoto replied in a sing-song voice from the hallway.

After they had left, Itachi and Sheeta stared at the closed living-room door for a moment, trying to understand what Naruto was saying. It was a little troubling.

Sheeta was the first to break the silence, "Naruto and Sasuke were looking at porn?"

"Who knows. With those two, they could have just been passing a magazine around to try to get each other in trouble with Mother. Since all she would have done is yell at them, it no doubt would have been great fun for them."

Sheeta sighed as she pulled away from Itachi and stuck her hands in her pockets. She was wearing a pair of long black pants and a long-sleeved red sweater trimmed along the bottom and top with a single row of Christmas trees. Her long hair was left loose and was freshly trimmed in a straight line at her hips.

"So." Itachi said calmly as he reached into his pocket. "Here is your Christmas gift." He handed an envelope to the eager girl and smiled as she opened it.

"Decorating?" Sheeta was a little surprised and stared at the receipt from the Konoha Home Deco Studio.

"It's for all the rooms up here. So, you can do the living room and the bedroom and the baby's room and even set up a room for the baby for when he get's older. Then we can re-use the baby room for the next one."

Sheeta laughed, "This is a great gift! I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. I imagine it takes them a while to work everything out."

"A lot of their merchandise has to be ordered, so yes, it will take a few months." He was pleased that she liked it. When he had found out how long it could take to complete the decorating the first thing that came to his mind was that it would be something for the girl to work on during her pregnancy, a temporary distraction in case she started having problems.

"Wow. I really wasn't expecting this."

"I have another gift as well." He pulled out a small box wrapped in green paper and tied with a red bow.

Sheeta accepted it, and when she recognized the size and something familiar her eyes opened wide and her hands started to tremble. Carefully opening she found a small box lined with silk fabric.

Itachi took the box from her and opened it, showing her the ruby ring. He was a little surprised when she looked at it with trepidation and gulped a couple times. "It's… an engagement ring." he explained softly. For some reason, Sheeta actually appeared to be a little afraid of it. It wasn't what he had expected to happen. Removing the ring from the box he placed it carefully on her right ring finger and looked carefully at her face, waiting for a reaction. However, the girl continued to tremble and stare at the ring.

'What is she thinking?' Itachi wondered to himself. The TV continued to blare in the background, and a dog barking nearby were the only sounds for almost five minutes as neither teen made a move. Perhaps he should say something. "Sheeta, will you marry me?"

This broke her out of her stupor and she blinked at Itachi a couple times before nodding her head carefully up and down a couple times before speaking, "Y…yes."

"You seem uncertain." Itachi wondered if perhaps he had done something wrong. He hadn't even considered that there was a right or wrong way to propose. After all, they were technically already married.

"N…no. It's not that. It's just… that… it seems so real now."

"Real?"

"Yeah. Like, we're grown up and… and… I…" Tears started to leak from her eyes and she threw herself into Itachi's arms. He pulled her closer and sighed. She wasn't actually crying, but seemed to be very upset.

"I did that to you, Sheeta, and… I'm not sorry about the baby. I really thought I was going to die and I wanted to leave an heir behind. For you to have someone with you when I was gone. And I wanted to remove Sasuke from the line of succession so he could have a normal life. It was a promise I made years ago to protect him. But… the way I went about it was wrong. However, what's happened is happened and we can't go back."

"Okay." Sheeta lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, "Moving forward is our only option then." This time she smiled, and to Itachi it seemed as if her entire face had just taken on the radiance of an angel and he sighed with relief as he re-adjusted his arms and pulled her closer for a kiss.

* * *

"Man, this sucks." Deidara kicked at the snow with his boot. "Why don't we just go after Sasuke without Itachi? I can fight Orochimaru."

"How noble of you." A dry, cracked voice mocked the teen as the puppet it was encased in plowed forward despite the deep snow.

"I wasn't being noble."

"No, you were being annoying. Orochimaru is Itachi's grudge, not yours."

"So why are we heading to Konoha again? I want to fight Orochimaru." Deidara was pouting now and every step he took included a rather rough kick that sent snow billowing up a couple feet, falling back to earth in a series of tiny snowballs that rolled a few inches before stopping.

Kisame, who was walking in front of him and getting hit by some of the snow suddenly turned around, grabbed a handful of it and shoved it directly in the teen's face, knocking him to the ground. Growling, he gave Deidara a series of simple orders before turning his back and walking away, "Stand-up, be quiet, and walk normally."

"That's cold!" Deidara spluttered. However, since discretion is the better part of valor and he hadn't gone completely insane, he stood up, closed his mouth and stopped kicking the snow. However, he did glare mercilessly at the blue man's back.

"That quieted him down." Sasori mocked.

"Sasori, you aren't helping any when you goad him." Kisame added angrily.

The puppet-man sighed, "What's got you in such a mood?"

"Nothing." A moment later Kisame spoke again, "I don't approve of all the help we've been giving Konoha, and specifically Fugaku Uchiha. An now we're off again to do more."

"We're helping Sasuke, not Fugaku." Deidara added quietly.

"Keep telling yourself that, kid, maybe you'll believe it someday."

"What?" The blond was completely confused now. The orders they had been given were to rendezvous with Itachi and then go after Sasuke. It had seemed rather straight-forward.

Kisame sighed, "Doesn't it seem odd to you that Madara is placing all this importance on Sasuke? I get the impression that he is important to Akatsuki somehow, and I also think that bothers Itachi. However, I also get the impression that Madara is trying very hard to appease Fugaku for some reason."

"The boy has potential." Sasori added, "He is developing a new recruit, possibly. To replace Itachi when he becomes too sick to continue his duties."

Deidara nodded, "That would make sense."

"It would at that." Kisame agreed reluctantly. However, it still felt like there was something he was missing, some important detail, and despite his laid back nature, he was not a man who could relax when there was something amiss. A faint chakra source up ahead alerted him to the presence of someone unexpected and he held up his arm as he stopped, signaling his companions to stop as well.

"Who is that?" Deidara asked quietly as he stuck his hands in his clay pouches.

"Bad news." Kisame responded bitterly.

Sasori was just as angry, "What the hell is he dong here, and why is he with Itachi?"

"Itachi?" Deidara hadn't sensed the Uchiha at all and his mood darkened as the oversight ate away at his remaining patience.

"Let's find out." Kisame pushed forward through the deep snow and within ten minutes the three Akatsuki were standing in a clearing five miles outside of Konoha facing Itachi and his companions.

* * *

Itachi was not pleased, "So why are you here?" It was early morning, the day after Christmas and instead being asleep in a warm bed next to his fiancée (as the pair had agreed to refer to each other since in the absence of a wedding ceremony neither felt married) he was trampling through the cold snow with an over-cheerful perverted middle-aged man and a cranky twelve-year-old boy. And now he had three more problems standing in front of him.

Sasori spoke up, "Leader, or rather Madara, felt you would be too ill to take on Orochimaru by yourself and ordered us to back you up."

"Unacceptable." Itachi said sternly, "I am healthy enough for this. Please leave."

"Is that anyway to speak to your dearest friends?" Deidara wanted nothing more than to leave, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to goad the other teenager.

Itachi, however, knew better than to respond to that and ignored the blond. Instead he turned to Kisame, "Please relay my current situation to Madara and inform him that no assistance is needed."

Kisame sighed and shook his head, "I'm not your secretary, kid. Nor am I your babysitter. Madara seems to think you need backup so it is he that you should relay that information to, not me." He looked at the elder of Itachi's companions and bared his sharp teeth in a grimace meant to intimidate. "And why, exactly, are you travelling with Jiraiya?"

The older man responded before Itachi could speak up, "For the same reason Madara sent you. Only it was my idea."

Kisame was even less pleased to hear this, "You've developed quite a reputation there Itachi. Everyone seems to think you're going to drop dead any minute."

Itachi gritted his teeth and practically growled out his next sentence, "I assure you I will not."

"Then I believe we will also accompany you. Reporting back to Leader and Madara about your health is the only way to get them off our collective backs, so to speak." The blue man readjusted Samehada on his back and stuck his hands in his pockets to show he had no intention to cause any trouble.

This was not acceptable and Itachi glanced at Jiraiya and Naruto. If Madara found out that Sasuke was not planning on returning to Konoha it would cause no end of trouble. However, was it possible he already knew?

Itachi was careful to choose his next words, "Kisame, what did Leader say about Sasuke?"

"He said the boy ran away from home, straight into Orochimaru's clutches. Since it was reported that you were in the hospital, nearly dead, Madara worried that when you were released you would run after Sasuke, challenge Orochimaru, and, in your weakened state fall prey to him. At that point Sasuke would become superfluous and likely be killed."

"So he believes Orochimaru would rather have me than Sasuke." Itachi said quietly. "It is a logical assumption, of course. I did cut his hand off after all, and getting my body would no doubt be sufficient revenge in his eyes. However, considering that each body only lasts three years I find it hard to believe he would dispose of Sasuke. He could just hold on to him and use him next. Surely Madara would have considered that as an option."

Sasori spoke up, "Madara knows Orochimaru very well, Itachi. Better than you do. With Uchiha's in Konoha and Mist he has the 'pick of the litter', so to speak. When you look at it like that, there is no reason to keep Sasuke."

"And Sasuke would probably try to kill Orochimaru if he hurt you." Deidara added, "It would be unwise to keep such a threat around."

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then glanced at Jiraiya who was still sizing up the three Akatsuki. Naruto was standing behind his god-father looking rather small and a more than a little afraid. Even though he had met Deidara and Kisame before, he had never seen them engaging in such a high-level conversation and it was definitely intimidating him.

"If they can behave themselves…" Jiraiya spoke up in a thoughtful voice, "And follow your orders…"

"We really have no choice." Itachi interrupted. "However, I want it known here and now that any attempt to remove Sasuke from my custody once I retrieve him will be met with deadly force."

Deidara laughed, "So that's what's got you so upset. The kid is intending to not to go home! Didn't think he actually had the guts to pull something like that. I thought he was just doing the usual 'run-away and make mom and dad come get me to prove they love me' shit. He's really serious!"

There was no point denying it now. Itachi was rather surprised at how quickly Deidara had grasped the situation. "Yeah. He's serious. And that is why I was trying to keep it from Madara. Thank-you for ruining that, Deidara."

"Huh? Oh…" Deidara frowned and looked around at the trees and shrubs that surrounded them. "Zetsu is probably following us. I…" He almost apologized, but his pride stepped in and he quickly shut his mouth.

Itachi, however, caught the intent behind the unspoken words and nodded once at Deidara. "Let's get going. I got a message from Sasuke and I know where he is."

"A message?" Kisame asked.

"This whole thing was supposed to be a setup to get back at Fugaku. We return to Konoha from the wedding, Sasuke picks a fight with the elders and runs away to Orochimaru, who finds him and takes him in. Then Sasuke informs me where he is and I show up. The two of us then defeat Orochimaru and hunt down Danzou. However, when I became ill I told Sasuke to back off and do nothing. The elders picked a fight with him while I was sick and Sasuke couldn't handle it anymore. He ran away against my orders and swore never to return. He will still go along with my plan, but after that…" Itachi's voice trailed off.

Naruto spoke up for the first time, clenching his fist to show his determination, "We'll get him back, Itachi! No matter what! And with these guys helping, it's a sure thing!"

Itachi smiled, "Of course."

Kisame laughed at Naruto's determination, "Well, let's get this over with."

"I'm taking off." Sasori spoke up, "There's no reason for this many people to go. But I also won't repeat anything you just said, Itachi. Frankly, I could care less anyway."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, "Sounds good." He knew the puppet-master would keep to himself, and frankly he preferred to not have him around. Despite having known him for years, the corpse-puppets Sasori used still gave him the creeps.

"Let's go!" Naruto raised one arm into the air and tramped off through the snow, grinning cheerfully. However, Jiraiya's hearty laugh stopped him in his tracks and he turned around to face him, still grinning, "I'm going the wrong direction, aren't I?"

Jiraiya waved him over, "Come on, kid. This way."

"This is going to be an experience." Deidara was also smiling and he fell into step beside Naruto. Perhaps this mission wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be.

**

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**Next week, the group gets closer to their goal. **

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	48. Chapter 48 That Remembrance From Long Ag

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**No manga or anime this week. Oh well. I was able to catch up on One Piece finally. I'm still way behind with Bleach though (about 30 episodes I think and considering I really like that show I can't believe I did that.)**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

* * *

**Chapter 48 – That Remembrance From Long Ago**

All things considered, Itachi was at least glad that there had been no murders so far, although the way Kisame and Jiraiya had been glaring at each other for the last few hours certainly made him wonder if it was just a matter of time. While Jiraiya had been the one to acquiesce to the Akatsuki offer to accompany them, it was obvious the reason behind it had been more to keep an eye on them than to combine forces. And Kisame seemed to be in a rather foul mood to begin with. Although travelling with Sasori and Deidara could drive one partially insane if they started arguing about art or some other nonsensical subject.

On the other hand, Deidara and Naruto had been chatting almost non-stop all day. And the most remarkable thing about that was how meaningless the conversations had been thus far. Itachi was in awe over how in depth the two could get over their favorite subjects of art and ramen without boring each other. Naruto had even gone into a thirty minute rant at one point about how he was going to become the Hokage and be the most respected man in Konoha.

"_Since when were Kage's respected?"_ Kisame had muttered, so quietly that only Itachi and Jiraiya had heard him.

As the sun dipped over the horizon Kisame suggested they spend the night in a nearby cave and pointed to a hole in the cliffs above them. It was about a hundred feet up and overlooked the valley they were currently trudging through. "It has a good view of the area and we shouldn't be seen travelling together in any of the towns."

Itachi and Jiraiya instantly agreed, Deidara frowned, not liking the thought of spending the night in the cold but didn't argue. Naruto, on the other hand....

"What? Are you out of your mind? It's cold out here!" A confused look crossed the boys face when his four companions groaned. "What's so bad about people seeing us?"

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead and glanced worriedly at the two Akatsuki members and Itachi. "Naruto, there are probably a dozen reasons why Kisame's idea is sound. The first few that come to mind are that you and I are _supposed_ to be on a training mission, Itachi is _supposed_ to be wandering around looking for clues as to where Sasuke is, and _neither_ of us should be seen travelling around with members of a criminal organization that has openly declared it's intent to capture Jinchuurikis and steel their demons. It could raise questions that, if they lead to Itachi's involvement in said organization, could throw Konoha into chaos. And you, my boy, _are_ a Jinchuuriki in case you had forgotten. Do I really need to go into the other five-hundred reasons?"

"Yeah I…Ouch!" The white-haired sannin hit his godson over the head and pointed at the cave.

"Let's get up there and brew some tea. I'm getting thirsty."

Kisame grinned as he watched Naruto rubbing his head and glaring at Jiraiya, "I've got some sake to stick in that tea."

"Ha! Let's get going then!" Jiraiya liked the sound of that. Turning around to face the cliff he stepped back suddenly when he saw a blue-haired woman in a black and red cloak standing against the embankment.

Konan clasped her hands in front of her and frowned, obviously displeased at having run into them, "Good evening gentlemen. What brings you here?"

* * *

"Sasuke, may I have a word with you?" A teenager, about fourteen-years-old, with long white hair, very fair skin and two red dots tattooed over his forehead stepped onto the small underground training arena, interrupting Sasuke's Taijutsu practice.

"Um, sure." The boy wasn't pleased about the interruption. He had come down to train an hour early specifically to have some time to himself before Orochimaru joined him. The snake-man had moved that morning's training session to early evening and he was still a little upset about that. However, he recognized the teen from Kabuto's clinic and was curious about why he would go to the trouble to seek him out.

"I don't know if you know who I am, so I'll introduce myself. I am Kimimaro from the Kaguya clan of Water country. He held out his right hand in a show of manners that rivaled anything Sasuke had seen thus far. It was rather surprising and he hesitated a couple seconds before shaking it.

"Is everything okay?" Perhaps the teen had come down to tell him Orochimaru was going to be late again. Sasuke's mind couldn't think of any other reason why he would come to see him. All he knew about Kimimaro was that he was supposed to have been the vessel for Orochimaru's soul, but had become ill and was now undergoing treatment by Kabuto.

Kimimaro turned around to face the door and called out in a friendly, "Juugo? We're not interrupting him, come join us."

A teenager approaching six-feet tall stepped in. His unruly red hair and simple gray pants and tunic gave him the appearance of someone who had just woken up. It was a stark contrast the clean, well-pressed appearance of his companion. Sasuke recognized him from the day before. He had inadvertently insulted Karin, but strangely enough, the girl had been rather quick to forgive him for it, something that seemed to go against her personality.

"Sasuke, this is Juugo. He is the source of the curse Orochimaru has gifted both of us with."

"I wouldn't call it a gift." Sasuke added bitterly as he subconsciously reached up to rub his shoulder.

Kimimaro gave him a patient smile, "You will. The power you will be able to unleash will be beyond your imagining."

"If you're asking me to thank him for that, forget it."

"No, Juugo isn't very happy with being used in that way. He would not appreciate your 'thanks' if you gave it. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Sasuke, I spoke with Karin and Juugo about the quality of your chakra, and Kabuto about your eyes. I believe you are, to put it bluntly, my 'heir'."

Sasuke interrupted, "I am going to be Orochimaru's next body, if that's what you mean."

"You are. But what I'm getting at is that I will be dead soon. Maybe a few months, a year at the outside. Kabuto isn't able to do anything for my illness except extend my life a short time. However, I made a promise to protect Juugo. To be his friend. When I am gone, I want you to take over that promise."

"I… why does he need to be watched over?" Sasuke thought perhaps the tall boy was physically or mentally incapacitated, but there was nothing to back it up. He looked very strong, very fit, and perfectly capable of protecting himself on his own.

Juugo spoke up for the first time, his soft voice had a way of garnering attention and Sasuke found himself wanting to hear everything he had to say, "I came to Orochimaru looking for a cure for my condition. I go into uncontrollable fits of rage on occasion and kill everyone around me. Kimimaro is the only person who can calm me. He wraps his Kekkei Genkai around me and the chakra calms me somehow. Only then can I return to normal."

"When I die," Kimimaro continued, "Juugo will have to be locked up not only to protect others, but to protect himself as well. Even though he is a gentle person who wouldn't hurt a fly, his rages are beyond comprehension. If he weren't locked up, he would eventually run into someone stronger than himself and be killed."

Sasuke sighed, "If you are asking someone to give up their life and let themselves be killed because Juugo is a 'good guy', then I…"

Kimimaro laughed, "No, no… that's not what I meant. They would have a perfectly justifiable reason to kill him, or anyone in that matter. It's just that I made a promise and I am a man who keeps his promises. What I want Sasuke, is for you to take over that promise. I can look at you and tell you aren't like the others here."

Looking up at Juugo, Sasuke considered the request, but felt he needed a little bit more time to think, "What are you dying of?"

"It's a genetic Kekkei Genkai related disease. Since you also come from a clan with a blood-line trait you are probably familiar with it."

Sasuke nodded his head, but kept quiet. He knew that saying anything about his own brother's experience could put Itachi at a disadvantage.

"I hate to put you on the spot. It's clear you would like more time to think."

"I'll do it." Sasuke looked Kimimaro directly in the eye.

"For real? You will help me?" The disbelief in Juugo's voice made Sasuke smile.

"Yeah, I'll help."

Kimimaro clapped Sasuke on the back once to show his appreciation, "You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Sasuke."

The boy watched as the odd pair exited the arena then dropped down onto the ground when they shut the door. "Great." He slammed his hand on the stone floor. He had promised to help Suigetsu, he was feeling sorry enough for Karin to want to help her, and now he had Juugo to watch over. And he was wondering if Tsunade could possibly do something to help Kimimaro. He looked up as the door opened a few minutes later, half expecting another of Orochimaru's minions to come looking to him for rescue, but instead it was the snake-man himself. Surprisingly, it was a relief. At least he knew that was one person he wouldn't have to rescue.

* * *

"You are keeping some rather odd company." Konan replied sternly.

Deidara decided to be sarcastic, "I agree. Why should I have to wander around with Itachi?" The woman glared at him, then shook her head, deciding the comment wasn't worth the trouble of responding to.

"Do I really need to answer that?" Itachi asked quietly.

Konan sighed, "Itachi…"

Jiraiya stepped forward, "If I didn't know any better…" He paused, stopping about five feet away from the small woman, "If I didn't know that she had been killed a long time ago…"

Konan looked him in the eye for a second then stared back down at the ground. She and Pein had been getting ready to leave the cave when they sensed the approach of several shinobi, including three of their own Akatsuki. Curious about who they could be Pein had asked his companion to intercept them. She regretted making a personal appearance. There were other methods she could have used to learn their identity, but it was too late now.

Naruto spoke up in a shaky voice, "You know her?" He remembered his godfather's comments about Akatsuki and it made him nervous. What if they were going to kidnap him after all? Would Itachi really let them take him? He glanced at the teen, who was standing firmly with both feet planted firmly on the ground and his hands held slightly away from his body, as if preparing to fight. His face, however, was calm and from the side it looked as if Itachi was staring at the ground.

"Yes, he does." Konan admitted, then turned to Jiraiya. "Meeting you is… unexpected…"

"If you are alive, then the others…" Jiraiya replied softly.

Konan ignored him and turned to Itachi, "Please wear your cloak, Itachi. It will keep Konoha out of trouble if you do something they would disapprove of."

The teen nodded once and dropped his backpack to the ground. Pulling out a scroll he activated a seal that released his Akatsuki cloak, sandals, ring and hat. As he pulled them on, Naruto looked on nervously. Itachi hadn't put up a fuss or even made so much as a grunt. In fact, despite Deidara's initial comment, all three of his Akatsuki companions had become very quiet and were showing the older woman a great deal of respect. Even Jiraiya was behaving oddly.

"That's better, Itachi. Thank-you." Konan said after the teen shouldered his pack. "Now, I am aware that a mission was given to Kisame, Sasori and Deidara to meet up with Itachi and search for Sasuke. However, where is Sasori and why are you travelling with Jiraiya and Naruto?"

"You know my name?" Naruto gasped. He felt Jiraiya reach up and squeeze his shoulder, silently asking him to be quiet.

Kisame spoke up, "Sasori decided there were too many people around and left. I suspect he may be following us. I am sure he would like to have a few words with his former partner after all. As for these two…" He scowled at Itachi.

"That's my fault." Itachi spoke up, "Jiraiya guessed what I was up to and invited himself along. I didn't know you had ordered an Akatsuki escort for me. I apologize."

"Don't be so quick to blame yourself." Konan said quietly, "The order was given after our last conversation."

Itachi realized _who_ had given the order and nodded his head once to show his understanding. He still felt he should have checked in before he left the village. It was an unforgiveable oversight. However, now he had another problem. "What do you suggest, Konan?"

Jiraiya interrupted, "Konan, where are the other two? Where are Nagato and Yahiko? If you are still alive…"

This wasn't something she wanted to discuss in front of an audience, or at all to tell the truth, "A lot happened after you left. More than you could understand."

"Are they in Akatsuki as well?"

"I see no reason to discuss this." She raised her hands to do a jutsu, but Jiraiya jumped forward quickly and pulled them away.

"Answer me!"

"Let go of her." Jiraiya felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Kisame was now behind him, teeth bared in a scowl. The blue man nodded his head in the direction of a clump of trees and when Jiraiya followed his gaze the woman's hands fell from his grasp and he stepped back a couple paces, nearly running into Kisame.

"Yahiko?"

"I am called Pein, Sensei." Pein was standing a short distance away with his arms folded across his chest and emanating a rather strong, intimidating chakra.

Naruto gasped in surprise, "You were his teacher?"

"A long time ago," Jiraiya explained, "I took in three starving orphans and taught them ninjutsu. But after I left, I received word that they were dead. However… how is it that Yahiko stands before me with Nagato's eyes? And your chakra is different. It doesn't feel like Yahiko at all. More like… Nagato… yet different…"

"You could spend all day conjecturing, Sensei, yet the truth would still elude you. Know this, I am God and that is all anyone needs to know or understand." The words were not only arrogant but carried the surety of one who moved forward through life without any doubts or hesitation.

Itachi moved closer to Naruto and pulled his back several feet, "Whatever happens, don't leave my side."

"What's going to happen?"

Itachi gritted his teeth, "Nothing, I hope."

* * *

The situation grew increasingly tense as Jiraiya and Pein continued to face each other. The sannin was glaring at the red-headed Akatsuki leader, who was, in turn, radiating a rather menacing amount of chakra. Konan and Kisame had stepped back and were now about twenty feet behind Pein. Deidara had created one of his clay birds and was circling the small group. However, the two powerful ninja seemed to have forgotten that there was anyone else around.

Snow started to drift from the sky again, small white flakes that fell lazily only to disappear into the already snow-laden earth. Dusk had settled quickly over the quiet forest while the ninja had conversed and now nightfall was only minutes away. The darkness was alleviated somewhat by the bright snow, but Itachi, who had already activated his Sharingan as soon as Konan had appeared, had no trouble seeing the area. And what he saw shocked him.

Jiraiya had been Pein's teacher. Jiraiya now knew who the leader of Akatsuki was. Jiraiya was now in a position to ruin the treaty Fugaku and Pein and put together two days earlier. It was clear Pein was not happy about the reunion.

"I..Itachi… c...c…can't you do s…s…something?" Naruto was trembling so bad he was stuttering.

Itachi couldn't blame him. The sight of Pein and Jiraiya, two Shinobi so powerful that they easily exceeded the concept of "S" rank, was certainly intimidating. "Let's wait and see what happens."

Kisame pulled out Samehada and crashed it down onto the ground, "Get it over with, whatever it is you two are planning to do to each other. I'm getting hungry."

The two men glanced over at the scowling swordman. Jiraiya laughed, "You did say something about having some sake, didn't you?"

"Humph." Pein motioned for Konan to join him, then took a deep breath and released it slowly as he glanced up at the sky, "Danzou and Hanzou had an alliance. At one point, the two combined forces and set a trap for the rebel group we were running at the time. Yahiko was killed. Akatsuki was born from the ashes of Yahiko's sacrifice. That is all you need to know."

Jiraiya's face fell and he closed his eyes. "Sacrifice? So he died to protect you?"

Konan's sudden interest in the ground was all the answer the middle-aged ninja needed and he shook his head, as if trying to clear it before continuing, "He swore to protect you two. It must have eased his heart to know he died doing just that. However, joining Akatsuki is nothing more than a slap in the face. He would _never_ have wanted you to sink that far."

She couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer, "You have _no_ idea what we went through after you left us! How dare you even to presume to know what Yahiko would have thought! And as for protecting us? His sacrifice was a waste. Nothing changed. It was a matter of Danzou playing games with us and nothing more!"

"Konan." Pein's stern voice quieted her and she quickly dropped her gaze to the snow covered ground. "There is no point discussing this with him. Especially in front of an audience."

"The crimes you have committed in that organization could not possibly justify your beliefs." Jiraiya was yelling now, his red face and clenched fists a clear indication of his growing anger. "How many have you killed, Nagato? A thousand? A million? Ten-million? Is this the peace you prayed for as a child?"

Pein stood quietly, not responding to his ex-Sensei's chiding. His clear, penetrating gaze was locked onto the older man, waiting for any indication that battle was about to begin.

Jiraiya growled, "You don't care anymore, do you?"

Itachi glanced down at Naruto and back at Jiraiya. He needed to speak with the older man, but he couldn't leave the boy unguarded. Angering Pein was getting them nowhere and he wasn't at all sure Jiraiya could beat the Akatsuki leader if they fought. Returning to Konoha with the sannin's dead body would probably be a bad idea.

Naruto looked up at his foster brother and whispered, "That's the guy that was at our house. Why was Fugaku meeting with him if he's a criminal?"

"He was what?" Jiraiya turned on the pair.

A quick trip to an alternate dimension of cute multi-colored stuffed bears that danced and sang cloyingly sweet songs about rainbows and flowers suddenly sounded infinitely appealing as Itachi returned the Sannin's gaze and desperately wished he were somewhere else.

"He has good hearing, doesn't he?" Naruto took a few steps back, suddenly wary of his godfather's rage.

Itachi stepped forward, deciding that leaving Naruto for a few minutes was probably the only way to defuse the situation. He glanced over at Pein, then waved him over. "This may or may not be a mistake, but I think we should come clear on a few issues before this gets out of hand."

Both men glared at the teen, but years of dealing with top-ranked Shinobi with over-inflated egos had long ago steeled his heart to the forces of intimidation. Instead he stood his ground and continued to look up at them. Both men were around six-feet tall, muscular and very formidable. While Itachi had gotten taller and filled out some, he was still considered rather skinny and that had the effect of making him look a little smaller than he really was.

Kisame and Konan stepped forward, inviting themselves to the conference, however Itachi wasn't surprised to see that Deidara had decided to remain aloft. The blond had little interest in politics and would just as soon save his own skin if it came down to it. When Naruto decided to step forward Itachi raised his hand to stop him. Luckily, this time at least, the boy did as he was told.

Itachi spoke up, "Is Zetsu around? I don't sense him, but…"

Pein answered firmly, "No."

"What's this about?" Jiraiya's anger had been partially replaced with curiosity.

"I made an alliance of sorts with Lord Hokage Fugaku." Pein replied, "The purpose is to discover Madara's plans and stop them."

"What? Aren't you working _with_ Madara?" This wasn't what the white-haired Sannin had expected hear.

Pein sighed, "Openly, I still am. He isn't a man to take kindly to betrayal, even if…" He let his words trail away.

Jiraiya was now completely confused, "I don't get it."

Kisame shifted as he placed his sword back into its holster. The expression on his face was pretty close to a sneer and Itachi suddenly wondered if it was such a good idea to have the big man listening to the conversation. His link to Madara was long and they seemed to get along rather well. If he passed this information on to the elder Uchiha it would definitely ruin everything.

"It's simple," Pein continued, "Our original plan has been delayed to such an extent as to throw suspicion onto whether it was ever his intent to go through with it. With the advancement of Sasuke I have reason to believe the boy is now central to whatever new plans he may have."

"What about the Jinchuuriki?"

"Part of the agreement was that no more would be sealed. However, at this point I'm not sure what Madara's plans are with the demons. If it is what I suspect, he needs all ten still. Your student is still in danger, Sensei Jiraiya, don't ever doubt that."

"Oh, I don't doubt it in the least." His eyes rested on Itachi who in turn, was having a staring contest with Kisame.

Pein noted the intensity of the situation and turned to face the blue man. "What will you do, Kisame?"

The swordsman looked up at the sky and closed his eyes, "I have my own path, as you well know. As long as nothing blocks that, I have no reason to repeat what I have heard."

Itachi spoke up, "Do you have reason to believe it will block it?"

"None whatsoever." Kisame grinned at the teen, "Frankly, Madara came closer to ruining my plans with that execution he ordered than anything Pein and Fugaku are up."

Jiraiya's eyes opened wide and he looked at Kisame with shock, "Are you implying that you want to overthrow the government of Water country and set yourself up as Daimyou?"

"What the hell?" Kisame stared at him in shock, "I think you've lost the rest of your marbles, old man."

"It was just an idea." Jiraiya muttered despondently. "And I'm not old."

Pein straightened up and placed a hand on Konan's shoulder, "Let's get out of here."

"The sooner the better." She raised her hands as she stepped back and a moment later she and Pein had disappeared. A couple seconds after that there was a popping sound from the cave, followed by a faint flash of light. Deidara flew up to the entrance and glanced in, then signaled his companion that there was nothing inside to account for the commotion.

"I feel like getting drunk." Kisame declared.

"Me too." Jiraiya muttered.

And for the first time in his life, Itachi agreed.

* * *

Itachi heard Naruto stirring next to him and opened his eyes to see two blue orbs staring back at him. He had insisted the boy unroll his bedroll nearby since Jiraiya was currently passed out near the cave entrance, happily drunk. Kisame was sprawled out a few feet away from the Sannin and snoring rather loudly.

"Can't sleep?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Kisame keeps waking me up, I think." Naruto sounded sleepy and a little depressed. An odd combination for the usually rambunctious boy.

Deidara, who was keeping watch nearby grunted in agreement, "Kisame could keep the entire province awake with his snoring. And he probably is."

That was impossible to argue with so Itachi sat up and leaned back against the stone wall. The cave itself was rather large, considering its location and upon entering Deidara had told them that it was very probably Stone Shinobi who had carved it out of the cliff. He recognized several cuts that could only have been made with a jutsu.

Naruto joined him, "So why did you do what that lady told you? Put on that cloak?"

"Why?" Itachi thought about it for a moment. He had always had a certain amount of respect for the woman, and she had never done anything to antagonize him. "Her request was logical. If I were to do something I… shouldn't… I could claim I did it for Akatsuki and Fugaku and Konoha would be absolved of all guilt."

"That makes sense. I guess. But doesn't that make you… um… a sacrifice or something?"

"I'm a ninja, Naruto." He thought that would end the conversation, but Naruto seemed confused.

"So?"

"Huh?" Itachi repeated softly. "What do you mean?"

Naruto's voice rose, "What do I mean? What do you mean?"

Itachi huffed in annoyance, "Don't tell me you have failed to grasp the basic premise of Shinobi culture that states you live for the mission and only the mission."

"Yeah, I know that. Kakashi told us. But that doesn't make it right."

"But that's the way it is."

"'That's the way it is. That's the way it is.' That's all anyone ever says." Naruto sighed, "But when I'm Hokage it won't be that way. Ninja won't be tools anymore."

Deidara snorted, "Then what will they be? Ninja were created as undercover spies and assassins for hire by warlords looking to kill each other. They weren't allowed to have their own lives."

"They'll be people. That's what they'll be. People."

"I've never been a person before." Deidara smiled, "Not sure that would work out for me."

"Or anyone else." Itachi added.

Naruto frowned, "I know. It'll be hard but it's my dream and I'm going to make it come true. And you can come live in Konoha, Deidara. You, me, Sasuke and Sakura could go get Ramen on my lunch break"

"Sakura? Oh… that pink-haired girl that was kidnapped when you guys were a few years ago?"

"Yeah. She's a lot of fun to be with. And Sai too, we'll invite him. And Itachi doesn't like Ramen, but if we invite Sheeta she'll make him come with us."

Deidara laughed, "That's quite a party. But I think I'll pass. I'm never going back to a village again."

"Offer's open if you change your mind! Right, Itachi?" Naruto gave his foster brother a big grin.

Itachi returned the smile in spite of himself, "Don't ask me, you're the Hokage."

"That's right!" Naruto jumped up and clapped his hands together once, "The suns coming up, let's get going! We can't find Sasuke if we sleep all day!"

Itachi and Deidara glanced at the two sleeping Shinobi at the entrance of the cave and shook their heads. Things were going to get interesting from here on out. That was certainly guaranteed.

* * *

**Next week – more stuff happens! And it'll be interesting!**

**Updates on Fridays**

**Please review**


	49. Chapter 49 That RedHeaded Boy

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Well, another boring week. No Naruto manga again, but next week we finally get to see more of the Sasuke/Danzou fight and maybe a couple more frames of Itachi. Even as a Genjutsu he's still pretty awesome, xD. I hope Danzou packed an extra pair of undies! But then again, he'll be a corpse soon so it won't matter, LOL. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 49 – That Red-Headed Boy**

Both Jiraiya and Kisame were surprisingly sober after an evening spent at the bottom of three bottles of sake. Of course, being Shinobi they no doubt knew a few tricks about neutralizing alcohol and recovering from hangovers. Itachi realized he didn't know any of them and hadn't ever considered it until now. He glanced over at Deidara who had suffered a rather bad hangover back in Mist after a night out with Kisame. The teen was glaring at the two partiers with deadly intent, apparently having realized the same thing.

Naruto was walking behind them singing quietly to himself and ignoring everyone. After his initial hurry to get going that morning he had quickly realized that they were still a couple days from Orochimaru's hideout. Or rather, Itachi had pulled out a map and shown everyone where Sasuke had said he was. Oddly enough, it was about twenty miles from the village hidden in the Clouds. Or perhaps that wasn't odd, but arrogance on the part of Orochimaru.

"So is that red-headed guy your friend now?" Naruto had broken out of his reflective mood and trotted up to walk beside his godfather.

"Not even close." Jiraiya stated firmly. "He's committed way too many crimes to earn anyone's forgiveness any time soon."

"Are you going to fight him?"

"Who knows?" Jiraiya looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed, "It defies imagination… how did this happen?"

"So he's an orphan, like me."

"Yeah."

"Then maybe… I remember what it was like before Fugaku took me in. Only I didn't have any friends like Pein did. But I remember how I felt when Nui and Sheeta and Sasuke rescued me."

Itachi remembered back to that dark day, as he had lain in an underground jail cell after Fugaku had captured and restrained him. Out of all the people who had shared that secret prison, the young boy had, perhaps, been the only one who had been cheerful. He had thought it had been because it was Naruto's nature to never be "down", but he was wrong. For the first time in the orphan's life he wasn't pushed away. He wasn't teased, or feared, attacked or shunned.

"Pein… Nagato… his parents were killed and he nearly starved to death before he was found by Konan and Yahiko." Jiraiya explained quietly. "What concerns me is Yahiko. Danzou apparently, somehow, maneuvered him into a position where he had to sacrifice himself. And he was helping Hanzou. In all my years as a Konoha Shinobi I do not remember any treaties with Rain, except to participate in the Chuunin exams. Either it was so secret I had no right to know, or Danzou has been working behind our backs a lot longer than we had suspected."

It was quiet for a few minutes, except for the crunch snow as the small group continued forward. The temperature was still below freezing and if the sky was any indication, more snow was definitely in the forecast.

The Sannin stopped suddenly and punched a small pine tree as he swore rather loudly. The tree splintered and toppled slowly to ground, dumping what little snow was left on its branches.

"What was that for?" Kisame asked, surprised at the sudden outburst.

"Do you realize that, indirectly, Danzou is responsible for the formation of Akatsuki?"

"That is incorrect." Itachi stepped forward, "Madara and Pein meeting was destined. No matter what, he would have found a way to trap your 'poor little orphan' in his clutches. If Danzou had not existed, Madara would have taken his place that day. One way or another, Yahiko had to die. There was no way to stop Akatsuki from forming."

"That's rather defeatist." Jiraiya commented.

"It is true. I believe I am also correct in stating that Pein realizes this as well."

Kisame spoke up, "It would be just like Madara to pull something like that. Even Sasuke…"

Itachi quickly cut him off, "We don't need to go into that."

The blue man blinked a couple times, realizing belatedly that Jiraiya and Naruto did not know what had happened to Itachi's brother.

However, the Sannin was not so quickly put off. "Sasuke what?"

No one answered his question and an uncomfortable silence descended.

* * *

Meditating was definitely near the top of Sasuke's list of "Things I hate to do". Especially when there was a large orange cat curled up against his leg snoring. It was impossible to clear his mind of all thoughts and he suspected those who actually enjoyed the task were, in reality, sleeping or daydreaming. His brother, however, had insisted he get in the habit of meditating and he was trying to follow the teen's suggestion, but it just wasn't working out.

Stretching his legs he stood up and yawned. The small room he had been given was carved out of the earth and fortified with large stone blocks. As near as Sasuke could tell it was a perfect a square. A small bed, dresser and a nightstand with an oil lamp made up the only furnishings. It was sparse, and the thick quilt barely kept him warm at night, but it was his room and he almost felt comfortable when he was there alone.

Still, he missed home. His mother who would fix meals that were edible, wash his clothes with actual soap and water, and was always pleasant and caring. His foster-brother Naruto was always cheerful and ready to spar or watch the latest ninja movie on TV. Sakura with her long pink hair and bright green eyes could light up a room with her smile, or knock him into next week with her right hook, somehow had a way of making him relax just by being around. And Sai was just fun to argue with. The boy knew very little about how to live an ordinary life despite two years as a foster-son to the Yamanakas and his laid-back stubbornness was amusing, to say the least.

As he ran through the list of friends he had in Konoha, he found one person who no longer made the list. Fugaku. The man who was responsible for the Mangekyou Sharingan that now cursed his eyes, and the elders who had tormented him mercilessly for years. When Itachi showed up he would insist on returning to Konoha.

But he couldn't do that. He couldn't face his father, or the elders, or even the rest of the clan that supported them blindly. And if Itachi insisted on supporting them as well…

Sasuke dropped down onto the red quilt and lay on his back. What would he do if his brother refused to see reason? There was no way he could beat him in a fight, and every possibility the teen could subdue him and force him to return home. Escaping would definitely be harder with Itachi on his tail.

Unless…

"What are you doing?" Tama's sleepy voice was surprisingly loud in the small room, where there were, literally no other sounds.

"Thinking."

"Humans think too much."

"And cats don't think enough."

"Grumpy, aren't you?"

Sasuke turned his head and saw the cat still lying where he had left him a few minutes earlier. His head resting on his paws and both eyes half shut. The stone floor was cold and he was surprised the heat-seeking cat had not joined him on the bed. Then again, that would require getting up, walking across the room, jumping up onto the bed and finding a spot to lie down. A lot of work, really, for a cat known for his laziness.

"Tama, what do think of Madara?"

"Madara? That question came out of nowhere."

"Yeah it did. So… do you have any opinion?"

"Hmm… his estate was depressingly mouse-free."

Sasuke shook his head. What exactly had he expected the cat to say? All he ever thought about was food and sleeping. "The maid had a mouse at her house didn't she?"

Tama laughed. "Yeah, I got that one pretty quick. There weren't any others. But that wasn't what I was talking about."

"What?"

"You are naïve, little boy."

Sasuke was getting angry and sat up, throwing his bare feet onto the ground he glared at the fluff ball five feet away from him, "Spit it out, cat. I'm not psychic."

Tama chuckled, "No one gets in or out of the Mizukage's mansion without him knowing. Everyone is blindly loyal to him and every attempt by the Daimyou's… or I guess I should say the 'late' Daimyou's or anyone else had failed."

"Hmm." Sasuke was silent for a few minutes as he stared at the far wall deep in thought. "Dad doesn't like him."

"Probably not."

"Itachi seems to act strangely around him. Kind of like… I don't know. Wary, or on edge or something. It makes me wonder of that means Madara is more powerful than big brother."

"He is." Tama confirmed. "Or perhaps, equally matched. Either way, the result of a fight between them would be uncertain enough to cause both to hesitate before issuing a challenge."

Sasuke wondered how the cat knew so much, but decided it could probably be chalked up to being a cat. He got around quite a bit and no doubt heard a lot from people around him. He stood up and knelt down next to the small creature. "How long would it take you to get to Mist?"

The cat winked, "How quickly do you need me to be there?"

* * *

"You aren't going to like what I have to say." Tsunade was sitting on the couch in the Hokage's office with her arms folded across her chest and one leg crossed. Her heeled sandals had been replaced with boots to accommodate the foot of snow that had fallen on Konoha over the last few days.

Fugaku shook his head, "Probably not. So what have you found?"

"Poison was being pumped into the Uchiha compound's water supply for almost thirty years. It stopped after the coup, of course, directly implicating Danzou. That date corresponds very closely with the mandated sealing of the Hyuuga bloodline. I take it you were also ordered to undertake a similar measure at that time?"

"That is disturbing. Yes, the Uchiha elders were approached by the Konoha elders and given an 'order' that was promptly ignored. There was no way to enforce such a thing and no proof that it was even needed. We were surprised the Hyuuga took it so seriously. So you are saying the poison was punishment for not sealing our eyes?"

"We know the elders were following Danzou instead of Hiruzen so more than likely any punishment for not adhering to their requests would not have come from the Hokage. Therefore, Danzou would have had to of acted surreptitiously instead. He is nothing, if not patient. The poison was given in an amount designed to caused birth defects but not kill those who ingested it outright."

Fugaku was silent for a moment as he gazed out of the large plate-glass windows that lined one wall of the room. Snow had begun to drift from the sky again and it was swirling around as if being driven by a strong wind. "So our low birthrate was Danzou's way of killing us off. And that was why Uchiha who didn't live in Konoha had more children than those who did."

"Aya's mother had four despite living in Konoha as a child." Tsunade added.

"She married when she was fifteen and left a few months later. Most Kunoichis wait until their mid-twenties to have kids, but she had her first one when was sixteen. She never returned to the village."

"And her eldest turned out to have a Kekkei Genkai related disease. Aya told me her brother was often ill, though, as he was growing up. He caught colds easily and would even be sick for a couple days after a vaccination. We still had tissue samples frozen away and when I pulled one and sent it to toxicology it came back positive."

"He was living here, he would have ingested the infected water."

"The poison was older than that. It's like lead – it builds up in your system over time. The amount he had could only have gotten there if he had been born with it. I tested Aya and Sheeta and they both have less, with Sheeta's level being the lowest. Apparently not ingesting it limits its effectiveness."

Fugaku frowned, "Wait… that doesn't make sense…"

"When you are a fetus you get nutrients from your mother, who is ingesting poisoned water. That gets absorbed into your system and starts breaking it down. You are then born and somehow survive. However, once out of your mother's body you no longer ingest the poisoned water. You always carry around the poison that's already there, and whatever damage it already caused, in Fumitake's case it apparently damaged his immune system. The fact that he inherited a dangerous disease was just an extra burden that had nothing to do with the poison.

"Anyway," Tsunade continued after taking a deep breath, "Even though it is always there, it does start to break down if the poison is not continuously renewed. That makes it notoriously hard to find. We already had to do a special test to even detect it, but finding it in a man who probably had only two or three years worth of the substance in his body was nearly impossible. We ran the test five times to verify the results. That was why Sheeta had the least amount in her body when she was born, and why her mother was able to have so many kids."

"Okay." Fugaku was wondering how he was going to break this news to the clan. It would devastate them to learn that their children had been murdered. "So the reason children are being born again is because the poison is wearing off?"

"To a degree. You are aware that one woman had a miscarriage a month ago, while you were away."

He sighed. The news had been alarming, especially since the baby was six months along. "So it wasn't because Aika was forty-two?"

"Definitely not. While the chance of birth defects rises slightly the older you are when you get pregnant, it was definitely the fault of the poison. In fact, when examining the tissue sample of the baby he was found to have had a large quantity of it. The poison effectively robbed him of oxygen and prevented him from getting enough nutrients. It was like… he starved to death…" Her voice faded and she averted her eyes to the floor. She could still remember the woman's pleas to save her baby and the hysterical sobbing that had followed when she had to tell her he was already dead.

"Itachi… he didn't have any problems…"

"He did, Fugaku. Mikoto was lucky and had a normal birth, but I reviewed Itachi's records and his emotional problems are directly related to the poison. The baby wouldn't respond when picked up, didn't want attention, and didn't cry unless he was hungry or wet. They are similar to symptoms seen in the babies of drug addicts. If Mikoto hadn't been there for him…"

"I always thought…" Fugaku stopped talking. He had thought his eldest son's distance was because of the way he had abused him as a child. He mentally cringed as the memory of him breaking the four-year-old Itachi's arm passed in front of his eyes.

"It was your fault?" The woman was observant and Fugaku frowned. "Partially, yeah. People argue, 'nature versus nurture' but its really a little of both. However, Itachi is at a disadvantage and will show some sociopathic behaviors because of this. However, I can't stress enough that he is not a psychopath." Tsunade snorted and gave Fugaku a half-smile, "Well, insofar as you can even say that about a Shinobi who kills for a living."

"Yeah. I was just thinking the same thing. So Sheeta's baby should be okay, in terms of the poisoned water."

"There is a small enough amount in her to assume so, but I'm not going to bet my life on it. Drinking clean, bottled water will protect her in case the poison is re-introduced into the water supply. I have all pregnant women in Konoha on bottled water, in fact, and the hospital is providing coupons for those who can't afford it.

"Unfortunately, the poison Itachi was injected with when he was in Root could cause problems. It's still too early to tell, but it's possible it was passed to the baby when he or she was conceived. If that's so, then Sheeta and the baby are going to have problems. Remember, the baby is a part of Sheeta and if the poison is in the baby, it very likely re-circulated into her blood stream by now and infected her as well. I am monitoring her on a weekly basis."

"Alright. I'll call in the councilman in charge of the water supply and discuss the matter with him. People are going to start panicking now that you have ordered a certain population to drink bottled water. Shinobi tend to have sharp minds and when they put two and two together they are going to want to drink bottled water as well."

It was quiet for a few minutes, and Fugaku wished it warm enough to open the windows. Being cooped up in an office was not enjoyable and he found himself wishing he was the chief of police again. Back then, whenever he started feeling claustrophobic he could just step outside and patrol the village. Now… all he had to look forward to were meetings, paperwork, and more meetings.

"So is there a way to neutralize the poison?" Fugaku finally asked.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. It's one of the most advanced poisons I've ever seen and I don't recognize its source."

"So Danzou had a poison specialist working for him that was better than you or Chiyo of Sand village. And you have no idea who that was?"

Tsunade pursed her lips and glared at the man in front of her, "Absolutely none at all. Whoever this person was, he or she was kept in complete secrecy."

"Danzou is the king of secrets, it seems."

"As the saying goes, Fugaku, 'the only secret is the one you don't tell yourself'. Therefore, I will find an antidote. The fact that I even discovered it…" She gave a short laugh, "means it's no longer a secret."

* * *

An abandoned farmhouse outside of a small village caught Deidara's eye and he dropped his clay bird down closer to ground as he zoomed his eye scope to give it a closer look. It hadn't been abandoned for long, perhaps one season.

"Farmer probably died." The teen mumbled. Snow covered the fields which couldn't have been more than ten acres. A ring of trees surrounded the farm, giving it complete privacy from the nearby road and, oddly enough, there was still firewood stacked in a lean-to attached to the house. It was probably wet, but that was never a problem for a Shinobi.

Turning the bird around he flew back to the group, and jumped off the bird when it was still twenty feet off the ground. His feet hit the ground silently as the bird exploded in a flash of red.

"Find a place to stay?" Kisame asked, smirking.

"Yep. About five miles down the road. An abandoned farmhouse ready and waiting, un."

"Un? I thought we were curing you of that." Kisame added, laughing.

Deidara joined him, "Not likely."

"Sounds better than a cave. Can't wait to get there!" Naruto said happily. "By the way, how come Itachi hasn't come back yet?"

"Don't know." Kisame added. "He's been gone for hours. Probably sulking or something. Well, actually he would call it 'thinking' or 'strategizing'. I call it sulking."

"Ha ha! You know our Itachi very well, it sound like." Jiraiya laughed. "He didn't particularly approve of that conversation we had this morning. Something happened to Sasuke, that's clear enough."

Kisame smirked again, "If your fishing, I'm not biting."

That made Jiraiya laugh again, considering the man's resemblance to a shark, "Don't worry, this is Itachi's business and even if it is part of the reason Sasuke ran away, its for the two brothers to work out."

"Meaning you already figured out what happened." Kisame stated simply. He had been kicking himself all day for the slip-up, but at the same time, wasn't feeling particularly repentant about it either.

"Yeah." Jiraiya's voice sounded exhausted. "I'm sure Itachi realizes this and that's why he's off 'sulking' as you put it."

This was too much for Naruto and he butted into the conversation, "So what happened to Sasuke?"

"None of your business." Jiraiya said seriously.

Naruto started to yell, "Is too! He's my brother, too! You can't keep secrets from me like that! I have a right to know what going on with him!"

"I realize that, and that is why I won't say anything to you. This is something Itachi and Sasuke need to discuss with you on their own terms. Itachi probably wants Sasuke to tell you himself. You'll just have to wait."

"I don't want to wait!"

Jiraiya inhaled deeply and let it out in one big, drawn out breath, "We'll be meeting up with Sasuke in only a few days. It won't be a secret for much longer. Okay?"

Naruto frowned and started to kick at the snow in his path, "Okay. So how is Itachi going to know where we're staying if he doesn't come back?"

"Don't worry about him." Deidara laughed, "He's probably hiding his chakra and following us. It wouldn't surprise me if he was close enough to hear everything we were saying, un, or even already at the farmhouse."

* * *

The pine trees dipped perilously close to the earth as their heavy burdens of snow weighed them down. It made walking though the forest difficult as one misstep could bring a small avalanche of cold, wet snow on top of you. As a child, Itachi remembered himself, Shisui, Kabuto and Yota running through the forest and pulling on branches to dump snow on each other. They had been practicing a camouflage jutsu and if you were seen you got dumped on. Thinking back, he decided it had probably been nothing more than a ninja version of tag.

"So why are you here?" Sasori's voice pierced the quiet solitude and Itachi glanced over at him. This time instead of grating and unpleasant it was young and easy on the ears.

"I've been walking with you for five hours and now you ask?"

The red-headed puppet nodded its head once, causing the teen to look closer at its body. About the size of a twelve-year-old it looked like any kid, except for the hinged mouth. It wore the standard Akatsuki uniform, ring, and casa hat, although boots had replaced the sandals. The usual puppet Sasori travelled in wasn't good for travelling in the snow so he sealed it away in a scroll.

"Do I need a reason?"

"As long as you keep quiet and don't bug me, I guess not."

"That's what I thought."

It was quiet for a little bit, but Sasori spoke up again, "Deidara behaving himself? I usually have to hit him over the head a couple time a day to keep him in line."

"That explains the brain damage, I guess." Itachi couldn't help it, he had to say that.

Sasori laughed, "Maybe I should stop then." He paused for a moment as if deep in thought, "On the other hand, I enjoy it too much."

Itachi gave a short laugh. He was sure the puppet-man was exaggerating. Deidara moved too fast to get caught by Sasori. He had seen them spar and the young blond's speed when running or jumping was amazing.

"Jiraiya found you out, huh? Not surprised."

Surprised at the change of subject, Itachi tilted his head at the smaller man, inviting him to continue talking. "You heard the exchange between Pein and Jiraiya then?"

"It was nothing I didn't already know. I'm actually about the same age as Nagato and worked with his earlier rebel group a couple times as a freelancer. Didn't realize Pein and Nagato were the same person until a few years ago. I only met Yahiko once, and when I met Pein for the first time I thought the resemblance was nothing more than a coincidence. However… shortly after joining I was invited to Rain to assist Pein and met Nagato himself. It was quite a shock. Even for me."

"You know his secret, then? How he can be two people at once?" Itachi was curious now.

"He's gone mad, you know. Nagato has. His secret is his Kekkei Genkai. The Rinnegan is so far above the Sharingan as to make your blood-line seem like nothing. Still, I would like to have seen you two fight."

That surprised Itachi, "You would?"

"Sure. Who would win? Who would loose? Matching ability to ability is boring. Having two combatants with different skills fight is more interesting."

"Hn." Itachi couldn't argue with that. It was more interesting and it always gave him more opportunities to copy jutsus. "The others are going to be picking out a place to stay for the night, why don't you come with us?"

Sasori sighed, "Sure. Need to check up on that no-good partner of mine. Can't leave him to his own devices for too long."

Itachi laughed, "You make it sound like he's a kid!"

"He is a kid! And so are you! Ever look in the mirror?"

"Yeah, and I was growing a beard, so I decided to quit looking." Itachi made a rare joke.

"You got a long ways to go before it actually becomes one. But I would recommend buying razor soon before Kisame shaves you in your sleep, while he's drunk."

That image made Itachi stop dead in his tracks. "He would, too, wouldn't he?"

"He'd try anyway, then we'd have get you a new partner after you wake up to the vision of a blue shark face hovering over you with a sharp instrument in his hand." Sasori laughed again. "Good times. Good times."

"You are insane, aren't you?" The teen shook his head in amusement, "Let's run so we can catch up to the others."

"Not too fast, I'm not that eager to get to see them again."

* * *

**Next week – Madara's plans continue to fall into place.**

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**Updates on Fridays!**


	50. Chapter 50 That Meeting in the Snow

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Manga: Danzou is getting scarier and scarier. But also more interesting. xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 50 – That Meeting in the Snow**

Snow continued to swirl outside the small farmhouse driven by a chaotic wind that screamed through the cracks in the siding and windows with such intensity that it seemed as though the entire structure would either collapse or disintegrate and take all those who had sought shelter inside with it. The impenetrable darkness made it worse. No moon could break through the thick clouds and swirling snow, and there was no electricity, flashlight, or fire that could break through the void.

Inside the house it was less than cozy. Firewood was stuffed into the fireplace but the wind kept blowing the smoke back into the living room, forcing Deidara out into the storm to use a stone jutsu to build a protective dome over the chimney. It worked, for the most part, but it wasn't perfect.

The house itself was suspiciously clean for an abandoned structure, leading the small group to speculate that the owner had died recently and relatives were taking care of the residence until someone moved in. Of course, there was no food, but soldier pills and field rations filled the void and melted snow was heated to make hot tea.

"It's unlikely that the storm will be over any time soon." Itachi stated plainly as he looked carefully at Naruto who was shivering by the fireplace as he gulped his third cup of tea. "It would be unwise to leave before then."

"B…but we have to find Sasuke." Naruto's demand was half-hearted and came out as more of whine than an order.

Jiraiya, who had ducked into a hallway closet a short while ago came back into the living room with an armful of blankets. As he draped one around his godson he smiled, "Freezing to death won't save anyone. Even the most skilled of ninjas can die if he makes a stupid mistake. And wandering around in a blizzard is stupid."

"This blanket smells funny." Naruto pulled it closer over his head and tucked the ends under his legs.

"Mothballs. Mikoto probably uses them as well in her storage, but she probably washes her blankets before she puts them on the beds." Jiraiya deposited the rest of the blankets in the middle of the floor, then watched as Deidara dropped another pile of blankets next to it. "Get used to it."

"Oh, I'm not complaining." Naruto explained, "Just didn't know what that smell was, is all. Mikoto makes Sheeta do a lot of the laundry. But she calls it 'training' instead of 'housework'."

"Training?" That caught Jiraiya's attention and he snuck a glance at Itachi who was snickering.

Naruto laughed, "To take her place when Itachi takes Fugaku's place."

That was too much and Kisame broke out laughing, "Wonder if I could get a cute girl to do my housework if I called it 'training' as well."

"Yeah, I have some 'training' that needs to get done as well, un." Deidara joined the laughter.

Kisame found that amusing, "You don't have a house."

"I'll buy one!" The blond teenager declared cheerfully, flashing everyone a big smile, "And she should wear one of those black and white maid outfits while she 'trains'."

"Sheeta doesn't dress like that." Naruto grinned at Itachi.

"I dare you to get her wear one." Itachi had to admit it would look very appealing, but valued his own life too much to ask her do it.

"Are you trying to get my godson killed?" Jiraiya winked at the teen.

"I'll do it!" Naruto declared, "And if I do you have give me a thousand ryuu."

Itachi shook his head, "Naruto, she will kill you if you ask."

"Done! Bet's sealed!" Naruto smiled. "She'll do it, you'll see."

Considering how good Sheeta was at turning situations around he wondered if she could somehow manage to wear a maid outfit without looking sexy, thus allowing Naruto to win the bet by default but making herself unappealing to Itachi. It would be interesting to find out.

* * *

"Ahchoo!"

"Sheeta, are you okay?" Mikoto inquired softly as she adjusted the kerosene heater in the kitchen.

"Oh, yeah. I have no idea why I sneezed." She lifted her hands out of the sink and rubbed her itchy nose on her arm. "Maybe it's the dish soap or something."

"Or maybe," Mikoto draped an arm around the younger and bent down close to her ear, "Itachi is telling stories about you to his friends."

She blushed instantly, "I have no idea what you mean. But if he is, I'll kill him."

The older woman laughed, "It's probably the soap then. Or the heater."

Fugaku opened the door and stepped inside, a towel draped around his shoulders to catch the melting snow as it dripped from his shoulder-length hair. He had removed the tie from his ponytail, allowing his hair to fall forward and Mikoto noticed the streaks of gray that had been rare a year ago were now much more plentiful.

"Why did you walk home instead of using a transportation jutsu?" She scooped some miso soup out of a simmering pot and placed it in front of him.

"I already ate." Fugaku muttered as he picked the bowl up and drank the whole thing in one gulp.

"I figured as much. That's why all that's left on the stove is some miso."

"Hmm. It really hits the spot though, though. Well, I was tired of being cooped up all day and wanted to get out. I have to say, I much preferred being a police chief. Not as confining. If only things hadn't gotten so out of hand back then."

Sheeta finished the few dishes left and dried her hands. It had been strange the last few days. Without the boys, she was alone with Fugaku and Mikoto and it felt strange. Even though she had been helping Mikoto for years and was over nearly every day, living there without Itachi, Sasuke or Naruto around felt different.

"Any word from Itachi or Jiraiya yet?" The teen asked cautiously. She had been asking every day since they had left and she wondered if Fugaku, who had a temper, would eventually get tired of the question.

Instead, he smiled at her, "Not yet. With two of our most powerful Shinobi out wandering the countryside it should only be a matter of time before they find Sasuke."

* * *

"It's so snowy out you can't see anything." Naruto exclaimed impatiently. It was mid-morning and after helping Deidara bring more wood into the house he was kneeling in front of the fire trying to warm himself up again. The young Akatsuki, however, was sitting on the floor and leaning up against a couch near Kisame, who was laying down and reading a book he had found in a bookcase in one of the bedrooms. "How can you stand it?"

"I'm from Stone. I grew up with this kind of weather. It could get worse though. We're pretty close to the mountains and if it's this bad down here in Fire country, imagine what it'll be when we cross the border. The next country is pretty high up and it snows a lot, then we get into Lightening country, which has a mountain range running right down the middle. And according to that map of Itachi's, Orochimaru is hiding out in those mountains."

"And so are Cloud ninja." Sasori spoke for the first time in hours. In fact, he had been so silent that everyone pretty much forgot he was there. He had remained in his red-headed puppet form and then parked himself in a corner, pulled out a scroll and spent the next few hours reading.

"Not a problem." Deidara replied.

"For you." The older man muttered as he glanced over at Itachi, who was sitting in an upholstered chair near the fireplace, also reading. He was still dressed in his Akatsuki cloak, but at the moment it was more for warmth than any desire to hide his allegiance to Konoha.

Itachi registered the turn in the conversation but made no indication he had been listening. He was also worried about being discovered by Cloud. He and Jiraiya had been the ones to set up an alliance with them and both of their faces were well known via bingo books in most of the Shinobi countries. If they were seen in the company of Akatsuki it would be disastrous.

Jiraiya seemed to be thinking the same thing. The white-haired man shifted his body in the chair opposite Itachi's and sighed quietly. He also ignored the conversation. Itachi wondered why Sasori would even bring it up. There was no way the man, who was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people and had overthrown entire countries with his puppets could feel anything akin to concern for a treaty between Konoha and Cloud.

A moment later Sasori answered Itachi's unspoken question, "I have no desire to pull out my puppets and show my secrets to Jiraiya. Therefore, you and Itachi will keep a low profile and avoid trouble. I will not guarantee that if I have to summon them, that Cloud will be the ones I attack."

"Of course." Jiraiya mumbled. Itachi nodded slightly to acknowledge the other man's statement. It made sense. He was protecting himself after all. But he had to admit, a fight between Jiraiya and Sasori would definitely be worth watching.

* * *

A few days later found the unlikely group of travelers walking warily up a winding snow-covered road in Lightening country. They were very close to Orochimaru's lair and had already skirted several Cloud patrols. The group of S-class Shinobi (and one Genin) easily avoided the Chuunin and Jounin who were guarding their home so carefully. Blue skies had followed them up the mountain, although the sun remained cold and distant.

Itachi had been on edge all day, expecting the worst. His heightened senses continuously scanned the countryside and as he gazed up at the sharp peaks he knew there were several people in the area. Way too many to be considered normal.

"Something is up." The teen finally said.

"Obviously they suspect Orochimaru is around and are trying to flush him out." Kisame added.

"That would be the logical assumption. Which is going to make things much more difficult for us. Orochimaru always builds underground. I had hoped to draw him out into the open, but with all these people about we'll have to go underground instead."

Jiraiya spoke up, "That gives him the advantage."

"I realize that." He stated plainly, "You should probably take Naruto and hide somewhere until I come out with Sasuke."

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'm going with you! I can help…"

Jiraiya put his foot down, "You can stay out of the way. You saw what Orochimaru was capable of when we went to get Tsunade. Remember, you almost died."

That had the desired result and Naruto backed off, "Can we still go if I stay out of the way?"

"We are going, yes. I know Itachi thinks he can handle this on his own, but just in case I want to be there too. I seriously doubt these guys," Jiraiya waved his arm to indicate the other Akatsuki "could last very long against him."

"Hmm, speak for yourself, un." Deidara muttered angrily. "I can take him out any time." The older man gave him a dirty look, but he ignored it and kept trudging forward through the snow.

Itachi clenched his fists tightly, fighting hard to resist the urge to punch the sannin. He knew he was sick, that he had an incurable illness, but to be treated as if he was a weak Genin who needed a babysitter in case he got tired and needed a nap was more than he could stand. His nerves were already on edge and he could feel his anger rising as well. However, he quickly realized that he was no longer scanning the area and pushed his feelings back down. Perhaps when all this was over he would punch him as a matter of course.

* * *

Before long they came across a set of prints exiting the woods and joining the road. Meaning there were people somewhere ahead of them. The group stopped and Deidara reached into his clay pouch with the intention of creating a small bird to fly ahead and check things out. However, just as he started chewing a strong, masculine voice called out behind them.

"Look who we have here!"

Itachi felt as if the world was moving in slow-motion as he carefully turned around and faced the one person he had hoped he wouldn't see. The Raikage. Dressed completely in white camouflage he glared at the teen who had, only a few years earlier had graced his mansion with a peace treaty. And now…

"How the strong have fallen, Lord Itachi Uchiha. You are the last person I would have expected to see traipsing around the countryside in one of those cloaks. And in the company of Lord Jiraiya, no less. So is Konoha in league with Akatsuki now?"

The teen was quiet for a moment. Anything he said would reflect on his home and Akatsuki. "I have been a member of Akatsuki for years."

"A spy? And wasn't it Jiraiya who sent out that information a few months ago warning us about Akatsuki? And now here you are. No cloak, but does that mean anything? And who's the blond kid?"

Naruto stepped forward to say something but Jiraiya pulled him back as he answered the Raikage's query, "I am searching for a wayward ninja and we happened to be going the same direction. Research for my next book, you know?"

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

Itachi's blood turned to ice when the Cloud Kage spoke his brother's name. There was no way he should have known about him. Unless Orochimaru had been careless.

"Ah. So it is him." The Raikage crossed his arms over his chest, "We're after him too, and we're going to capture him. I have some question to ask the boy and if he's still around afterward, maybe we'll send him back. In pieces, that is."

Naruto yelled, "How dare you? That's my brother you're threatening!"

"You don't look like an Uchiha." The man goaded.

"Why are you after Sasuke?" Itachi ignored the outburst.

"About forty of my Shinobi were attacked and brought down by a boy wielding a Sharingan and a Chidori."

"I find that very hard to believe. Sasuke's a Genin." Itachi argued.

"A Genin who ran away from Konoha, took refuge with Orochimaru and attacked a contingent of Shinobi because he was bored." The Raikage grunted, "You know very well that rogue ninja are considered free hunting by the ninja villages. I am completely within my rights to kill him."

Naruto cried out again, "I won't let you do it!"

"You don't have a choice!" The big man yelled back. "They were just Genin and Chuunin, but after a few months, it could be Jounin he's after! How can Konoha let such a menace wander the world? Especially since he's the Hokage's son! A man who can't take care of his own household has no right governing a village!"

Itachi stepped forward, "Naruto, if you speak up one more time I will bind your tongue." He turned and glared at the Raikage, "I am here to kill Orochimaru and return Sasuke to Konoha. I would recommend you stay out of the way. Since our last… sparring session… I have become infinitely more powerful." He removed his glasses and let his Sharingan bleed into its Mangekyou form. A menacing chakra radiated off of him, forcing his companions to take a few steps back in case a fight broke out.

"You think so, huh? So after you get Orochimaru, if you _can_ get him that is, _then_ what? You come to Cloud to grab our Jinchuuriki? No, Itachi. You aren't going anywhere. We are capable of handling this ourselves. I take it Lord Fugaku is unaware of his son's extracurricular activities, but it is just as easy to assume that he knows full well what you are up to and is directing your actions. Perhaps he is even your leader. The Uchiha have the most powerful Kekkei Genkai and Konoha does have the nine-tailed beast."

"I assure you, Lord Fugaku would be quite insulted to hear of your accusations. I am acting independently of him. There is no reason to explain myself any further." His calm voice was obviously annoying the Raikage and Itachi had a sudden bout of conscious. "We are not here to cause you any trouble, but instead remove trouble. Orochimaru has been operating a base nearby, and may even be listening in on our conversation as we speak. Let us pass and we will kill him and leave."

The big man walked over to a tree and leaned against it, deep in thought. Once again his eyes rested on Naruto. "You bear a striking resemblance to Minato. A great ninja, he was. I faced off against him when I was a Jounin. Lost of course, but he refused to kill me. By all rights he should have."

Naruto glanced up at Itachi, but remained silent. The teen's dark chakra had scared him, making him more than willing to follow his order to keep quiet.

Jiraiya spoke instead, "Needless killing is pointless. It serves no purpose and expends chakra."

"Hey brother! Look what I found! I…"

"_Where the hell have you been_? I told you to stay next to me!" The Raikage turned on the man who had just walked out of the forest from the other side of the road. Obviously brothers, they looked a lot alike. "You are _not_ supposed to be wandering around on your own!"

"Why? It's not like Akatsuki is around…or… something…" He turned and looked directly into the eyes of five black and red cloaked figures. "Oh." He suddenly laughed, a big hearty sound that echoed through the forest, "What are the odds of this happening, huh?"

Itachi wondered why they would be so concerned about Akatsuki seeing the Raikage's brother. Unless… A cold chill ran up and down his spine as he put two and two together. He had to get the others away quickly, and he cursed Bee for his loose tongue. The Jinchuuriki were kept in closest of confidences by their villages and it was notoriously difficult to find out who they were. Having one practically come out and admit it was beyond stupid. It was bad enough they knew about Naruto, and of course Gaara had revealed himself during the Chuunin exams.

"Shit." The Raikage voiced Itachi's unspoken curse. "Bee, the next time you disobey orders, I'm locking you away. Understood?"

"But look what I found!" The man, who appeared to be around twenty, ran one hand through his short white hair. An area on his cheek was slightly darker than the rest of his skin, indicating a bruise was forming and there was a cut on his hand. Over his shoulder was slung a ninja, which he dropped irreverently onto the ground.

Itachi stepped forward for a closer look, as did the Raikage. Jiraiya followed a moment later. The unconscious man was wearing a Sound village forehead protector.

Bee continued to talk, "He was bragging about Orochimaru having a base nearby and how we were too stupid to guess."

"We knew." Raikage replied quietly, "We knew for a long time, but couldn't find it. As one of the Sannin he is very skilled. We've been sending out patrols for the last six months and this is the first clue we've had. Pathetic." The man berated himself, then looked at Itachi, "You know where he is?"

"Yes."

He glanced back at the three Cloud ninja who had been standing back, keeping silent. "Bring me his head when this is over to prove your intent and you may pass unmolested. Any further action by anyone in your group will be seen as an act of war, and Konoha will pay. Also…" the Raikage paused and leaned forward so that only Itachi could hear, "Anything, anything at all happens to Bee and I will destroy Konoha down to the last man, woman and child. Understood?"

That was chilling, and Itachi resisted the urge to gulp. He had no way of guaranteeing the safety of Cloud's Jinchuuriki. Madara was more than capable of acting on his own. However, he also realized what the current situation looked like to the man and sympathized with him. Instead of acknowledging the comment he turned around and motioned for Jiraiya to follow him. The older man clenched his teeth angrily and glared at the Raikage once before following the teen. A moment later they were gone.

"Are you sure it was wise to let them go?" Bee asked.

"I have no idea what's going on, but if Itachi is hanging around with those guys… there is no way in hell Fugaku doesn't know about it. I have no choice but to assume the Uchiha are involved with Akatsuki somehow. And it must have something to do with the Nine-tails."

"So what are you going to do?"

The Raikage pulled out a katana and brought it down mercilessly, piercing the captured ninja's heart and killing him instantly. "Our treaty with Konoha was eagerly accepted by them. Was it ruse to put us off guard?" He was quiet for a couple minutes, "I'm going to have to think about this some more. Until then, I want you and Yugito confined to the village. Let's head back. The search is called off for today."

* * *

The snow storm that had stretched itself across the continent had also found its way to Mist, dropping several inches on the ground and freezing the residents, who fought back with thick coats and coal.

The garden was very beautiful with its white coat of sparkling snow and Aya had requested a kotetsu be set up in the room next to it so she could sit with the door open and enjoy the view, while keeping warm. She was trying to keep her mind off of Madara, who had left suddenly a couple days earlier after Sasuke's cat had suddenly appeared in the middle of the table during dinner.

"_What the…" Madara eyes opened wide and he watched as the ginger cat walked over to a dish of chicken and helped himself to a chunk, eating it ravenously as if he was starving._

"_Isn't that Tama? Sasuke's cat?" Aya exclaimed as one of the servants removed the dish from table, earning her a dirty look from the small animal. "Has something happened to Sasuke? Is he alright?" She could feel panic gripping her heart. Despite Madara's insistence that Orochimaru would never hurt the boy, she still wasn't completely convinced._

_The older Uchiha frowned, "Speak up, Tama. Why have you left Sasuke's side? Your orders were to stay with him."_

"_Smart one, aren't you?" Tama smirked, "And he rewarded me for my companionship by giving me a stupid name."_

"_It suits you. Now why are you here?"_

_Aya blinked once in surprise. The cat was under orders to stay with Sasuke? Does that mean he was spying on the boy?_

"_Sasuke does not wish to return to Konoha and requests your intervention to make that wish a reality." The cat looked up at the dish the servant was still holding and his tongue shot out, licking his muzzle and nose as if remembering the delectable taste of the breaded dish. The woman glanced at Madara, who motioned for her to place the dish back on the table. After all, it wasn't unusual for ninja summons to eat with their masters. And he'd already taken several bites out of it already._

_Madara leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, then started laughing. "Finally, Sasuke is mine. Everything is progressing smoothly. Aya, I will be gone for a few days. Have a room made up for my son. He will be joining us."_

Aya imagined it wouldn't be as simple as that. Itachi would never let his brother go that easily and she had no desire to see a rift form between herself and Sheeta. Time was passing way too slowly as she waiting for him to return and she realized she wasn't watching the garden the all. The tea she had been sipping had grown cold and evening was falling.

One more day had ended. She stood up and shut the doors of the room and poked at the coal in the fireplace to expose the hot rocks and get them burning again. Kneeling down in front of the small fire she wondered if Fugaku would go so far as to attack Mist to get Sasuke back. It would be disastrous. Uchiha fighting Uchiha.

One thing was certain, however, whatever happened next, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

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**Next week, Orochimaru finds a surprise on his doorstep.**

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	51. Chapter 51 A Snake in the Snow

**Time for the next chapter! **

**Thanks for the reviews and favs!**

**All my section markers from the previous chapters in this and my other stories disappeared. How annoying. That's the second time it's happened. I was sure the "X" marks wouldn't disappear, but they did. I don't want to use the line to divide sections because I had that was the first thing that disappeared over a year ago. So, now I have edit everything and try something else. I guess I better get started…**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 51 - A Snake in the Snow**

"You need to extend your chakra out, Sasuke. Concentrate on shaping it, then send your Chidori through that shape." Orochimaru was standing a few feet from his young student, as he had been for the last two hours, training him to use a new technique. The eager boy was a fast learner and the Sannin was very pleased with his newest recruit.

Sasuke closed his eyes and extended both his hands as he imagined a katana pointing straight ahead. He then forced his chakra forward through the invisible blade, but pulled it back when he sensed it was taking the wrong shape. Opening his eyes, he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had been practicing the same drill for days, and even though the shape was getting closer and closer to what he wanted, it still wasn't perfect. And he refused to form a Chidori until it was perfect. It would be a waste of chakra.

"Getting tired?" Orochimaru asked quietly.

"No. Just impatient." Sasuke closed his eyes to start over, but was interrupted when the door to the training arena slammed open. Seeing it was just Karin he went back to his training, but he couldn't help overhear her urgent words.

"Someone's coming up the mountain, Lord Orochimaru. I don't know who it is. I've never felt their chakra before." Karin stepped cautiously into the sparring arena.

Orochimaru's yellow, snake-like eyes turned to the red-haired girl and smiled. "Strange how no one else has detected them."

His sibilant voice made the girl shiver and she wrapped her arms closely around her torso and when she spoke she sounded much more confident than she felt, "They aren't as good as me at sensing chakra. If you don't believe me then go outside and look for yourself."

"Oh, I believe you Karin. Please don't get me wrong. Is it more Cloud ninjas?" He glanced over at his pupil and noticed with pleasure that the boy was continuing his practice. Distractions aside, Sasuke was determined to learn the new jutsu.

"No. One of them… no. Two of them have immense chakra. I've never felt anything that big before. And another, his chakra is kind of like Sasukes…. But not quite. Perhaps another Uchiha?"

"Ha ha ha!" Orochimaru laughed, "I knew he would show up." He turned to look at Sasuke who had finally stopped and was now looking up at him, "Itachi has come to fetch his wayward brother."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, "I'm not going back with him."

"No, my boy, you're not. You're _mine_ now and _no_ _one_ is taking you away from me."

Karin continued, "They'll be here in an hour if they keep heading this way."

"Almost as if they knew where to go." Orochimaru's grin grew even wider and he reached out to run his hand through Sasuke's shoulder-length black hair as he bent over to look the boy in the eye, "Right, my boy?"

Sasuke locked eyes with the sannin, but kept his mouth shut. Somehow, the man had known all along he was in contact with Itachi. And it didn't seem to be fazing him at all.

Orochimaru ran the back of his hand across the boy's cheek, caressing it. "But Sasuke, the last time I fought your brother I was more interested in not harming him than fighting. This time… it doesn't matter. I have you. This time… I can go all out."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

After learning from Pein where Itachi was heading Madara had departed Mist, arriving mere hours before they did. He perched himself on a nearby cliff and hid his chakra as he awaited his kinsman's arrival. The place had been crawling with Cloud ninja all day, but suddenly they had all pulled back and disappeared. Shortly after that he sensed the small group coming up the dirt road.

"They're almost here." He stood up so he could get a better view of the surrounding area. The entrance the snake's den was a short distance above the tree-line and covered with about a foot of snow. No shrubs poke their way out of the frozen substance, indicating the ground was probably covered with too many rocks for them to grow, or there were no nutrients in the soil to feed them.

The area was flat, with a cliff running halfway around it in a semi-circle that dropped off down the end of the mountain at one end. The other side of the small clearing rose up at an easier pace, allowing the road to continue on up for another half-mile. The summit, of course, was still a thousand feet up.

"They're sure taking their time." Tama opened one eye to gaze momentarily at the Uchiha before closing it again. He had found an opening in the rocks that formed a snow-free den and was currently making use of it.

"I have a feeling the disappearance of the Cloud ninja has something to do with it. They aren't hiding their chakra either. They probably plan on luring Orochimaru out of his lair."

"Would he really fall for that?"

"He's an arrogant bastard, so yeah, it'll work. In reality, he could easily best everyone in that group except Itachi. Although… Sasori…" Madara was quiet for a couple minutes, lost in thought, "Sasori could probably beat him under the right circumstances. But it would be a close match. And Jiraiya nearly lost to a sick and injured Orochimaru a month ago in another fight so who knows how a re-match with a healthy Orochimaru would go."

Tama stretched one paw out and scratched his ear, "So you're thinking this should be a pretty quick fight."

"Hopefully not too quick. I need Itachi to expend some chakra. When he realizes I'm here to collect Sasuke he will want to fight me. I can't allow that." Madara fell silent. He actually had many reasons for not wanting to fight Itachi, but chief among those was the desire to not injure him in front of his brother. There was no telling what Sasuke would do in that situation. Would he turn on Madara for causing the injury, or Itachi for being injured? The boy had a mind of his own that proved rather difficult to read. He wasn't a clone of all the other Uchiha's, but an entity separate and independent of the collective.

Unlike Itachi, who had been supervised almost continuously during his early childhood and run through hours of directed training, Sasuke had been left to himself and allowed to grow up without the pressures his elder brother had endured. Of course, it wasn't nearly as idealic as it sounded. After all, the situation had come with its own set of pit-falls and set backs and the boy had found himself increasingly held down by them as he grew older. However, it had never eaten away at his resolve or his image of "self".

In that way, Madara reflected, he was very much like his brother. Itachi tended to come to his own conclusions as well and act on them without asking permission. As evidenced by his current quest to retrieve Sasuke. He had not asked permission to leave the village, or sought anyone's approval for his task. He had simply realized a course of action and acted on it.

A flare of chakra alerted Madara to another presence behind him. Pivoting on his heel he came face to face with Itachi. Sharingan wide open, Itachi held his face in a grim expression of determination as he stared down his adversary. The intensity of the chakra emanating from the teen and the depths of power illuminating his eyes was certainly not something the vast majority of Shinobi could bear. There certainly was no doubt that the person Madara was now facing was a killer, experienced in his craft and shrewd in his ways.

For the first time in decades, Madara found himself forcefully having to resist the urge to step back and as the reality of the situation hit him hard, he had to accept that the boy staring him down was no longer a boy. He was no longer the weak child who had so eagerly looked up to him for encouragement and training, nor was he the injured and crying four-year-old whom he had found hiding under a bush, nor was he the confused and despondent child asking for explanations to situations far too advanced for his tender years.

He was no longer any of that. The elder Uchiha returned the gaze with his own Sharingan, and continued to hide his chakra. As he did so he was forced to admit three incontrovertible facts.

What stood before him was a man capable of standing before him as an equal.

He had made him into that man.

And he no longer had any control over him.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Itachi saw no point in speaking to Madara, and a moment after teleporting next to him, he disappeared, reappearing next to Orochimaru's lair. Despite the fact that the elder man was hiding his chakra, the teen had sensed it anyway. That pleased him immensely. Finally, he had confirmation of something he had suspected for a long time. That Madara was no longer able to hide from him.

He had also seen hesitation. For the briefest of moments, Madara had considered running. However, Itachi had no time to reflect on this new information. He had a battle to fight, and if Madara was present it could only mean…

"Why's he here?" Sasori asked grumpily as he pulled out a scroll and summoned three puppets, one of which he proceeded to climb into.

Kisame laughed, "Grab Sasuke probably. It wouldn't surprise me if that's why he had us come on this mission. So he could follow us. What are you going to do about it, Itachi?"

Itachi glanced back at his companion's and the dark chakra that had been radiating from him suddenly flared. Everyone backed off, suddenly wary of the teen's intentions.

Kisame pulled Samehade off his back and slammed it into the ground as he scowled at his partner. "What was that for?"

Itachi's words were sharp, "Back off. All of you. This fight is _not_ yours to join. Jiraiya, change in plans. You will guard Naruto and if he gets so much as a scratch you will get it a hundred times worse. No matter what happens, under no circumstances are you to leave his side." The orders were delivered without hesitation and with every expectation that they would be followed without question. He did not expect confirmation, and no one gave it. They either accepted, or kept quiet.

Glancing back he saw the fear filled face of his foster brother. He regretted allowing the boy to come on the mission. There was every expectation now that the whole thing would end in disaster and the fact that Naruto would see every bit of it was unacceptable.

"So you finally came." The voice came from the cliff under Madara's perch and as Itachi turned to look he could see the stone wall disappear into nothingness, revealing a smoothly carved tunnel. Orochimaru stepped forward, followed by several people.

"Sasuke!" Naruto quickly got over his fear and waved his arms over his head as he yelled. Jiraiya had grabbed the back of his jacket, preventing him from running forward.

The young Uchiha ignored the calls of his friend as he stepped out of the tunnel and looked around the clearing. Itachi saw the surprise on his brother's face. He had been expecting only one person to come and seeing a total of seven people had no doubt thrown him off. He noticed the boy's gaze lingered as he caught sight of Madara, who had stuck his mask on and slipped into his "Tobi" persona.

As Sasuke turned away, Tobi raised his arms and waved wildly, "Hi Itachi's brother! We came to rescue you! Don't worry! We'll save you! I hope he didn't molest you! Did he touch you…"

Deidara couldn't take it anymore and shouted loudly, "Shut up you ignoramus!"

"Tobi will shut-up. See, Tobi isn't talking anymore." Madara stuck his hands in his pockets and gazed expectantly at the people below him.

"If only that were true." Deidara muttered, loud enough for most everyone to hear.

Orochimaru laughed, "I see you got suckered into bringing the tag-along with you, Itachi. I feel sorry for you."

Itachi bristled at the jibe. Orochimaru knew full well who Tobi was, of that the teen was certain. Yet he was treating the gathered ninjas like wayward children. The man had no sense of fear. Ignoring him for the moment, he looked around at the other's who had followed the snake Sannin to the surface.

A red-headed girl was standing back. Arms wrapped firmly around her body she was staring at the ground with a posture that reflected both fear and a strong desire to run.

A white haired teen, a year or two younger than Itachi was standing next to a very tall boy about Sasuke's age. The teen had red eyebrows painted over his real eyebrows in a style that had gone out a couple hundred years earlier. He guessed it was probably some sort of clan marking. Nevertheless, the powerful chakra coming from the teen was certainly not to be underestimated and there was something odd about his tall companion that made Itachi take note of him as well.

Rounding out the group was Kabuto. The white-haired medic was nervously adjusting his glasses and, Itachi observed, he hadn't taken his eyes off of him since he had entered the clearing.

A moment later five more people exited the cave. Four were dressed for fighting and Itachi guessed they probably functioned as Orochimaru's security force. The fifth didn't seem to be with them and hung back for a few seconds before walking over to join Sasuke. The boy was very thin, with sharp pointed teeth and lavender eyes. His shoulder length white hair was unkempt and his clothes ill-fitting – as if he had just gotten up from a very long nap.

Sasuke turned to speak with the boy who nodded once before returning to the cave entrance and sitting on the ground. Itachi looked closer and noticed his chakra was fluctuating wildly and he appeared to be very weak. Kabuto seemed concerned and stepped forward to speak with Sasuke as well before nodding and returning to his former position.

Itachi reached up and adjusted his ponytail, raising it momentarily in the air before draping it back down under his cloak. Sasuke, who had been watching, reached up and ran both hands through his own hair, then drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. The signal had been given and received.

"It appears everyone is present and accounted for." Orochimaru grinned. "Now, all we have to do is…"

Itachi didn't wait for him to finish. His eyes bled into their Mangekyou Sharingan form and he caught Orochimaru and Sasuke in a Tsukuyomi.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The vastness of the red world threatened to overwhelm his senses as Orochimaru fought to gain control of his consciousness. Seconds later he realized he was strapped to a cross with Itachi and Sasuke standing at his feet.

"How…" The Sannin's question was interrupted by Itachi.

"You are in my dimension. No one can break you out of this Genjutsu. Tsukuyomi exists outside of time and one week spent here will only equate to a second in the real world."

"I've never heard of such a thing. Those eyes… they are even more fascinating than I imagined." Orochimaru's excitement was in direct contrast to his prone position and Itachi decided to do something to dispel some of it.

Raising his katana, Itachi slid it easily into Orochimaru's abdomen and slowly pulled it out. Looking at the blood dripping form the blade he was momentarily caught up in his own thoughts. The red world, colored with blood. For some reason it was comforting. As adverse as he had become to killing, Itachi couldn't pull himself away from the scarlet liquid.

"Itachi?" Sasuke spoke for the first time, causing the teen to break his gaze. Looking up he saw the Sannin groaning in pain.

"You're turn, little brother." Itachi's words were calm and patient, and delivered with an air of lazy resignation.

Sasuke looked at his hand as a katana materialized in it. Smiling, he stepped forward and with a strong thrust forced the blade into Orochimaru's chest.

"You're working with Danzou, aren't you?" Itachi's stern eyes remained locked on his prisoner. Red clouds, highlighted with black drifted quickly overhead, but no breeze disturbed the air. If indeed there was air.

"Of course." Orochimaru panted, "If you suspect it, Itachi, then it must be true."

Itachi and Sasuke both thrust their blades into the man's torso, and pulled them out slowly. The teen continued his questioning, "What is the nature of this partnership?"

"What is your reason for asking?" The Sannin was gasping now and blood dripped from his mouth. His long, stringy black hair hung over his face, hiding his eyes. His once-sibilant tones were now masked with bitter malevolence, "You have me incapacitated. Why haven't you killed me?"

Sasuke answered this time, "Because we need to know what Danzou is up to."

"Answer the question." Itachi added.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth as the pain intensified, "If you are going to kill me, there is no point."

"Oh, but you misunderstand." Itachi's matter-of-fact voice was now stern, "In Tsukuyomi I control time. That means I can torture you for days on end, delivering blow after blow, without any fear of you dying. We can stay here for as long as it takes. We can torture you for as long as you can hold out. And when we return to the real world, as I already stated, only one second will have passed."

"So you can answer us now and have a quick death or put it off and suffer for a week." Sasuke grinned as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I saw what you were doing to those people in there and a slow death is definitely quicker than what they were going through."

Itachi pushed his sword into Orochimaru's chest again, followed closely by Sasuke. Once again, he watched as the blood dripped slowly from the blade. He could manipulate the speed at which the drops fell and he played a bit with the speed. He could even freeze a drop in mid-air and walk around it, gazing at the essential liquid in all its many facets.

"You're a very creepy kid, Itachi." Orochimaru gasped.

It was then that the teen remembered that blood in this world was supposed to be white, not red. Smiling, he looked up at Orochimaru, "I have more control over this dimension than I thought I did." The red liquid dripping down the man's chest fell in a puddle on the ground, sending rivulets that raced slowly to the edge of the small pool on the black ground.

"Itachi doesn't handle blood very well. And since I'm just as much a prisoner in this world as you are I won't be able to stop him if he looses control." Sasuke's grin grew broader, "Not that I would stop him anyway."

"Danzou." Orochimaru started, the coughed as more blood spurted from his mouth, "Danzou came to me years ago with eyes… Sharingan eyes. He wanted them implanted. I didn't know if it was possible and agreed."

"So his bandaged eye has a Sharingan?" Itachi broke out of his reverie.

"Yes. And also… there are more. On his body."

"His… body?" That made no sense whatsoever. "Where did he get all the eyes?"

"Dead Uchihas, of course. After he got the first one he would use it to challenge others and then steal the eyes from the corpse."

"But we've had no reports of stolen eyes." Itachi countered.

"They were stolen from the morgue before cremation or from the corpse after burial. The rebellion gave him a lot of eyes to pick and choose from."

Sasuke frowned, "So did he order Itachi to kill us so he could get us out of the way, or steel more eyes?"

"Both obviously." Orochimaru grinned savagely, "Uchiha were the only ones who could stop him. Only a Sharingan can fight another Sharingan. With you out of the way there would have been no one to go against him."

"So he used the Sharingan to force the elders to rule against us and push father into a corner; forcing him into rebellion." Itachi hadn't noticed that instead of saying "Fugaku" he had said "father". It was a subconscious slip, but Sasuke did notice and his frown deepened.

If it was possible, Orochimaru's grin grew even bigger until it was the width of his pasty face, "And he was going to use you to kill them. The ultimate irony and no doubt the apex of his pathetic, twisted life."

Itachi growled under his breath, "Where is he! Where is Danzou!"

"Haven't a clue." Orochimaru stated plainly.

Sasuke plunged his sword repeatedly into the Sannin's body, "Tell us where he is you bastard!"

Orochimaru screeched horribly as pain wracked his body with such force that it sent seizures through him. He twisted and pushed at the ropes, trying to get away, but Sasuke wouldn't stop his assault.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Itachi stood aside, his face twisted into an expression that seemed a cross between grief and intense anger. He paid no attention to what his brother was doing, and instead was trying desperately to cling to a reality where his family – his clan – were still alive and living in Konoha. But all he could see were the corpses of his parents. The corpses of his friends. He could see Sheeta dropping to the ground, and the betrayal on her face as she lost consciousness. He watched as a younger version of Sasuke shouted out his refusal to believe the situation – that his beloved older brother was not capable of such an action. And finally, he watched as he walked out the village and collapsed on the road, exhausted mentally and physically from the months of worrying and events of that evening.

"_You…"_

Itachi looked up. In front of him, in identical clothing and hairstyle, was himself.

"_You… are me."_ The voice spoke again.

Itachi blinked his eyes twice in surprise, then nodded.

"_I… This is unexpected."_

Again Itachi found himself unable to speak and nodded.

"_You exist on a different plane from me. In your world… In your world…"_

"In my world time stands still." Itachi didn't know why he said that, and it made no sense at all.

"_In my world,"_ The other-Itachi stated sorrowfully, _"Time has already ended."_

There was a sudden shattering effect as the other-Itachi broke into several shards and disappeared. Coming to is senses, Itachi rubbed his eyes, they were beginning to hurt.

'Time ended.' He said to himself. 'Could only mean the clan is dead. Time standing still could only mean… we are stuck at the moment of decision, will the clan live or die. It still hasn't been decided yet.'

Itachi watched as his little brother continued to stab Orochimaru. "Sasuke."

The boy stopped and stared up at his brother, "Yes Itachi?"

"We… we…" How exactly was he going to explain it? It was rather abstract. "The night of coup… when I was supposed to kill everyone… it…it's like we're stuck at that moment… and… until we kill Danzou…" He could see the confusion in his brother's face, but continued talking nevertheless, "Until we kill Danzou, we can't leave that day."

Sasuke moved closer to his brother and looked him in the eye, "Itachi… I know people say you aren't in your right mind and stuff, but have you finally gone completely and utterly insane? And if you have, could you let me out of this Genjutsu? I'd kind of like to not be here when you loose it. You know?"

Itachi nodded once, but made no move to act.

"Itachi? Big brother?" Sasuke placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, "It's two years later. Every one is alive and there's a branch of our clan in Mist. We aren't going to wake up in the past, on that day, and, well, whatever it is you're thinking it's… not right."

"I'm not saying that. Just that… Danzou could still find a way to kill us. He wants us dead. That night… it won't be over until he's dead. We grow older, perhaps prosper to an extent and appear to move on, but every day we wake up that night replays itself. Over and over. Until he wins. Until he kills us all."

"Oh. That's what you mean. You can't move on. Even if the rest of us can, you're stuck."

"We're all stuck, Sasuke. We're all…"

Sasuke was angry now, "I'm not stuck! I'm moving on with my life! I'm getting out of Konoha and I'm…"

Itachi reached up and slapped his brother across the face, "You think he'll let you live just because you decided to 'move on with you life'? You think it's that easy?" The teen was livid, and his face contorted in anger. The agonized screams coming from Orochimaru, barely three feet away were forgotten. "He wants us dead, Sasuke. Dead! As in, not alive anymore. You got it?"

"Yeah I got it!" Sasuke yelled back.

Itachi calmed down somewhat, "We are living on borrowed time until we can kill him. All the moments we've experienced since that night will mean nothing if he wins. All the good times, the bad times…" His voice drifted off. So much had happened in the last two years, he didn't want to loose any of it. It was time his other self never got to have. If he failed… would he turn into that teen?

"Fine." Sasuke relented. "But Orochimaru doesn't know where he is. Let's just kill him and get this over with. You need to rest or see a psychiatrist or something…"

"I'm fine." Itachi responded stubbornly. A moment later he ended the Tsukuyomi and watched as Orochimaru fell to the ground, barely conscious.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Silence filled the clearing as everyone stared curiously at the Orochimaru, who was lying prone on the snow-covered ground, his eyes wide open. It was not a position anyone had ever seen him in before. As the reality of the situation sunk in all eyes eventually turned to Itachi.

The teen stood shin-deep in the cold snow, an empty expression on his face and his hands pulled back into his sleeves. He looked the same as always. Withdrawn and alert, powerful yet solitary. However, the knowledge that he had just bested one of the three Sannin could not be ignored.

Deidara was the first to speak, and as confident as he tried to sound, his voice still wavered, "Over inflated egotistical bastard. Take away that Sharingan and he's nothing."

Kisame scowled, "Take away your hands and you're a washed-up, unemployed artist."

The blond growled under his breath, but stayed silent.

"Is he dead?" Naruto asked. He was squeezing Jiraiya's arm so tightly that the older man had to pry his fingers up.

"No. Not even close." Jiraiya sighed, "I'm not going to enjoy this. He was… my friend once."

Sasori spoke up, "You are too kind-hearted. That man was born evil."

Jiraiya turned to look at the puppet master, "How can you say that?"

"I have killed thousands, but I assure you their deaths were always quick and painless, except for the handful I killed for my own pleasure. That man, he kills under the guise of science. A profession that is supposed to aid society. I'm hardly one to discuss morals, but I think I've still got enough humanity left in me to realize the difference."

Jiraiya glanced at the boy was still sitting at the mouth of the cave. His head was down, resting on his knees and his breathes appeared to be just as labored as Orochimaru's. "That boy…"

"Probably one of his experiments." Sasori answered. "He's not long for this world, if his chakra is any indication. It's getting weaker and weaker. He keeps them alive like this so he can study their Kekkei Genkais."

"There's something familiar about him." Kisame joined the conversation.

Jiraiya was surprised, "You know him?"

"I… I'm not sure…" The curious look on the blue man's face made the Sannin look closer at the boy who was now lifting snow up to his mouth and eating it, as if he had been deprived of food for weeks. The greedy way he stuffed the cold substance into his mouth was disheartening.

Sasuke's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Karin, what's wrong with Suigetsu?"

The red-head pushed her glasses up and responded uncertainly, "I… I'll check."

"He needs to drink some water." Kabuto pulled out a water bottle at threw it at the girl, who caught it in one hand. "I apologize for not giving it to him sooner."

Karin got mad, "He's been suspended in a water tank for months! Why the hell does he need to drink?"

Sasuke answered impatiently, "Please, just do it Karin."

Kisame spoke again, "Water tank?"

"Ring any bells?" Jiraiya asked quietly.

"Hmm… I wonder…"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Are you rested up?" Itachi asked after about ten minutes of watching Orochimaru laying on the ground, panting. "There is no way that Genjutsu could incapacitate you for this long."

The Sannin laughed as he stood up, "Right you are, young Itachi. But that was… an experience I would not like to experience again."

Sasuke interrupted, "This is your last chance to tell us where Danzou is."

The snake man laughed again as he crossed his arms across his chest, "I really have no idea where he is. I haven't even heard from him from since the coup. Nor have I any desire to look for him."

"Very well then." Itachi replied calmly. "You will now die."

Orochimaru signaled his people to move away from him and they moved back to stand against the cliff face. Itachi did the same, waving his hand to his companions. They took the hint and stepped back onto the road.

"I have always wanted your eyes, Itachi. And now that I have your brother's body, I don't need to keep you alive." The Sannin spoke confidently.

"You don't have my body." Sasuke grimaced at the thought as he moved to the opposite of the field from his brother. They now had Orochimaru between them.

"We'll see about that."

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**Oh no! A cliffhanger! Next week, the fight begins. One supersized snake against two Sharingans. What will happen next? **

**I didn't want the fight in this chapter because I want it to stand alone. I also don't want it to be over quick, like it was when Itachi killed him in the manga, so I want to spend some time on it and there are a couple arcs I want to review as well. The one where Yamato disguised himself as Sasori and Naruto fought Orochimaru, Sasuke's fight with him, as well as Itachi and Sasuke's battle.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	52. Chapter 52 The Snake Who Wanted to Fly

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Wow, what Sasuke did to Karin in manga was seriously badass. I should be horrified or mad or whatever, because I like Karin, but I'm actually impressed with Kishimoto's writing. I mean, Hollywood doesn't even have the guts to do that. Also, I refuse to believe Sasuke would do that if he didn't already have faith in Karin's healing abilities. Well, it actually doesn't matter what I think to tell the truth, we'll find out next week what really happened, lol.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 52 - The Snake Who Wanted to Fly**

A cold breeze blew against the mountain as the sun began its descent in the sky. Long shadows spread out across the clearing, turning bright snow into a bluish-white frost somehow reminiscent of sapphires. It was a beautiful winters' day that should have been spent drinking hot chocolate, making snowmen and having snow-ball fights.

Itachi's thoughts strayed for a moment as he considered what he would be doing if he was at home instead of chasing after his brother and Orochimaru. Or how things would have been if Orochimaru had never fallen into darkness in the first place.

But such thoughts were pointless. The reality was that he was standing near the top of a mountain in Lightning country, a few miles from the village hidden in the Clouds, facing off against Orochimaru. And Sasuke was there as well. It was certainly not the most ideal way to spend an afternoon.

"Sasori." Orochimaru turned to glance in the direction of the road where his ex-Akatsuki partner was holed up inside of a large beetle-shaped puppet. "I can't thank you enough for you gift."

"Gift?" The puppet-man's raspy voice held quite a lot of impatience and a hint of anger.

"Kabuto. You sent him to spy on me. He's been invaluable for my research. It can take hundreds of bodies to work out a new jutsu, but with Kabuto helping me, I can use the same body over and over. His Kekkei Genkai is quite magnificent."

Sasori growled menacingly before addressing his former subordinate, "So you fell for Orochimaru's Jutsu, huh?"

"No, master Sasori." Kabuto replied calmly as he adjusted his glasses, "Lord Orochimaru removed your jutsu, but did not place a new one over me. I am a free man, free to live my life. The only thing I fell for was Orochimaru's wonderful ideals."

Itachi caught then satisfaction in Kabuto's words. It had been his dream to be free of Sasori, and it wasn't particularly surprising that he would follow the man who freed him. Once again Itachi felt a pang of guilt over his silence. If he had just told his father or the Hokage what was wrong with the boy, they could probably have freed him and he would still be in Konoha. It was a hard lesson, but one he learned very well. A promise is pointless if it causes harm.

Orochimaru spoke up again, "Kabuto, everyone else, stand back and don't get involved. You'll just get in the way and you might be killed. I'll deal with Itachi on my own." His subordinates acknowledged his words and fell back to the side of the cliff, underneath where Madara was still perched.

Behind the snake-man, Sasuke's laughs echoed out across the clearing, "That's pretty arrogant. No one can beat Itachi. He's the best."

Orochimaru drew his sword Kusanagi and pointed it at Itachi, "The fight begins now." He stared at his adversary for a moment, then smiled as ten snakes sprouted from his neck, each with an "Orochimaru" head on it. They grew larger and larger, stretching up a good couple-hundred feet into the sky. Twisting and twirling around each the effect was certainly intimidating, but had few offensive or defensive benefits. Since his body was still on the ground, and exposed, splitting ones attention between the heads and the body should have made fighting more difficult.

"Hydra technique." Sasori replied gruffly.

Itachi stared up at the heads, wondering exactly what benefit such an attack had, other than intimidation, when he felt a strong chakra source from his little brother. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled as a blade of chakra extended from Sasuke's hand and pierced through Orochimaru's chest. Leaving his body on the ground while his heads dangled two-hundred feet above ground had a definite disadvantage that even a twelve-year-old boy could see through.

However, Itachi's smile faded as he watched the cursed seal take over Sasuke's body. His skin grew darker, a black cross formed over his nose, his hair grew longer and more wild, and a bizarre set of wings sprouted from his back. They looked remarkably like a pair of grossly exaggerated leathery hands.

"You've been a very good pupil while you were here, weren't you little brother?" Itachi muttered. He was momentarily distracted by the sound of cheering. Looking back he saw Naruto jumping up and down, urging his foster-brother on. And, of course, Tobi was being just as noisy.

Orochimaru wasn't as amused as Sasuke's fans and one of the large heads dived down towards the boy.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled as he shot a giant fireball out of his mouth. It caught the head, frying it almost instantly. The neck it had been attached to fell onto the ground in front of him, still twitching. He quickly activated his Mangekyou Sharingan as two more heads dived down and shot out an Amaterasu flame that caught them instantly. Using his chakra blade he stretched it up about fifty feet and cut the burning heads off of the distended snake-like neck and watched as they fell to ground. Since the fire would burn until the item it was attached to ceased to exist there was no need to pay the heads any more attention.

"Too bad father isn't here to see this." Itachi whispered. He was happy to sit back and let his brother play around for a while. However, he was also watching the fight very closely. There was no way Sasuke could actually kill the Sannin – he would have to do that himself – however, getting a few good hits in should prove to Fugaku how wrong he had been to underestimate his youngest son.

Sasuke turned off his Mangekyou Sharingan and bent over, resting his hands on his knees as he panted, catching his breath. A moment later he stood up again and wiped his face with his hands, then stared at his palm with a shocked look on his face. Itachi used his Sharingan to look closer. One of his brother's eyes was bleeding. It wasn't surprising… that was the price the jutsu required one to pay for using it. However, his heart clenched a little bit, knowing how painful it was.

The snake Sannin turned his attention back to Itachi and as he dove toward the teen, he sensed a tremendous amount of chakra and backed off. The snakes coiled around each other as they gazed back down to the earth. Itachi was standing inside of an ephemeral skeletal form that resembled an enormous, stooped over giant. It was completely shielding him.

Orochimaru sent one of the snakes toward the barrier, only to have it bounce off. The barrier didn't even register any sign of having been attacked. Staring down at the odd jutsu he quickly turned when he felt a second surge of chakra, similar to Itachi's.

"No way… how…" Orochimaru's eyes opened wide as stared at the exact same jutsu surrounding Sasuke.

"You fool." Itachi cursed his brother under his breath. "I ordered you specifically to _never_ use Susanoo."

The snake Sannin laughed gleefully, "Oh, how I look forward to taking your body, Sasuke. They used to call me a genius, yet at your age I was nothing compared to you. And having Itachi here… To be able to beat him into the ground as well will be simply delightful."

Sasuke looked straight up at Orochimaru and snorted with derision, "The only reason you want me is because you couldn't have Itachi. A snake cannot catch a hawk in mid-air, so you slithered up the tree and raided the nest of its chick instead. Unfortunately, the hawk has caught you and you are now the target. You sicken me, Orochimaru." Sasuke's voice became bitter with anger, "You couldn't surpass the Uchiha name, or even come close. Now matter how hard you or anyone else tries, surpassing us is impossible. In front of us, all others are ordinary. You want to be like us so badly that you stuff yourself full of potions and stolen jutsus and take over bodies. To me who was born an Uchiha you look ridiculous.

"Also, I hate the way you do things. Why do you do it? To understand all the jutsus of the world? You play with us, with people, like they are toys and when you are finished you throw them away like a selfish kid. You make me want to throw up."

Silence fell over the clearing as Sasuke finished his speech. Itachi stole a glance at the people around them and saw various looks of pride, derision, and confusion. He himself was confused. Did his brother really think that way? It was like listening to the clan elders, or even Madara.

How many times had he heard it, _"Uchiha are better than everyone else. Don't ever forget that." _

Once again, Sasuke's voice broke the silence, "For a snake that crawls on the ground to dream of flying is absurd. It can't happen. But you are luckier than most snakes, Orochimaru, because today you will fly, in the talons of a hawk."

Glancing up at Madara, who had already removed his mask, Itachi saw what could only be described as fatherly pride radiating from his face. Rolling his eyes, he sighed with exasperation. Apparently Sasuke had inherited his birth-father's flair for the dramatic. And what a time for it to show up, too. However, it had the desired effect. Instead of gloating, Orochimaru was now quite angry.

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Anger was a deadly emotion for a Shinobi. As were all the other emotions, including love. That was what Itachi had been taught at the ninja Academy and later as member of Root. Feelings were to be repressed. The mission was everything. Nothing existed before the mission, and nothing existed afterward.

Yet many of the older Shinobi did not follow that line of reasoning. And neither did most of the people who taught it. Including Orochimaru. Yet it could not be denied that when one used emotion as the driving force in a fight one always made mistakes. If you were lucky your opponent would fail to see them and you could still win. Yet Itachi had fought innumerable battles against those who failed to hide their emotions and had come out the victor.

Orochimaru's current state was very familiar. The teen had seen the look in his eyes dozens of times, in innumerable battles. The Sannin was now so angry he was becoming rash and careless.

As he lifted his arm, the sword of Totsuka appeared in Susanoo's hand. A long blade, perhaps twenty feet from hilt to tip, it was just as ethereal as the summoned monster and glowed bright white as it illuminated the shadows cast by the mountain.

The Sannin's eyes opened wide at the sight, "So you had it all along? The sword of Totsuka? I have searched high and low for that sword for decades. I can't believe you had it."

Madara spoke up, his deep voice resonating over the clearing, "A blade that seals those pierced with it in a blissful dreamlike Genjutsu for eternity. A demon sword with no real physical form it is imbued with an incredible sealing technique. It is the ultimate counter to the sword of Kusanagi. To have the power to enable Susanoo to pull that sword… Itachi is truly one in a million. And for Sasuke to have summoned a second Sasanoo... Orochimaru, if I were you I would be writing my will right now."

'He's right.' Itachi thought to himself, 'A second Susanoo shouldn't exist. There is only one. However…' He pondered the various jutsus the Sharingan used in its advanced states. Space-time manipulations were its specialty. What if Sasuke had had somehow unknowingly summoned a version of Susanoo that existed in a different dimension, or a different time? Perhaps from the future or past? And how exactly had he been able to summon a fully formed Susanoo? It had taken Itachi several tries to get it right when he had started training.

Clearing his throat, Itachi felt congestion building up in his lungs. The price for using Susanoo was the degradation of the body. It would eat away at the tissues and organs, eventually ravaging them to such an extent as to kill the user. He had to finish this, and he had to finish it fast.

Sasuke also raised his hand, just as he had seen his older brother do a minute earlier, but instead of a sword, a bow and arrow appeared, pointed straight at the hydra heads still waving around in the sky above them.

"Shall we?" Itachi called out to Sasuke. The boy smiled and nodded his head. A moment later Orochimaru was pierced with both a Genjutsu sword and a fiery arrow. The scream that escaped his lips echoed over the clearing, bouncing off the mountains and disappearing into the heavens. His body warped and distended as the Genjutsu pulled him into the sword, swirling as if caught in a black hole his body stretched and grew smaller until it disappeared.

The deadly silence that settled over the assembled people was somehow more deafening than the snake Sannin's dying screams had been. But Itachi didn't have time to think about it as both he and his brother dispelled their jutsus and fell forward onto their knees. Itachi reached up to wipe his eyes, only to have his arm come back covered in blood. Of course his eyes were bleeding. He had known that would happen.

A sudden surge of chakra made him look up as a large blade blocked a pure white sword that looked surprisingly like bone. Wiping his eyes again to clear his vision he saw Kisame standing in front of him.

"Humph. I am Kisame Hishigaki, and it's my turn to fight." The blue man snarled.

"Gladly. My name is Kimimaru and I will avenge my master's death!"

"Itachi, let's get out of here." Jiraiya threw him over his shoulder and ran to the cave's entrance. As Itachi looked back he could see the large boy who had come out of the cave earlier with Kimimaru carrying Sasuke in his arms with Karin trotting alongside him.

"This way." Suigetsu had gotten up off the ground and was holding his hand out, directing them toward the cave, "Karin, you know where Sasuke's room is, take them there."

"Of course." The girl's voice seemed far away to Itachi and he realized his vision was tunneling.

"We aren't friends with Orochimaru so you don't have to worry." Suigetsu continued.

"Thank-you." Jiraiya readjusted Itachi, pulling him off his shoulder so he could carry him in his arms. "He's bleeding way too much."

Itachi could no longer see or feel anything, and the voices seemed to be getting further and further away.

"It's okay, I can heal him." Karin said.

"Sasuke! He's shivering!" Naruto was nearby too, apparently. Itachi tried to gather enough strength to look at his brother, but it wouldn't come.

"He's got hypothermia." The tall boy answered. "It can set in fast when you loose blood."

"Juugo, let me throw my coat over him." It was Karin again. "That's better, but we need to run. Itachi looks…"

He never found out what she was going to say, as his mind shut down and he lost consciousness.

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Kisame's sharp teeth were bared in an intimidating grimace that usually scared off most of his opponents. However, Kimimaru was not that easily intimidated. The two fought, their respective weapons taking both defensive and offensive hits as the moved around the clearing.

"That's quite a jutsu you got." Kisame had noticed bone growing from his body, at which point the teen would pull on it to disengage it. The weapons he created were as strong, if not stronger, than steel.

"Unfortunately for you, it is unbeatable. This will be your last battle."

"Hah! That's what you think." Kisame pulled all the wrappings off of Samehada and aimed it at the teen. "You need chakra for your jutsu, and Samehada will now relieve you of that resource."

Kimimaru's eyes opened wide as the sword connected with his bone-blade and he felt a large quantity of his chakra being sucked out. Jumping back he started coughing and panting, unable to catch his breath.

"Well, it shouldn't have worked that fast." Kisame observed.

The white-haired teen decided a long-range attack was the best option and lifted his hands, palms up. Small bones, the size of a child's marble, shot out at the blue man. Kisame raised his sword to block the attack, then glanced back at the cave as several people ran out. Jiraiya, Naruto, Juugo and Suigetsu had returned.

Kimimaru had also been sidetracked and Kisame took the opportunity to jump forward, bringing Samehada down hard on the teen's left arm. He heard the rip of flesh as the fish-scale blades ate through the skin and began sucking out more chakra.

Falling forward, Kimimaru grabbed at his bleeding and broken limb. He started to stand up again, but fell forward as wracking coughs shook his thin body. Blood leaked from his mouth and he began shivering uncontrollably. Kisame raised his sword again to make one last, life-ending stroke when he suddenly found it blocked on the way down.

"Who are you?" Kisame growled angrily. He didn't like to be deprived of his prey.

"Juugo. And Kimimaru is my friend. You will not harm him."

Kisame chuckled evily, "Already did."

"I see that." Juugo began to change, an odd pattern covered his exposed flesh and his eyes grew wild. Kisame drew back, watching cautiously. He knew what Orochimaru's cursed seal did to people, and it was obvious Juugo had been subject to that mad-man's experiments. A loud yell echoed over the clearing as Juugo launched himself wildly at Kisame.

A battle of Tai Jutsu and blade attacks followed. Kisame using his blade, and Juugo leaping and hitting with his arms and legs. It was a wild battle, unlike anything the swordsman had experienced in years. He found himself enjoying it, and he noticed that Samehada was also enjoying it.

"You like this boy's chakra, huh?" He spoke to the sword. "Does it taste good?"

As if in answer, the sword began to hum and the fish-scale blades began to vibrate as they pulled out more and more of Juugo's chakra.

"He has a lot of chakra, doesn't he?" Kisame added. Juugo was beginning to wear down. While it was true that he had a lot of chakra, it certainly wasn't limitless. After several minutes the boy fell to his knees and the cursed seal disappeared. Breathing heavily, his red hair falling over his eyes and his ripped and torn clothing exposing several cuts and bruises he fell forward onto the blood-soaked compacted snow.

Kisame sighed and leaned on his sword. "I guess I better finish them off."

"No don't!"

"And who are you?" Kisame was beginning to get annoyed and glared at the boy who had been sitting on the ground during the battle earlier. "You look kind of familiar."

"You remember me? I'm Mangetsu Hoozuki's little brother, Suigetsu."

"Ah yes!" Kisame gave him a big grin, "The boy known as the 'second coming of Zabuza'! I remember when you were this high" Kisame held his hand two feet off the ground, in an obvious exaggeration of Suigetsu as a small child, "and cutting the legs off of prisoners to keep them from running away. You were quite ruthless back then, boy."

"Yep! That's me!" Suigetsu flashed the man a big smile of his, that faded just as quickly, "Or, at least it was."

"So what's so great about these two?" Kisame got back on the subject.

"Oh. Um… Kimimaru is dying anyway and Juugo is a great guy and his best friend. And Sasuke promised to help Juugo so I know he wouldn't like it you killed him."

Kisame blinked once, "Okay… that's not something Mangetsu would have ever done…"

"No. He wouldn't. He also wouldn't have gotten caught by Orochimaru. What can I say?"

"Not much that I would want to listen to at this point." The big man sighed, "Take them away, then. I had my fun and Samehada had a good meal. It looks like the others are about done as well."

Looking over the field he saw that the four Shinobi who had followed Orochimaru out of the cave were now all lying on the ground, wounded and apparently unconscious. Naruto was sitting on ground breathing heavily, Deidara was standing nearby gloating over two of the ninjas, Jiraiya was checking an injured kunoichi with a frown on his face and Sasori was packing up his puppets. Glancing up at the cliff he saw that Madara was no where to be seen.

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Warmth was the first thing Itachi felt as he slowly regained consciousness. The next thing he felt was a sore chest, sore muscles and, he realized quickly, there actually wasn't any part of his body that didn't hurt. Opening his eyes he was further pained when the first image he saw was of Madara, sitting on a chair next to his bed, smiling.

"So you finally woke up." The elder Uchiha stated simply. "Sasuke's been awake for a couple hours now."

"They won't let me get out of bed, though." The boy replied grumpily. He was propped up in his bed with some pillows and had been reading a book.

Itachi pushed himself up, but the room began spinning as soon as he sat up and he ended up flat on his back when his arms gave out. He took a couple deep breaths to dispel the sudden wave of nausea that had accompanied the dizziness, "How is Sasuke?"

"I hurt all over, but I'll probably live. I guess I understand now why you said to not use that jutsu. I'd been practicing it in secret and it was never as bad as actually using it in a battle. I really hope I never have to do that again. And I hope you don't have to do it again either." Sasuke looked over at his brother, "Madara said that each time you use it, the damage grows and grows and can even kill you."

"Yes." Itachi knew there was nothing more he could say. He looked around the room and saw that it was small, with stone walls and lit rather dimly with a single kerosene lamp. The room consisted of two beds, placed next to each other with a three foot gap between them. A desk, chair and small wardrobe made of the rest of the furniture.

"You're in my room." Sasuke offered, seeing his brother's wandering gaze. "They brought in another bed for you."

"Oh." Itachi's gaze returned to the ceiling, "What happened after I passed out?"

Madara spoke up, "Jiraiya was carrying you into the cave when you suddenly started having trouble breathing. That Karin girl made you bite her arm and her chakra somehow started to heal you. It's an amazingly useful ability that girl has. Anyway, she ordered the others to place you and Sasuke in here. Orochimaru isn't around to evict us so it's safe enough."

"We need to leave soon."

Madara changed the subject, "That was an amazing use of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi. I had no idea you were powerful enough to summon the sword of Totsuka. And Sasuke, bringing forth a second Susanoo… that shouldn't have happened. My brother Izuna and I could do that, but only when we were together. If either of us tried it with anyone else it would always fail. It has to be something about the bond between brothers that gives it power and allows it to appear like that."

"Where is his head?"

"Orochimaru's head is waiting all sealed up and ready for you to take home. Ha ha! Deidara was pretty upset about not getting to fight him. Took out his frustration on some upstarts calling themselves the 'Sound Four'. Sounds more like a rock band than a group of ninjas, if you ask me. Anyway, he and Sasori played around with them for a while. Kisame fought Kimimaru and Juugo, who are still alive thanks to the intervention of Suigetsu, and Naruto got to fight as well, but no one's allowed to tell you two about the fight because he want to brag about it himself." Madara laughed, "He was pretty banged up, but thanks to the Kyuubi chakra he heals faster than you two."

Itachi yawned broadly, "I hope Jiraiya was nearby."

"Ready and waiting to pull him out of danger, so I understand. I didn't stick around to watch."

"And Kabuto?" Itachi wondered where Madara had taken off to, he was usually happiest when he got to watch a fight, and from the way it sounded, there were quite a few high-level brawls to keep any ninja spectator happy.

"Gone. Took off as soon as Orochimaru disappeared into your jutsu. His room was emptied of a few key items, as well as his lab. I followed him for a ways down the mountain, only got back a few hours ago, and he's definitely on the run. You won't catch him any time soon."

"Shame." Itachi sighed, "I wanted to talk to him." He changed the subject, "We got nothing on Danzou."

"You did." Madara corrected him, "Sasuke told me, Orochimaru admitted to implanting Uchiha eyes in the man. And now that Orochimaru is dead…"

"Danzou's personal physician is gone. Leaving Kabuto." Itachi finished. "We can't let Danzou get to Kabuto first." He wished Madara had grabbed the teen instead of letting him run away, but that was too much to ask. The elder Uchiha no doubt had his reason, but whatever they were, they made absolutely no sense to Itachi.

Madara frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, "Do you think he'll help him?"

"No. I actually don't think that. At least not of his own free will. Kabuto has been a slave before, when Sasori had him under his control. If he falls to another jutsu like that, it'll…" Itachi couldn't finish. He knew what it would do to the teen. How difficult it would be to live like that.

"He killed the Third Hokage. Who cares what happens to him?" Sasuke offered.

"I do." Itachi answered. "And Orochimaru was the one who killed him, and he's dead now. Or as good as dead, anyway."

"Same difference. He was an accomplice. It's the same…"

Itachi became stern, "It's not the same. And there are a lot of things about Kabuto that you don't understand, so let's just leave it at that and talk about something else."

"Fine." Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then glanced up at Madara.

Itachi got the message, but he was still very sleepy and without warning, his body slipped back into a deep slumber.

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Two days later Itachi was up and feeling back to normal. The long rest, followed by a good meal and more rest was exactly what he needed to recharge his chakra and rid his body of the soreness and the congestion in his lungs. Although he suspected that whatever jutsu it was that Karin used when she made him bite her did more to help than everything else combined.

He heard voices, familiar voices, coming down the hall and found himself in what appeared to be a break room. A simple table with five chairs, small food cabinet and a tea pot were the only items in the ten foot square room.

"Sasuke, we'll be leaving for Konoha in the morning."

Sasuke corrected him, "No, Itachi. You'll be leaving for Konoha in the morning. I'm going to Mist with Madara."

"Don't be ridiculous." Itachi stuck his hands in his pockets. He was wearing his Akatsuki cloak, the underground tunnels were cold and the simple garment was very warm.

"What's ridiculous is you expected me to go back and put up with that council and father." Sasuke was getting mad.

"Father dismissed the council and I chose the new members. They won't give you a hard time anymore. I promise."

"Humph. Too little, too late." That was not the answer Itachi expected. In fact, he had fully expected his brother to be pleased by the news. "No one ever stood up to them, so why should their replacements be any different."

He had to admit his little brother had a good point and he closed his eyes as he leaned against the open door. "Nevertheless, I can't let Madara have you?"

"Have me? What am I? Your personal possession? I'm not a toy to be passed around between a bunch of little kids!" Sasuke was getting angry, and he clenched his fists tightly as he stared down his brother.

"No, that's now what I…"

"I'm tired of everyone else always making decisions for me! Telling me what to do, or where to go or who to be! And then dad even made me fight that kid! He keeps calling out to me to help him, he's in my head, he's scared and it all dad's fault!" Sasuke was yelling now, in a full rage. Tears streamed down his face, unchecked.

"Wait, what?" Madara stepped closer, "He's doing what?"

Sasuke turned to face him, "He's in my head! I go to sleep and he's there! He doesn't know where he is and he wants to go home!"

Madara placed a hand on Sasuke's back, "How often?"

"Almost every night."

"That's… I've never heard of contact being that frequent with just the Mangekyou Sharingan." Madara looked at Itachi, "Contact comes maybe once every few months, or even years with some people. But several times a week… You aren't getting much sleep, Sasuke, are you?"

"I…" Sasuke dropped his gaze to the floor, "No, not really. Itachi said he could ask Shisui to help. But nothing came of that."

"I haven't heard from him." Itachi's words came out a little more defensive than he had intended. "But we're getting off the subject."

"I'm not going back." Sasuke reiterated. "If you want to fight it out, then we'll go back outside and have at it."

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. He could easily defeat his brother and bring him home, in bandages if necessary. But given the fact that Sasuke had very little restraint when it came to his temper, the boy could end up seriously injured. And if they did fight, the bad feelings that would follow would take a long time to go away.

There was really only one logical solution. But, at the same time, it was also illogical and quite dangerous. Sasuke didn't wait to hear any more and stomped out of the room, leaving Itachi and Madara alone.

"So what's next?" Madara asked rather ominously.

Itachi waited a couple minutes before answering. The kerosene lamp on the table flickered wildly as the fuel flared, probably because it was running low. "Why do you need Sasuke so badly?"

"Why? Itachi, all I want is peace. For that to happen, I need the tailed beasts. If you are unwilling to bring me Naruto I must find an alternate way to get him. Perhaps that person is Sasuke."

Itachi was horrified, "Are you making Sasuke a part of Akatsuki?"

"I find myself loosing trust in Pein. He is easily swayed and prone to the whims of his fickle conscious. Sasuke is nothing more than a contingency plan that may or may not be used. But Itachi, I can tell you one thing, one way or another, I will have my son at my side, and I will collect all the tailed beasts, and in the end, this world will find the peace it has yearned for, for so long." As soon as he finished speaking, Madara also left the room, leaving Itachi alone to consider his words.

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Itachi's next stop was the kitchen. He needed to speak with Jiraiya and since there weren't any women's baths in Orochimaru's underground realm, it seemed like the next best place to look for him. And he was right. The Sannin was sitting at a small table across from Naruto, who was eating some instant ramen. After relating the conversation he had with Madara, Jiraiya became rather upset.

"We need to get Sasuke back home, even if we have to stick him in a bag and carry him back."

"I'm not so sure." Itachi sighed as he sat down on one of the mismatched wooden chairs. "He… feels used. And he's right to feel that way. We've treated him like a possession instead of a human being. And if I bring him back that way he'll never recover. No one would."

"He would never come after me." Naruto stated firmly, "We're brothers. And brothers never hurt each other. But I don't want him to leave again."

"Time and distance have a way of changing people, Naruto." Jiraiya said quietly. "Today he won't hurt you, but what will he be like after a year in Mist? You heard what Madara said yesterday."

"What?" Itachi's ears perked up.

Naruto answered, "Well, you know how he fought the First and lost? Well, he wants to recreate the battle, only with me and Sasuke."

"Why you?" Once again, Itachi wondered if the Fourth was Tsunade's son, making the First Naruto's great-grandfather.

"Who knows? It's his logic, not mine." Naruto drained his bowl of the last of the broth and stared at the empty bowl despondently.

"I know how you feel, Itachi." Jiraiya said cautiously, "But I would rather see Sasuke in a prison cell in Konoha, pissed off and mad at the world, than teamed up with that man."

Itachi was silent for a few minutes, "I agree, I guess. But Madara is here to collect him. If I refuse to allow Sasuke to leave, Madara will fight me. I am a match for him now, of that I am positive. However, that doesn't guarantee a win. If I were to die…"

Jiraiya finished the statement, "Konoha would loose one of its best Shinobi. And since the only person who can take down a Sharingan is another Sharingan, we can't afford to loose you."

Itachi shook his head, not sure about the logic behind the Sannin's statement, "I will have to let him leave. I will face consequences when I return to Konoha, but it is the only way to avoid bloodshed. However, I will work tirelessly to make sure he comes back home. He's a smart boy, it shouldn't take him too long to figure out what Madara is and that he wants to use him worse than anything Fugaku ever and the Uchiha council ever did."

"I don't like it!" Naruto yelled and banged his hand on the table.

"Then what should I do?" Itachi uncharacteristically lost his temper and yelled, "What's the right thing to do here, Naruto? Tell me?"

Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if considering options, but in the end he just remained silent and went back to staring at his empty bowl.

Jiraiya closed his eyes and shook his head, "Your strategy has always been flawless, Itachi. I will trust you one more time. But if this ends badly…"

"Jiraiya, if this ends badly, I will be dead before you can get your hands on me, so don't even bother to threaten me. It would be meaningless." Itachi turned around and left the room. He got a few feet down the corridor before stopping and leaning his forehead against the cold stone wall. Voices drifted from the kitchen, and he listened carefully, in spite of himself.

"What… did that mean?" Naruto asked, obviously confused.

"It means that Itachi would rather die to save the village, you and Sasuke than allow Madara to succeed in his plans. And he's right, if he fails in this, there would be no point in me looking him up. No point whatsoever."

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**Next week, Itachi meets again with the Cloud Kage and then returns home to break the bad news to his parents. And Naruto tells Itachi the story of his epic battle.**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	53. Chapter 53 Itachi's Punishment

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**I didn't think I would have this done on time, but here it is! I'm posting it now, and I'll look through it later to proofread… I was really busy this week so I hope there weren't too many bizarre errors.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

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**Chapter 53 – Itachi's Punishment**

Morning came all too soon and Itachi was unable to stop the sigh that escaped from his lips as he gazed at his younger brother standing next to the one man in the world he had wanted to keep him away from. They had argued again the previous evening, in Sasuke's room, and it had not been pleasant.

"I have to do this, big brother." Sasuke's voice cut through Itachi's melancholy and stabbed at his heart. He wanted to answer, to tell him the only thing he had to do was go home, be a kid, and grow up. But the children of Shinobis weren't allowed to be kids. They were considered "grown up" the day they graduated from the Academy. And his child, who had not even been born yet, was fated to lead the same existence.

Instead he said nothing and watched as the pair, with Karin and Juugo accompanying them, walked out of the cave and into the over-bright morning. Snow had fallen sometime during the last few days and covered up the bodies of those who had not survived the battle. The pristine clearing looked inviting and innocent of any foul deeds and even the footprints of the departing group somehow managed to look lonely in the barren expanse of pure white snow.

"Humph." Itachi grunted softly as he turned around, only to find himself face to face with Deidara. "You didn't go with them too?" His voice took on an edge of annoyance that he rarely used around others, especially Akatsuki.

"Why would I do that, un?" The blond teen snorted derisively.

"Isn't Sasuke your friend?" Itachi suddenly had a strong desire to pick a fight with someone. Anyone.

Deidara smirked and moved the lock of hair that usually covered his scope and started fiddling with the controls, aiming them up at the horizon beyond the summit of the mountain, "Aren't you his brother?"

Itachi started to raise his hand, fully intending to punch Deidara, but Jiraiya interfered, "I know you're angry right now, but picking fights isn't going to help your mood any." He glared at both teens, "Either of you."

"If I can't kill Orochimaru," Deidara started, "Then killing you would be like killing him."

"I refuse to fight you. Ever."

Deidara stepped forward and angrily shoved the other teen back a few steps, earning a glare from Itachi.

"Why are you still hanging around Akatsuki anyway? Why do you need to fight? You have no family, few, if any friends, and no life outside of Akatsuki. An organization that sends you on 'S' class missions designed to kill you before you're twenty. Why do you have such a desire to fight me?"

"So I can win!" Deidara yelled with such bitterness and rage that Itachi found himself stepping back again, not to get away, but to get a better view of the situation. "So I can show those who laugh at my art how wrong they are and how beautiful it is! You are always laughing at me!"

Itachi, who had expected an answer along the lines of "so I can be more powerful than you" was rather surprised and before he could think he opened his mouth, "I have never laughed at your art. It's quite effective and you work very hard to improve it every day. You are also a very well known artist in your homeland. I heard your sculptures sell for thousands of ryuu when they go on auction."

"You…" Deidara was just as surprised at this rather odd show of emotion from the teen and creased his brow, trying to read between the lines. "When your guys recruited me…"

"I beat you in a fight. So what? I was following orders. Believe it or not I've lost fights as well. No ones asking you to like it. But you can't win against me, Deidara, so quit trying."

"I wouldn't know if I could win unless I tried." Deidara was trying hold onto his anger, but his last sculpture had sold for nearly ten thousand ryuu a few months earlier and he was still rather flattered by the price. And the fact that Itachi had known about it was, for some reason, also flattering.

Itachi frowned, "You heard Sasuke say it the other day. Nothing can beat the Sharingan." Itachi glared at Jiraiya, still peeved that he had stopped him from hitting the blond, and walked back into the cave. However he stopped just before the stone stairway that lead down into the depths, "That is our pride. But more than that… it is our curse. Sasuke sounded like he was bragging, but in reality…" What he was going to say was lost as he began his descent.

Deidara opened his mouth as if about to speak, but shut it again. Instead he picked up his backpack, threw it over a shoulder and threw a clay bird into the air. With a "pop" it became a winged, pure-white owl capable of flight. Silently he jumped onto its back and flew off to join Sasori who had left a couple days earlier.

It was quiet for a moment, until Kisame began chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Jiraiya gazed up at the blue shark-man curiously.

"It's just nice to see Itachi acting his age for once. You don't get to see that very often."

"You are an odd sort. I seriously can't figure you out." Jiraiya folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the stone wall of the artificial cave. "You obviously crave power and recognition, but your motives are rather mysterious. You kill the Daimyou of Water country, and instead of taking his place you run away. You look after Itachi and Deidara like an older brother, but would have no problem if they fought either other to the death. Just what are you?"

That was too much and Kisame let out a roar of a laugh. Greatly amused, he wiped a tear out of his before answering, "Jiraiya, I a ninja, pure and simple. I crave the power only fighting can give me. Power from authority is filled with nothing more than false pretenses and petty lies. My one weakness, as you so delightfully noticed, was my need for recognition. And I am at the top of the list in all of the bingo books. Then again, you have the same weakness, master Jiraiya, writer of fiction and bestselling author. And you are also at the top of the list on the bingo books."

That was a surprise to Jiraiya and he could do little more than smile at the man, yet, "That is too simple. I sense something else, something underneath. Something personal. But… when alls said and done, it's none of my business." He turned around and as he walked down the corridor towards the stone steps that lead down into the Orochimaru's now-empty lair he smiled as he heard Kisame still laughing. There was something about him he was missing, and Jiraiya loved a good puzzle.

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"Are we ready to leave yet?" Naruto grinned broadly at the group standing at the mouth of the cave.

Jiraiya grinned back, "Yep. I had several of my frogs teleport the injured back to Konoha. Tsunade should have no trouble the two remaining 'Sound Five', but Kimimaru is going to be harder. I sent Kabuto's file on him back as well, and his illness has progressed so far that he wasn't given much time to live anyway. It was hard, but before I sent him off he convinced Juugo to go with Sasuke instead of following him to Konoha."

"I thought they were the 'Sound Four', that's what the guy I was fighting said." Naruto replied.

Suigetsu spoke up, "Orochimaru made Kimimaru their leader and they didn't take to it very well. Some where still calling themselves 'Four' instead of 'Five'."

"Infighting, huh?" Jiraiya smiled.

"Of course." Suigetsu beamed up at him, as if finding the observation incredibly insightful and humorous.

Kisame and Itachi, the last of the remaining group stepped out of the dark depths. Itachi spoke up in a stoney voice, "Everything here is taken care of. Orochimaru's test subjects have been freed; his remaining minions have either taken off or are sticking around to wait for Cloud."

"Cloud?" Naruto was confused.

"I told them I would discuss the option of joining Cloud as ninja with the Kage. I also told the ex-prisoners I would ask him to send someone to escort them to a safe place."

"He seemed pretty mad at you. Why will he help?" Kisame asked.

Naruto answered before Itachi could speak up, "Because he's a human being."

Kisame snorted, "You're a human being. He's a ninja."

Itachi sighed, "True enough, and I told them there was no guarantee, but I will ask nevertheless. There is enough food in store to last until summer. That way if no one comes they can wait until spring to leave instead of freezing to death in the snow."

Kisame turned to Suigetsu, "And where are you going?"

The boy gave him a wide grin, "With you, master Kisame."

"I told you I don't need an apprentice."

"I'm going to be your student and learn everything about Samehada, then when you are done with it I'll inherit it. Besides, every swordsman is required to have an apprentice."

"We aren't in Mist anymore kid."

"That's not a Mist thing, its an old tradition going back to the old world. And since I didn't get my brother's sword when he died I want Samehada. It's more powerful anyway."

Kisame growled under his breath, "We had this discussion already with Madara last night."

Suigetsu smiled, "And he said I could do whatever I wanted."

"When your brother chose to side with Zabuza he lost the right to hold onto his sword, of course he couldn't pass it on. The swords came with Madara to Mist a long time ago and he can command them. It was his punishment. However, you were not involved in the coup and had no reason to leave Mist other than throwing a tantrum over a lost sword."

This made the boy angry and balled his fists as he glared up at the big man, "He lost the right! He was dead! It was supposed to have gone to me! I was his apprentice! That man took that right away from me, not him! Why the hell would I even consider staying there or going back!" Suigetsu stopped for a moment to catch his breath before continuing, this time much more subdued, "I worked really hard, did everything I was supposed to, went on missions and helped assassinate people and I even had a reputation as the 'second coming of Zabuza'. What more did they want? My brother was all I had."

Kisame shook his head, "No one doubts you worked hard, and your Kekkei Genkai is nothing to be laughed at, but being called the 'second coming' of someone who actively tried to kill the Kage was not something Madara wanted to hear at the time. However, instead of staying and trying to convince him he was wrong you ran away. Did you ever consider applying as the apprentice to the swords new owner? You were also very young at the time. Six or Seven if I remember right. No sword has ever been given to such a young boy."

"Fine. Whatever." Suigetsu pouted, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm your apprentice now, master Kisame. Where you go, I go. And when I get strong enough, I'm going to fight you and win Samehada."

Kisame rolled his eyes and stared up at the heavens, "Can you clean?"

"Cl…clean?" That caught the boy off guard.

"Do you look good in a maid's outfit?"

"O…kay…. This is weird. But I could try…" Suigetsu wasn't sure what the other man was up to, and figured it was probably a joke of some kind. A very bad joke.

"Forget it. You look nothing like Sheeta."

"Would you quit having maid fantasies about my girlfriend!" Itachi responded belligerently.

"Sorry. Can't help it." Kisame laughed. "Suigetsu, you can come with me then. You'd just follow me anyway if I left you behind. I'm not one to put up with any whining or weakness so you better stay on your toes. We're heading off then, see you around some other time, Itachi." He nodded at Jiraiya and Naruto as he walked off, following the footsteps made several hours earlier down the mountain.

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"So that's his head." The Cloud Kage leaned back in his chair, ignoring the creaking sound as the piece of furniture groaned in discomfort over not just the man's large size, but the many repairs it had undergone after being nearly destroyed on multiple occasions by the man's over-exuberance.

In fact, the entire office looked like a second-hand shop for badly repaired furniture and architecture. Not just the chairs, but the desk, bookshelves, cabinets, doors, windows and walls were all patched. The floor had a piece a plywood laying across it near one of the windows, no doubt covering a hole, and in one corner was a stack of lumber, some bottles of glue, tape, nails, screws and couple toolboxes.

"What happened in here?" Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore and interrupted.

"Oh that?" Bee was nearby, having escorted then from the village gate to his brother's office. "Big brother gets a little riled up at times and just tears through things without looking first. You know, he'll run through the wall instead of spending the extra two seconds it would take to open a door." He laughed boisterously, accompanied by Naruto who found the scenario intensely amusing.

"Grandma Tsunade hits stuff all the time when she gets mad and her office at the hospital looks something like this. Not as bad though." Naruto smiled.

"Grandma?" The Kage looked closely at the boy in front of him.

"He's being disrespectful." Jiraiya laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "He has a habit of giving people nicknames. She hits him upside the head for it quite frequently."

"Ah. Sounds like my brother. Anyway, thanks for the head…"

"Oh, you can't keep it." Itachi interrupted. "I need to return it to Konoha. But I wanted you to see it, as we agreed."

"Humph. Well, no problem with that I guess. Killer Bee can verify it was here as well. Thanks for taking care of him, by the way. We actually had some other problems to take care of and spending time out looking for him was… not helping us here."

"If I may make a request." Itachi bowed forward a few inches and stared respectfully at the ground, "Orochimaru's ex-prisoners are still his hideout and require assistance to leaved, some are in need of medical aid. Also, a few of his Shinobi stayed behind and would like to discuss an option to join your village." He stood up and looked at the Kage again.

"I will send some people out right away to assist the prisoners. However, the others will have to be handled on a case by case basis. I find it odd you didn't take them back to Konoha. You did pick up Zabuza a while back."

"I could have, but in a show of good will I am offering you the opportunity to power-up with several skilled Jounin and Chuunin level Shinobi first."

The Kage laughed loudly, "You definitely know your stuff. Well, offer accepted." He banged his hand on the desk and a loud crack was heard. The man ignored it even as his brother winced. "And Sasuke? What about him?"

"He's gone to live with a relative for a while."

"You sent him to Mist?" It was well known by now that a branch of the Uchiha clan was living in the Water country.

"Unfortunately. And about those ninjas he injured… he was practicing a high level jutsu in secret and didn't want Orochimaru to know. We used that jutsu to kill him." He then added for emphasis, "Sasuke and I."

"And what makes you think he won't side with Mist now and use it against us… or you?"

"I'm not a fortune teller, but if that did happen… I am more powerful than him. Say the word, my lord, and I will be here to defend you and Killer Bee."

"You are Akatsuki."

"This is to be kept in the strictest of confidences. No one besides those here must know about it."

The Kage nodded, "Agreed."

Itachi sighed, "Akatsuki is falling apart. The leader has made a pact with Lode Hokage Fugaku to end the hunt for the Jinchuuriki."

"That… that's what you meant when you said Fugaku would be insulted to be called the leader…" The Kage's voice faded away.

"Then we don't have to worry about them anymore!" Killer Bee said happily.

"Not quite." Itachi ruined his joyful mood. "There is man behind the scenes. Madara Uchiha. He is the one who is really calling the shots."

"And he's the one who has Sauske?" The Kage jumped out of his chair and grabbed Itachi by the front of his shirt.

"Let him go!" Naruto's eyes blazed yellow as some of the fox chakra leaked out.

"What…" Bee stepped back and looked closely at the boy next to him.

Itachi continued, "Naruto, stand down." He stepped back as the Kage released his shirt, also interested in the boy. "He is who you think he is. Jiraiya is his guardian and he lives in my house as a foster child."

"The nine-tailed fox." Bee muttered in awe, then grabbed the boy's hand and shook it roughly, "Nice to meet you! I'm also a Jinchuuriki!"

"Wow!" Naruto, apparently, was the only one who hadn't figured that out yet.

"Anyway." Itachi got back to the subject, "Madara doesn't know about the agreement, so I'm sure you can see how delicate the situation is and why he might want Sasuke. But the bottom line is that there are some things going on in our family… Fugaku isn't a very good parent to put it bluntly, and Sasuke just needs to get away for a while." He went on to tell him about the brothers' plan to trap and kill Orochimaru, leaving out the Mangekyou Sharingan part and was surprised when the Kage back down. He had expected him to get angry again.

"So he used your plan as a stepping stone to running away." The big man sighed, "Okay, we'll do this your way for now, but I will remember your offer of aid."

"It was not given lightly." Itachi reaffirmed his promise, then changed the subject, "I have a question for you about your predecessor."

"Him?" The statement caught him off guard and he frowned again.

"Yes. Can you tell me the events that happened the day of the kidnapping?"

"Why? That's been settled a long time ago. I don't want to rehash the past."

"It turns out Danzou has stolen several Sharingan eyes over the years and had Orochimaru implant them in his body."

"And the Sharingan can make people do things they don't want to do…" The Kage was silent for several minutes, lost in thought. "I was accompanying him as his aid. He left to have dinner with some high ranking officials around eight in the evening and when he got back he was rather pre-occupied. While the dinner was hosted by Sarutobi, one of the guests was Danzou. So you think he was tricked… he was…"

"It makes sense, big brother." Bee interrupted. "Everyone knows he had no interest in the Hyuuga and wondered why he would even consider such a thing. It would be like you suddenly deciding to attend a tea ceremony."

"Damn it! I know we got the wrong Hyuuga head from you guys… that you sent his younger brother's head instead but I was willing to look past that, knowing how dear they must have been to each other. It was still a sufficient punishment in my eyes. But this… He wanted our Kage to be killed so we would ask for Hiashi Hyuuga's head. He wanted Hiashi dead!"

"That's my theory, and it's looking more and more like reality." Itachi sighed, then looked up at Jiraiya, who was gazing morosely at the floor. "When Hizashi offered to take his place I think he had to accept it because the entire Hyuuga elder council was present, as well as several village officials."

"Well, at least he failed in that. But this makes me mad! To think that a Kage could fall for his tricks!"

"It was barbaric." Jiraiya spoke up.

"Blood for blood. That's how the ninja live. You're too old to complain about it now." The Kage responded quietly.

Naruto balled his fists again and answered, "It's not the way it should be! He was defending Hinata! His daughter! Why is that a crime? Should he have allowed him to kidnap her?"

"There's more to it than that kid." The Kage defended himself.

"When I'm Hokage, it won't be like that. Sacrificing a life to save a life… that's stupid! Killing because someone's been killed! That's also stupid! You could have seen he was in the wrong and if you would have investigated instead of immediately going after his head you would have seen what was going on! And there are prisons, you know. Just stick the guy in prison for a few years, but don't kill him!"

"Pretty words, for a naïve mind."

"I'm serious! This seriously messed up Hinata's family, and she blames herself for getting kidnapped. And her father blamed her for getting kidnapped. And her cousin blamed her and her father for the death of his father! It's just one great big mess! Neji almost killed Hinata because of it during the Chuunin exams! That would have been one more death on your conscious. If you even have one, that is!"

The Kage opened and closed his mouth a few times, before shaking his head, "As a ninja, I learned not to think that deeply into a situation, Naruto. Assassination missions always leave behind… I remember one of the first few assassinations I was assigned by the previous Hokage was especially difficult, but I still did it. A lord whose wife had left him and taken the kids had paid to have her and his children killed. I killed the mother and one of the kids but by then I was… I was a wreck… I grabbed the other two and dropped them off in another country. He never found out… but…"

Naruto looked at the ground and wiped a tear out of his eye. "My Sensei did one mission like that and refused to go on any more if the village kept accepting those. Turned out the man lied about the woman saying she was a murderer instead of his wife. She was already dead by then. But, when I'm Hokage," He looked up at the other men in the room, his face set in firm determination that spoke volumes about his sincerity, "Shinobi will fight to save those people!"

The Kage laughed, "You keep thinking like that kid, and you'll be dead before you're thirteen."

Killer Bee rubbed Naruto's back and winked as he whispered, "I believe in you, even if big brother doesn't, Naruto." Something about having another Jinchuuriki on his side made Naruto smile, despite the disappointing words of the Cloud Kage.

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Without the Akatsuki following them, the group was able to settle into a hotel for the evening at a small town near the Cloud Village. Although they had been offered accommodations by the Kage, they were itching to get home as soon as possible and politely refused the request.

Naruto dug into his Ramen (having insisted on the "delicacy" after seeing a small shop with delicious-looking pictures of his favorite meal in the windows. Jiraiya and Itachi ate a much more subdued rate, and by the time he had finished his second bowl the others were still only half-way done with theirs.

"So when are you gong to tell me about this epic battle you had the other day?" Itachi prompted. He had been wondering how the boy had fared in his fight.

"Oh yeah! It was great! Deidara and Sasori were fight a person each and then this other guy made a run for Deidara so I jumped in and started fight him because two on one isn't fair, is it?" He laughed, happy at the sudden attention and the chance to brag about his fight.

"He could have handled it." Itachi smiled.

Naruto laughed again, "Yeah, well, whether he could or not… I wanted some of the action to! Why should everyone else have all the fun."

"So you gonna tell the story or just sit here and brag all night?" Jiraiya chuckled.

"Okay, well, me and him started out with Tai Jutsu and then he tried to use an earth jutsu and got mad because the ground was frozen. He called it 'dema frost' or something like that…"

"Permafrost. It's a condition where the soil and subsoil are permanently frozen and never thaw."

"Yeah that." Naruto continued, "Kisame said the frozen water in the ground probably hindered his jutsu even though earth is stronger than water. Anyway, I didn't understand that. He bragged that he could call up the earth to surround people and suck out their chakra and squish them. But it wouldn't work. So we just did Tai jutsu. And he was better at it than me, of course he also had that cursed seal thing that Sasuke does, and he used that. But then I used my Rasengan and wham! It went right through his arm, knocking it off. Blood spurted everywhere and he got really mad and threw me against the cliff wall and broke my arm and a rib and my head hit so hard I was seeing stars. But then I got up and I could feel this other chakra coming out and it didn't hurt anymore so I went after him again with another Rasengan. This time I hit him in the chest, but it didn't go through. It just knocked him against the rocks and he started to go into a higher level of the cursed seal and, well, that's when Jiraiya ruined the fun."

"I saved your hide, you inconsiderate ingrate." Jiraiya laughed, "The amount of chakra that cursed seal was putting out… I was afraid…" His voice dropped, "You were already pumping out a lot of the fox's chakra and if you went any further… you remember what I told you could happen?"

Naruto frowned, the memory was not a happy one, "I could go insane and kill my friends." He was quiet for a minute, "Thanks for that. I guess, as long as I have you everything's okay!"

"That's right, my boy!" Jiraiya agreed.

Itachi smiled, "That was a great fight, Naruto." The boy had been lucky. There was nothing more to it than that and Itachi was suddenly very concerned. If it hadn't been for the frozen ground and the presence of Jiraiya, Naruto could have died.

"I'm not a weakling." Naruto interrupted his thoughts. "That's what you were thinking, right? I know I was lucky. I know I won with the help of pervy sage, but relying on others to help doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger."

A memory from long ago wound its way through Itachi's head. Fugaku had taken him and Shisui on a hunt for a missing nin, a young Genin who had run away. It was their first clan-related mission. During the hunt the two boys had been told that backing off and letting a teammate handle a situation was good planning and the reasoning behind teams in the first place. And that hadn't been the only time he had been lectured on that. He had even been the lecturer in a few instances.

But he rarely lived up to his own words. Independent by nature, Itachi preferred to handle things on his own so his teammates would stay safe. "I am pleased you are able to realize that at such a young age. It seams I still need it pounded into me." Itachi gave a short laugh.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Arriving back in Konoha was not pleasant and Itachi found himself walking slower and slower, trying to delay the moment when he would have to tell his parents…. Sasuke's parents… that their son wasn't coming home.

However, Naruto was having none of that. He took off at a run, jumping into the trees and racing through the thick forest that surrounded the village and most of Fire country. Itachi had a sudden image of the blond answering the inevitable "where's Sasuke" question and the resulting shock that would result. He jumped after Naruto, easily passing him and arriving back at his house a full hour before his foster brother. It wouldn't do to have them arrive at the same time anyway, since Naruto was supposedly on a training trip with Jiraiya.

It was late evening and the snow that had covered the ground so thoroughly on his departure was no where to be seen. Entering the house he was confronted in the hallway by both his father and mother, who had heard him come in and hurried to see their wayward son, only to find him conspicuously absent.

"He… didn't want to come… home…" Itachi's words faded into nothingness as both his mother and Sheeta burst into tears.

Fugaku looked at them and watched as they held onto each other and walked back to the living room, "I guess there isn't much more for me to say."

"No." Itachi muttered before turning around and heading to his room. However, he stopped suddenly and reached into his pack, pulling out a plastic bag with a head. "He is very powerful, father. He is not someone for the elders or you to walk on."

Fugaku caught the bag and stared at the dead face of his old nemesis. "So you two had this planned out all along. To get back at me?" The words were devoid of emotion.

"Yeah, but… he wasn't supposed to…"

"Leave? It was inevitable, Itachi. Even I know that, as addled as you may think I am. I knew, in the back of mind that Madara would one day claim his son."

"Then you should have done something to stop him!" Itachi was angry now. "He needed you and instead you stabbed him in the back!"

"I know." The admission put Itachi off guard and his anger disappeared rather quickly and he could do nothing but stare as his father entered the foyer, slipped on his sandals and left the house. He had expected his father to beat him up, even wanted him to hit him. He felt he deserved it and for some reason he wanted someone to punish him for his failure. But he realized that all the punishment in the world would never erase the guilt. And that, in and of itself, was the ultimate punishment.

"I'll get him back." Itachi spoke out loud to the empty hallway, and the house that had always seemed so welcome now seemed empty and cold, as if he was the only left to wander its halls.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week the fate of those Jiraiya sent back is learned and more plans are made to go after Danzou. But what does Kabuto have to do with all this?**

**I hope the permafrost thing wasn't too off the wall. After all, a mud dome requires dirt and water, and if they are frozen they would have to be thawed first, requiring fire – which he didn't have. I kind of think Jiroubou was the weakest of the Sound Five so I pitted him and Naruto together, then had Jiraiya step in to end the fight since I still don't think Naruto could have won without the foxes help, not against a skilled cursed seal user.**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	54. Chapter 54 What Now?

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**This is a transitional chapter, so it's kind of short.**

**So did Danzou want to protect Konoha? Yeah. In the same way Hitler wanted to protect Germany. By ruthlessly killing off everyone he personally perceived as "enemies" instead of learning to get along with them. I don't have any respect for him because of that. And remember, he hid in the underground during Pein's attack instead of defending Konoha. He was sacrificing his own people for personal gain. It almost seems to me that the Uchiha were perhaps the only people to go up against him, everyone else either caved in or were under his Genjutsu. Sorry, but something isn't adding up. **

**The manga is rather dark, and I wonder what will happen to Karin now that Sakura has showed up. She had a flashback though… and she is still wearing the Akatsuki cloak… don't tell me she's going to be the first Akatsuki to die with her cloak on? I know, she really isn't like an Akatsuki, but for some reason I still find it amusing. Or maybe she'll be the first "extra" to live after having a flashback. Kishimoto is confusing me! I loved that eye collection of Madara's though. That was really cool.**

**Sorry for rambling, but I'm kind of bored right now. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 54 – What Now?**

Tsunade carefully ran her chakra over Sheeta's stomach, gauging the chakra level of the child growing inside of her. The exam went on for a few short minutes, after which Tsunade closed her eyes and sat down on a stool next to the examination table. Sheeta pulled her shirt down and slowly sat up, looking intently at the older woman, then at Itachi who was sitting on another stool nearby.

The brightly-lit white room was silent for a couple more minutes as the medic-nin looked over a chart and wrote out a few sentences. Finally, she looked up, "The poison levels are increasing for some reason."

"What? How?" Itachi answered before Sheeta could even open her mouth.

"Good question. Sheeta had the least amount of poison in her body of all the clan. But you, Itachi, had the most. Initially, the baby's levels were low, albeit higher than Sheeta's, but in the last month they have doubled. At this rate…"

"No…." Sheeta's words were almost too quiet to be heard as she grasped at her stomach in an attempt to hold her baby closer, to protect it.

Itachi interrupted, "What can we do?" It had only been two days since he had returned to Konoha and so far, nothing had gone right. Fugaku was in a bad mood, the new clan elders were still trying to find a middle ground amongst themselves, Sasuke's friends were up in arms and ready to go after their friend, and Jiraiya had disappeared again.

"I am going to have to strictly limit everything Sheeta comes into contact with. I am also going to run some more tests. I have a theory…" Tsunade's voice drifted off and she bit her lower lip, lost in thought.

Sheeta looked up at her, and with a small voice asked, "What?"

"What if… some of that poison that was 'time-bombed' passed into Sheeta during conception? We still haven't been able to completely decode that poison and if it was capable of transferring, and activating or even changing somehow…" She sighed loudly and grabbed a piece of paper out of a drawer, "You already gave us a blood sample today, so I'll have that run some through some additional tests. In the meantime, don't eat or drink anything unless I have approved it for consumption. This is a list of foods and beverages and where to purchase them. All are grown and manufactured by Konoha or trusted sources and used for special diets. It's not very tasty, unfortunately, but until we know where the extra poison is coming from we can at least eliminate food as one of the sources. You can continue to get the same bottled water. The Hokage has ordered all water to be strictly tested several times a day and bottled with a jutsu to prevent tampering."

The room went silent again, and once again Tsunade broke the silence, "Itachi, Kimimaru isn't very happy about being here, and ANBU wants his head for his part in Orochimaru's invasion."

"I realize that. I was surprised he even agreed with Jiraiya to come here. What does Fugaku think?"

Tsunade smirked, her blue eyes flashing with amusement, "He hasn't talked to you about it?"

"Ah. Well, he's a little upset with me right now."

"Yeah, I heard all about it." Tsunade was obviously referring to Naruto's inability to keep his mouth shut. "Anyway, he has ordered us to treat him and document the disease as well as we can. He's basically a test subject until he dies."

"That's awful!" Sheeta's eyes went wide with concern. "Can't you save him?"

"No, Sheeta, I can't. The disease struck him on a worse case scenario. Your brother suffered for years before he died, but Kimimaru has only shown symptoms for a few months. It's quite rare for the disease to progress this quickly. As good as Kabuto is, he was over his head with this case and the notes Jiraiya retrieved clearly show how frustrated he was. It's too bad his clan no longer exists. I have heard rumors of bloodlines being genetically predisposed to the disease to such an extent that they eventually go extinct. I have to wonder if this was one of those clans. The rate of occurrence in the clans here in Konoha is rather low. In fact, I am treating a total of three people at the moment. Itachi, one Hyuuga and one case that was just diagnosed last week in a young Sugiyama girl that moved here with her clan after the coup.

"We are keeping him comfortable, Sheeta. He is here in the secure wing with a window, comfortable bed, books and a TV. But he is being guarded by the ANBU assigned to the hospital and I promise we won't run any tests or do anything inhuman to him. I'm not Orochimaru after all."

"His Kekkei Genkai…" Itachi was interrupted by Tsunade.

"Was sealed away by Fugaku within two hours of arrival in the village. He can't use it."

"He agreed to that?"

"Apparently a friend of his is under the protection of Sasuke, and Fugaku agreed to abide by that as long as Kimimaru stayed out of trouble. They must be very good friends for him to agree to this imprisonment."

He frowned, remembering Kimimaru and Juugo. The tall boy had gone after Itachi, at the risk of his own life, when he had seen his friend fall in battle. "Yeah, they are. And he made Sasuke promise to be the same kind of friend to Juugo."

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Even though it had only been a short time since Sasuke had been to Mist, for some reason this time it was different. It didn't feel like he was visiting, or that he was moving there permanently, but somehow, it was something in between. The disorientation gripped him firmly, even through everything looked very familiar. The mansion was the same collection of long buildings, the garden was still in the midst of winter, but still green and inviting, the people were warm and friendly, and the room he was given was the same one he had used during his visit a few weeks earlier. In fact, Karin and Juugo had been given the other two bedrooms in the building, much to his surprise.

However, Madara had made it clear that because of their association with Orochimaru, he was keeping them close for one reason: to make it easier to limit their activities. To put it bluntly, Karin and Juugo were under house-arrest. They were not allowed to leave the mansion without an escort and were subject to a curfew.

While Karin grumbled under her breath, Juugo kept quiet and accepted the arrangement. Sasuke wasn't sure what to do and kept quiet. In reality he was relieved. Despite the disorientation, at least he didn't feel quite as lonely as he thought he would. He had feared that Madara would make them live in the village and he wouldn't see them much.

Aya had been very excited over his arrival and was constantly checking to make sure he was okay, even ordering a medic to check him over when she thought he looked a little pale. It was annoying, but at the same time she reminded him so much of his mother that he found himself smiling every time she fussed over him, and when she grabbed Karin to take her shopping for new clothes a feeling of homesickness washed over him. It had reminded him so much of Mikoto and Sheeta that a lump had formed in his throat and he had disappeared into his room.

Which is where he still was when Madara found him sitting on the floor in front of a kotetsu trying to keep warm in the chilly afternoon of the Mist shrouded mansion.

"Why don't you write a letter to your family? I can guarantee it will be delivered, and it would convince them I haven't kidnapped you."

Sasuke jumped, looking up in surprise at the man who had suddenly appeared in his room uninvited. "Don't you ever knock?"

"Don't you ever answer the door?" Madara smirked, "For the record, I did knock."

Well, Sasuke knew he had been deep in thought so the fact that he hadn't heard anything didn't surprise him. Although it wasn't a good sign for a ninja to become that distracted. "Sorry. I'll pay more attention in the future."

"That's okay. I didn't expect you to be all smiles and sunshine when we got here. But don't mope around too much, the servants will start gossiping. And you need to go to visit your girlfriends. They know you're here and it won't do for you to ignore them."

"Okay. Just… not today."

"Fine. By the way, Juugo's being examined by some clansman. They're curious about his ability and have offered to see if there is a way to help him repress it more effectively." Madara sat down on the floor and folded his hands on his lap.

"Okay." Sasuke wasn't in the mood to talk and began to wish he was alone again.

Madara finally asked, "Do you regret coming here?"

"No." The answer was given too quickly and Madara sighed.

"You can leave if you want."

This time, the boy was quiet for a few long seconds before answering, "No. But… I'll miss Itachi's wedding and the baby being born. I feel bad about that."

"Then go home for a visit. Itachi has a lot of power in Konoha, despite what he might say or think about the matter. If you want to go, and he wants you to come, no one can prevent that."

"You make it all sound so easy."

"Maybe it is."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance, "Don't make fun of me. I know what father thinks of me right now. He hates me."

Madara laughed and leaned back on his hands, "Sasuke, Fugaku will never hate you. It's not possible. I know for a fact that after you left he nearly broke down. You probably mean more to him than Itachi."

"Humph." Sasuke remembered his mother saying almost the same thing to him many years earlier on the eave of the coup. He had asked why Fugaku only ever seemed to pay attention to Itachi, and had been told that it was him that their father doted on. It hadn't made sense then, and it made even less sense now. "I'm not even really his kid. And he made me fight that other kid to the death."

"Well," Madara stood up, "I can't solve all your insecurities. You'll have to figure this stuff out on your own. Anyway, training begins tomorrow at eight in the morning. Some one will escort you to the clan training grounds. Karin will also begin training at the hospital as a medic. Her abilities were truly intriguing when she healed you and Itachi, I think they can easily be expanded on. Juugo, because of his unpredictable nature… I haven't really decided what to do with him."

"Yeah, I know. He's happy do anything, really. He's great with animals though. It's like, he can talk to them or something."

"Hmm. Interesting. The aviary asked for some Genin the other day, maybe I'll send them Juugo instead."

"What about you? Why were you so eager to come get me? I mean… I just asked because I wanted to get away from Konoha, but I wasn't sure you would agree to it."

Madara smiled, "Finally getting to the point, huh? Well Sasuke, I am going to make this world a peaceful place to live. I was using Akatsuki to achieve that goal but their usefulness is coming to an end. That's where you come in."

"That makes no sense."

"Not right now. And I'm not going to tell you everything yet. I'm still working out some of the details. Frankly, I didn't expect Akatsuki to fall apart this soon, but Pein has betrayed me. He is unaware that I know of his meeting with Fugaku, of course, and believes Akatsuki to still be at full force."

"Does that mean you are building a replacement for Akatsuki?" Sasuke wondered what had gone on between Pein and Fugaku and how, exactly, it affected Itachi.

Madara gave a short laugh, "No. Akatsuki is still of use to me."

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"I wish I'd been there." Sakura slunk down in her seat and stared morosely at the wet grass that surrounded the picnic table in the park. The group of friends had just finished listening to Naruto's account of what had happened during the battle between their friend, his older brother, and Orochimaru.

"I would have gotten him to come home." Ino replied, equally morose.

Naruto frowned and clenched his fists together tightly as he gazed at the people sitting around him. They had graduated at the same time and had stuck together in a fashion never before seen in Konoha. Instead of three small teams, they felt more like one big team. And now one of their members was gone.

"What's the Hokage doing to get him back?" Shikamaru was staring absently at his friends fists, "Officially he said Sasuke is on a mission in Mist to act a liaison for Konoha, but dad said no one believes that story."

"He told me…" Naruto paused, "Sasuke told me he won't do anything to hurt us. He's just mad at Fugaku. Not us. So… I guess we'll have to trust him."

"For now…" Shikamaru was interrupted when Naruto jumped up and grabbed him by the front his shirt.

"What does that mean?" The blond yelled loudly, his voice echoing over the empty park.

Ji stepped forward quickly, followed by Kiba and helped separate the two friends. The four boys stood staring at each other, waiting for Naruto to attack again, but instead the boy's shoulders slumped and his face filled with sorrow.

"He saved my life back then. His family did. And now I live with them. No one else would give me the time of day." He raised his head and stared directly into Shikamaru's eyes, "You don't know what that was like! Or how grateful I am to them for helping me when no one else would! Sasuke's my best friend and I'm here for him no matter what!"

Shikamaru grunted, "Then prove it. Go get him and bring him home."

"No." Sakura and Sai said simultaneously.

Sai continued, "It's much too dangerous for Naruto to go to Mist. Why do you think Fugaku didn't even take him to the wedding? Let Itachi handle this."

"Itachi knows what's he's doing." Sakura continued. "We can offer to help him, and he probably already knows how we feel, but we shouldn't act rashly or fight amongst ourselves over this." Quiet settled over the group as everyone considered their words. They already knew that of course, but it didn't make it any easier.

"But if I don't do anything…" Naruto began quietly, "I'll feel like I'm betraying him. I trust my friends, Shikamaru. All of them."

Shikamaru nodded once, but couldn't look Naruto in the eyes, "Dad is suspicious of Mist and thinks they are up to something and he also thinks something is wrong with Sasuke. He said that Fugaku fired the clan council after Sasuke ran away."

Naruto glanced over at Hinata who was still sitting next to Sakura and wringing her hands. She sighed as she returned his gaze, "Naruto isn't supposed to talk about stuff like that, Shikamaru, so please don't get him in trouble. Clan affairs stay in the clan for a reason. I guess… its hard to explain unless you actually are in one… but please try to understand."

"How can I understand when it tears apart my friends like this?" Shikamaru grumbled. No one could think of an answer to that and silence descended on the group. Finally, after a few minutes Sai stood up, followed by Sakura.

"Sakura and I have to go on patrol now." Sai adjusted his jacket and started to check his weapons.

"Can I come?" Naruto asked half-heartedly. Because of Sakura and Sai's extra training as ROOT operatives they were often called upon to assist ANBU with routine patrols or to fill in gaps in low-level missions. Occasionally they would let him accompany them.

"Not this time." Sakura gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes and he looked carefully at her face wishing desperately that he could read her thoughts.

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Evening fell quickly in the mid-winter forests, and the pitch black night that followed was filled with sounds of creaking branches and the occasional rustling of small animals running through the bushes. It was a perfect night for telling ghost stories, Sakura thought to herself, or it would have been if it wasn't for the fact that the ghost they were currently waiting for was real, and twice as terrifying as the stories.

Sai was nearby, leaning against a tree when he suddenly dropped to the ground, kneeling on knee, followed closely by Sakura. In front of them, a few feet away, was a man dressed completely in black and leaning heavily on a cane.

"I can only stay for a few minutes, Sai, Sakura." The man's voice was clear, despite his obvious age, and strong, despite the bandages that wrapped around his head and torso.

"Yes Lord Danzou. What is your command?" Sai and Sakura answered quietly.

"Konoha will no doubt send Shinobi to track down Kabuto. I need you to obtain intelligence on their efforts and sent it to me. If they should capture him before we do, I want you to arrange his escape."

"Why do you need him?" Sakura asked.

"He is one of the best healers in the ninja world. I heard that even Tsunade has praised him as being her equal. That talent should not go to waste. The future of the Shinobi world depends on this. Peace between the villages and peace among the countries. That is our goal. We are moving forward with our plans to retake Konoha, despite the loss of Orochimaru. Kabuto is invaluable to that plan." He paused, looking closely at the children kneeling in front of him, "You are both good Shinobi. Your peers should work harder to emulate your loyalty. Sacrifice is the way of the ninja. Never forget that."

The pair looked up as their leader disappeared in a small could of smoke. Standing up they scanned the area, verifying that there was no one else around, not even Danzou.

Wind rustled the branches of the smaller trees and a small black and white cat poked its head through a bush, catching Sakura's eye before disappearing. Sighing, the girl closed her eyes and leaned wearily against a tree.

"Tired?" Sai asked calmly.

"Yeah. Tired of everything." Sakura answered truthfully. "That man was responsible for the deaths of my parents, yet he speaks of peace."

"Ninja fight in the shadows, Sakura. You keep forgetting that. From Danzou's perspective… from the perspective of a true Shinobi… your parents gave their lives honorably in the defense of Konoha."

"I _know_ he thinks that! That's why he's so sick!" Sakura buries her face in her hands as tears began to leak from her eyes, "He's sick. He doesn't realize… he doesn't know that ninja are human beings, that we have feelings. To him we are tools. He wants us to die, Sai. He just said that a few minutes ago."

Sai gazed up at the stars peeking through the branches of the tall trees. They were bright, but at the same time, very cold, "I know. And after living in Konoha I'm beginning to understand what it means to be a human being. I…" He turned his gaze to the pink haired girl standing a few feet away from, "I don't want to give that up again."

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"He was here? Outside the village?" Fugaku roared at the small animal sitting patiently on his desk in the Hokage tower.

"Didn't I just say that?" The cat responded calmly. "Anyway, Sakura and Sai have been tasked with passing on any info you get about Kabuto and freeing him if you catch him."

"Humph." Fugaku dropped down onto the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Because of the seal that had been placed on the tongues of the two children, the cat summon had been assigned to follow them around and relay and information they couldn't speak of themselves. "If that's all, you better get back to them."

The cat disappeared without a further word, leaving the Hokage alone in his office. He thought back to that morning, and the proposal Itachi had presented to him concerning the white-haired missing ninja. At the time, it had seemed absurd, a product of the teenagers guilt over the loss of his friend. But now…

Standing up, Fugaku performed a transportation jutsu, arriving outside his home a few seconds later. He could hear grunting and feet skidding over dirt, indicating someone was sparring nearby. From the chakra, he could tell it was Itachi and Naruto.

Making his way to the other side of the house he entered the alley next to the rarely-used front door. He could see the hole in the Uchiha crest painted on the cement barrier across from the house. Itachi had thrown a kunai into the wall, cracking it. It had never been repaired, and truth be told, it was one of the reasons the elder Uchiha hated to use that alley. The events of that day… of that week… had been far too painful. Yet he couldn't bring himself to repair it either. And no one else ever offered.

"Itachi, I need to speak with you." Fugaku yelled across the alley at his son. Itachi immediately stopped his sparring and stepped patiently to one side as Naruto, distracted by Fugaku's sudden appearance, ran straight through where his foster brother had been a moment earlier and into the wall behind him.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Naruto was sitting on his rear end and rubbing his forehead, where a bruise was quickly forming, followed by a small amount of blood. "No fair moving!"

That was too much and Itachi broke out laughing, "I hope I'm there when you say that to someone who's trying to kill you."

Naruto blushed at his blunder, "Oh, yeah. That did sound stupid didn't it?"

"What do you want?" Itachi directed his attention toward his father.

Fugaku stepped forward, smiling at his foster son, who was now wiping a small cut with a handkerchief as he stood up. "About your proposal to go after Kabuto. Something has come up, and I give your permission to go forward with it."

The mood instantly darkened and Itachi gritted his teeth as he gazed at his father. While it was his plan, thought up carefully over a period of several hours, it was not something he looked forward to carrying out. However, it was the only way he could think of to save his friend, and get close to Danzou.

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed, "I'll contact Jiraiya immediately."

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Kabuto becomes Konoha's most wanted. **

**The chapter jumped around a lot. I tried to get several perspectives of how the events were affecting different people. Hopefully it ties together.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	55. Chapter 55 Kabuto's Decision

**This chapter is a little short, but I got to a certain spot and realized that if I continued it would be twice as long as it already. And that extra bit would work better if it stood alone in its own chapter.**

**Did you see the anime this week? It looks like one of Pein's critters is about to get a meal, lol. I'd hate to meet up with **_**that**_** on a dark night (or midday for that matter.)**

**Anyways, I better not ramble this week, I need to get this posted. Although, I guess I have to say it… Insane Sasuke Rocks! Okay, now that I pissed a bunch of people off, I'm sorry. It's just that laugh was… I don't know… cool? Or Something… Unexpected. That's it I guess. At least Karin's okay, and Sakura. So I fell better. Okay, I rambled anyway. Now to post!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

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**Chapter 55 – Kabuto's Decision**

"You seem pre-occupied." Zabuza was striding next to a rather morose looking Itachi who was, once again, travelling in his red and black Akatsuki cloak far away from Konoha. Having left the village two days earlier on a mission to locate Kabuto he found himself embroiled in a rather interesting tug-of-war between his personal obligations and the village's desires.

As a ninja, he knew the village should come first. That meant Kabuto and Sasuke were traitors who had run away. He couldn't accept that though. The basic rule of ninja culture was that once born into a ninja clan or village, one could never leave under penalty of death. He had never seriously questioned that until a few months ago.

"Itachi?" Haku called out softly from behind him, "Are you okay?"

That got his attention and he turned his head slightly and smiled, "Yeah. Just have a lot going through my mind right now."

"So what's the plan?" Zabuza changed the subject, "You said you would tell us after we got away from Konoha."

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just that I think Danzou has a large number of spies in and around Konoha. Basically, we have to capture Kabuto, bring him back to Konoha, then let Danzou's spies spirit him away. We then track him and apprehend Danzou."

Haku spoke up, "Doesn't that imply that Kabuto would be helping us?"

"Yes. That is… if he doesn't want to cooperate I can use my Sharingan to make him. If he does, Fugaku has agreed to pardon his crimes as long as he returns to Konoha." The plan had a lot of flaws, but ultimately, it was the only one that made sense. Danzou would likely welcome the white-haired medic with open arms, and Kabuto was definitely wily enough to act as a spy around him without casting any suspicion on his actions, but Itachi still had one doubt lingering that could ruin the entire plan.

Danzou had Shisui's Sharingan, and apparently he had many more. That meant if Kabuto refused to cooperate and a mind-control jutsu was employed to force him, the Root commander could easily reverse it. When Sasori's jutsu had been removed by Orochimaru, Kabuto had been so grateful he had joined forces with the Sannin. Would he do the same thing with Danzou? Not to mention the fact that Danzou would probably have no compunctions against using another mind-control jutsu to keep Kabuto loyal to him.

Itachi pulled his arms back through the sleeves of his cloak and stuck his hands in his pant's pockets. "It is essential, however, that we endeavor to gain Kabuto's favor in this. Which is why I brought you two, and why we are meeting up with Kisame for this mission. If Konoha approached him with their usual 'our village is the greatest, come with us and you can eat cookies all day' he will see right through it. However, he needs to realize the world-wide implications of what is going on right now."

That was too much and Zabuza broke out laughing, "I don't think anyone has offered me a single cookie since I got there. But I see your point. That always turned me off as well, but on the whole I do like the village system. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of trying to overthrow the Mist Kage. I would have just left when I didn't like how things were going."

"Exactly." Itachi stated plainly, "You have a much more realistic view of how things are and anything you say and do will reflect that. Like I said, Kabuto is a very intelligent man. One of the smartest you'll ever meet. He can see through deception easily and turn it back on you without you even realizing it. Capturing him isn't going to be as easy as walking up to him, tapping him on the shoulder and throwing a bag over his head."

It was Haku's turn to laugh, "I'd like to try that though. It would be fun to see his reaction."

Itachi stopped walking and turned around, looking at the dark-haired teen in shock, "You have a very weird sense of humor. I think we should limit your exposure to Naruto, he's obviously a bad influence."

"Nah, he's always been like that." Zabuza snickered.

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"Would you quit staring at my sword?" Kisame grumbled as he removed the weapon from his back and stabbed it into the ground so he could lean comfortably against a leafless alder tree.

Suigetsu chuckled, "I can't help it." He pulled out a bottle of water and began chugging it down. He then pulled out a katana and held it up into the air. My sword is puny."

"At least you got one."

"I'm not complaining. I'd rather have this than nothing, and it's very well made. That shop we got it from was a little creepy though. Why did it have to be in a morgue of all places? And hidden in a men's bathroom?"

"That guy does a lot of stuff for Akatsuki and other missing-nin. He's stupid, but useful. There aren't many places people like me can go to stock up on supplies, after all."

"Yeah." He looked around at their surroundings as he sipped his water. They were in the middle of a deciduous forest in Lightening country. Of course, "forest" was a very loose description of the area. Because the country was situated on a narrow isthmus with a mountain range running its length the only habitable areas were the western and eastern slopes of mountains. This made growing trees difficult. They were sparse, tended to be small, and to make things worse, the frequent storms that drifted in from the sea to the east and the bay to the west were often loaded with thunder and lightening, and the trees took the brunt of that. Forest fires were common.

Since hooking up with Kisame, Suigetsu had tried very hard to be useful, but he was weak from living in a water tank and dehydrated. He had been unable to drink in his liquid state, and his cells didn't absorb water, either. Orochimaru would only let him out every other day to drink a minimal amount of a liquid nutrient, then imprison him again. Or run one of his humiliating and seemingly pointless experiments.

Of course Kisame had complained, and had even jokingly offered to toss him over the end of Samehada and carry him. The joke there was that Samehada would sap even more chakra from the boy. The big man had laughed when Suigetsu had given him a dirty look and angrily stomped off.

A cold wind blew through the forest, making Suigetsu shiver. His shoulder length white hair rustled slightly, tickling his neck. He reached back and pulled on his hat. His thick black cloak had been purchased at the same place he had received his katana and while it was warm, it was also ankle length and had smelled slightly of dead people. A quick laundering by a shop in a nearby town and cleaned it up, but somehow it still didn't feel right.

"Itachi, you're late." Kisame's voice broke Suigetsu out of his reverie and he looked up quickly to see three people striding toward them. Kisame had his arms crossed over his chest and was glaring menacingly at his partner.

"I apologize. I was not aware that I was running behind." Itachi's voice held little in the way of apology and his demeanor certainly didn't reflect it either. "You haven't killed him yet?" He nodded his head towards Suigetsu, causing the boy to sneer at the perceived insult.

Kisame chuckled, "Nah. He's actually costing me money now. Sword, clothes, medicine… have to keep him around long enough now to get my money back."

"Yeah, that's the problem I ran into when I took this one in." Zabuza patted Haku roughly over the head, making him stumble slightly. "Threadbare and starving, it was a good two months before he was good for anything."

Haku smiled warmly at his friend, "And you complained the entire time."

Suigetsu realized they were all joking and relaxed. After being locked up for so long it was proving difficult to be around people again. He turned to Itachi, "Have you heard from Sasuke?"

"Nothing." The teen answered quietly, "But it's only been a couple weeks. At least, I'm hoping he writes or something."

"He will. I got the feeling that he's the sort of person who gets sentimental that way." However, Suigetsu's attempted reassurances were turned to doubt over Itachi's next words.

"People change."

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Sasuke collapsed on his bed and groaned. It felt like every muscle in his body was about to either die or burst. While he had been pushed to his limits while training with Orochimaru, that had mainly been jutsu based. However, Madara had decided that "his son" needed more work in Taijutsu and had assigned one of the best masters in the art the clan had to offer. And Sasuke was appallingly bad compared to him.

Picking himself up he stripped off his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom. A hot shower would probably help, followed by a long soak in a hot tub. Unfortunately, Karin chose that moment to burst into his room.

The door slid open with a band, followed by a red-headed girl with black-framed glasses and wearing a pair of long black pants with a long-sleeved lavender shirt. "Sasuke! Guess what?" Her eyes opened wide at the sight of the naked boy and the pair stood motionless for a few seconds before deep red blushes filled their cheeks and Sasuke dove for his pants, holding them up to hide his lower anatomy.

"Can't you knock before coming in?" Sasuke grumbled belligerently.

"If I get to see this every time, maybe I can't." Karin gave him a big smile, "Anyway, I got a promotion! And I've only been at the hospital for a few days! I get to help with…"

"That's great Karin, but I'm really sore and I want to take a shower." Sasuke was rather shocked at the way the girl had ignored his nudity and carried on. He felt like climbing under a rock and hiding.

"Oh, geeze, Sasuke, you don't have anything I haven't seen before." She laughed, "But I'll leave you alone. If you need someone to scrub your back, just pound on the wall. I'm on the other side, remember." She left the room and this time, quietly slid the door shut.

"Should a girl her age really be saying stuff like that?" Madara was now standing at the doorway, having entered as silently as always.

Sasuke frowned, "It's Karin, we're talking about here. She'll say whatever she wants if she can get a reaction out of you. And I'm trying to get to the bathroom, but people keep interrupting me."

"Hmm. Yeah." Madara ignored him and continued on, "I hear you are doing quite well with your training. Keep it up." He disappeared using a transportation jutsu, leaving Sasuke alone. He walked across the room and slid the latch on the door, locking it.

"I don't care if the building burns down. I'm taking a bath."

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"How's he doing?" Sora was sitting comfortably in a chair in the living room when Madara appeared with a small pop.

"Sore, but alive. His teacher was quite surprised at how well he endured the training. He went the full six hours. He is definitely Chuunin level."

"I doubt he would accept a position in our village, however." The chief of the Mist branch of the Uchiha clan stretched lazily and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Not yet anyway." Madara took a seat near his uncle and looked around at the familiar surroundings. The room was centrally located to the main sleeping areas and had, over time, because the gathering place of those living within the mansion. Magazines, books, a stray empty water glass, and a cat sleeping on a cushion that had been placed on one of the couches made the place very comfortable and inviting.

"So getting back to business… What are you going to do about Pein?"

"Haven't decided yet. What disturbs me more is how my Akatsuki keep helping Itachi with his Konoha missions. They are free to move around when they aren't on a mission for the organization, but if I ordered them to kill Itachi, what would happen? Assuming of course, that they had a chance of success in the first place."

"Kisame and Deidara would probably refuse, even though Deidara would love to fight him. Sasori probably would do it because he's the type who follows orders. Kakuzu would accept if you let him collect the bounty, and his partner-of-the-month would accept because he's new. So all in all… I'd say you have trouble brewing."

"It appears then that Pein could very well be the least of my worries." Madara contemplated out loud. "Konan will do whatever he says so no worries from her. Or rather, she is predicable in her actions. I certainly wouldn't turn my back on her though. She didn't get where she is simply because of her relationship with Pein."

"Ha! As if anyone could harm you." Sora laughed.

"That doesn't mean I want to suffer through one of her paper cuts!" Madara laughed, "I get enough of those from the paperwork my aids continuously stuff under my nose."

"The great Madara, felled by a paper-cut!" Sora shouted pompously.

"Stranger things have happened I guess. But If I'm not careful from here on out, that could very well be a possibility. Dumb mistakes are the bane of ninja all around the world."

Sora took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, "Then I would suggest you get rid of Pein and Konan as soon as possible. You see them as inconsequential, I see them as enemy number one."

"Hmm." Madara hesitated. Sora's recommendation was probably sound, but it also seemed a little rash.

"If you won't do it, then remember this: I do not need your permission or approval for clan-related missions. I will send my own people to do this if I must. Nothing must interfere with your plan."

"I understand. Give me a few days to think it through. The number one problem I see here is that if Itachi fails to take down Danzou, I will have to either wait for Sasuke to grow up a few more years or have Pein go after him." Madara glanced at his uncle and shook his head, "And sending our clansman after a man with the Rinnegan would be suicide. A group attack would kill him, but if anyone came back alive it would be a miracle. You have never been the type of man to approve missions like that."

Sora shook his head, "This is bigger than my personal beliefs, Madara, and you know that. The Eye of the Moon plan is the only way to bring peace to this world. I won't stand by and let you sabotage your own dreams."

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"Can I help you, young man?" The elderly woman looked up from the reception desk she was sitting at to gaze blurrily at the teenager standing in front of her. He seemed tired and his shoulders were drooping as if he was in pain or even ill.

"I need a room for the night." He glanced up at the fee chart handing on the wall of the small, dusty hotel and pulled out the correct amount of money.

"Alright, but if you need a doctor…"

"I am a doctor." The teen replied. He tugged on the hood of his cloak and it fell over his face, hiding his features in shadows.

"Room four on the third floor. Bathroom is down the hall. Toilet and sink only. The bathhouse is down the street that way." The woman pointed to her left as she handed an old, half-rusted key across the counter.

"Thank-you." Making his way up the creaky stairs, Kabuto yawned widely and wondered if it would be okay to stay a couple days instead of one. He hadn't gotten much sleep in the last couple weeks and it was beginning to take its toll. His head hurt, his eyes were scratchy, his endurance had plummeted and a couple times he had even broken down and sobbed like a baby.

The death of Orochimaru had affected him more than he would have ever guessed. He had no love for the man, but the respect he had felt was real. His one wish, throughout his entire life (or as much of it as he could remember) was to be free of Sasori's influence. To live his own life. And Orochimaru had granted that wish.

And now he was gone.

Sorrow was threatening to overwhelm him again and he quickly opened the door to his room and dropped down heavily onto the old, creaky bed, burying his face in the pillow. Belatedly he remembered his glasses and slipped them off, placing them on the night stand.

"I can't believe he's gone." Kabuto muttered for the millionth time. "I can't believe Itachi and Sasuke were able to kill to him. Itachi was my friend… I thought… I can't believe he would betray me like that. He knew everything about me. I thought he understood how I felt."

It was a conversation he had been having with himself over and over. Yet as he became more and more exhausted it left him felling emptier and emptier. At first he had rationalized that Itachi was just protecting his brother and killing the man who had killed the Third Hokage. But as his ability to think was overtaken with the fuzziness of exhaustion, those facts disappeared to be replaced by baser, more raw emotions. And loneliness.

But Kabuto was used to loneliness. No matter who was close to him, he had always been forced to erect a barrier around himself to keep them from getting too close. The mind control jutsu was partly to blame. It demanded that he keep his identity and mission hidden from Konoha at all costs. But the other part of the blame rested solely on his own shoulders. His foster father, Yota, Itachi, Shisui… all the kids he had hung out with when he was younger had been in danger around him, even if they hadn't realized it. One word from Sasori, and he would have killed them all without question. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself.

Even if he died trying.

He had realized early on in his life, that if he did ever receive such orders it would probably be because they learned something about him. Therefore, he had kept a certain distance from them in order to shield his heart.

But it hadn't always worked. Yota, Shisui, and of course Itachi, had all learned the truth. His father however, had remained blissfully in the dark until his dying day. For that he was grateful. He was one person, perhaps the only person who had loved him and looked out for him.

His thoughts returned to Orochimaru. The moment of his death had left Kabuto felling like it was his own body that was exploding. That he was the one that was dying. He had quickly retrieved a few possessions from his room and taken off, fearing that Itachi would kill him next. He had been an accessory to Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha a few months earlier after all. And the penalty for leaving a village without permission was death.

"I've got to get to a port so I can leave the continent." Kabuto said quietly. "I can't stay here." He wondered which country he should run towards, then realized it didn't matter.

Konoha was after him, true enough, but he had learned a terrible secret when he had joined Orochimaru. Danzou was using the snake sannin as his personal physician. And the things he was asking the man to do to him were frightening. Now that his "doctor" was dead, it wouldn't be long before he came after Kabuto.

Glancing over his shoulder every other second was something the teen was used to. He had learned to live like that early on in his life and it was such a habit that he wondered if he had also lived that way before he had lost his memories. However, the few months of freedom he had while with Orochimaru had given him a taste of what it was like to let his guard down, even a little, and he had enjoyed that.

But the situation was worse now than it had ever been in the past. He had nowhere to run, no one to run to, and he had two of the most powerful men in the ninja world after him.

"Is it even worth continuing to run?" Kabuto whispered. He wondered what it would be like to give up. He couldn't return to Konoha. That would be the equivalent of a death sentence. But Danzou would allow him to live. The question is, how? Would he be placed under another mind-control jutsu, or would he be warmly welcomed into the fold as a lost sheep of Konoha?

The teen sighed and turned over onto his back, getting a good glance of the room for the first time since entering. It was an old inn, but the room was very homey and comfortable. The wooden walls were a light honey shade, and the table and chairs, while old and pitted, were intricately carved and clean red and white striped cushions were tied to the seats. Framed prints of happy children running around a green field decorated the walls and he realized that the mattress was surprisingly lacking in lumps. The bedspread even smelled nice and was a pleasant light blue. The same color as the sky on a sunny day.

"I guess I can stay a couple days. After all…" Kabuto yawned again and closed his eyes as he finally realized his only real plan of action. The only one that would allow him to stay alive.

He would have to surrender to Danzou.

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**Next week, Kabuto is attacked; but by whom? And Madara decides what to do about Pein.**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	56. Chapter 56 Surrender or Capture

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**So… if Itachi put a jutsu in Sasuke's eyes that causes Amaterasu when he looks at Madara face… and if Madara were to take Sasuke's eyes and implant them in his head… what would happen if Madara looked at his reflection in the mirror? xD Okay, well, probably nothing, but it would make a good comic strip, lol.**

**Edited to correct spelling. Sorry for all the mistakes lately.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 56 – Surrender or Capture?**

There was a lot going through Madara's mind as he gazed inattentively through the windows of his office. It had been two days since his discussion with Sora, concerning Pein's betrayal, and he was having a hard time deciding what to do about the matter. Indecisiveness had never been a problem for him before and its sudden onset was very disturbing.

Pein had no doubt thought himself free of Zetsu's prying eyes, but in reality that was not the case. Madara himself had recruited the plant-man for the sole purpose of keeping track of his organization because he knew things about him that no one else did. Like the fact that Zetsu could plant spores everywhere and spy without using chakra. He was undetectable. And everywhere. Pein's stronghold in Rain and the Uchiha compound in Konoha were only two of the many places Zetsu had "bugged" for the true leader of the Akatsuki.

"Ah, Pein. If only you had trusted me for just a little while longer. It was rather easy for me to turn you to my plans, but you are far too easily influenced. I should never have left you alone." Madara sighed loudly. He had found the Rinnegan user as a boy, shortly after Jiraiya had left him on his own with his two friends. Through a series of subtle hints and "brotherly" advice he had moved the trio towards rebellion, only to have it fall apart a few short years later when Yahiko was tricked into killing himself by Danzou.

Things had almost fallen apart at that point. Nagato and Konan had been grief stricken and while they had sworn to avenge their friend's death at his funeral, they had also succumbed to second thoughts a few days later. Even expressing a desire to give up and move somewhere peaceful. Madara had to pull out all stops at that point to get the man to change his mind. But in the end it was Hanzou who dealt the final blow.

The dictator of Rain was a paranoid man who indiscriminately killed anyone he even suspected might have looked at him sideways. His iron fisted policies limited the sales of supplies to the point where even people with money found themselves starving and political executions were a common sight.

Madara remembered sitting in Nagato's hideout- an abandoned building at the edge of Hanzou's capital – trying, once again, to convince the young man to take up arms when screams erupted outside and Konan ran into the room.

"_Nagato! We have to do something!"_

"_What's going on?" Although thin and poorly nourished as a child, Nagato had still managed to grow quite tall and easily dwarfed the much smaller Konan. _

_She grasped his dark-blue jacket with one hand and tugged as the screams grew louder and the commanding voices of Shinobi carried over them. "Hanzou has ordered all the homeless in this district to be killed! It's a massacre out there! We have to stop them!"_

_That got both Nagato and Madara moving. They ran out of the building and without a second thought started their own massacre. Konan, meanwhile, was ordering people to hide in the building and using her paper jutsu to get them in safely. Nagato's followers, the remnants of his rebels that had not run off when Yahiko was killed, poured out of the surrounding buildings and took up the fight as well. _

_The outskirts of the large city had been a haven for the poor and homeless and they filled the abandoned buildings like rats clinging to a sinking ship, praying desperately for dry land. There were thousands of them, as far as anyone could tell. The exact number was unknown, and no one cared enough to find out anyway. Or perhaps, there were people who cared, but for them counting was the vast numbers of Hanzou's displaced citizens was too heartbreaking._

_And now the dictator had found a way to drop the numbers down to a more manageable number._

_Hanzou's Shinobi were numerous and well armed. However, against a Rinnegan and a Sharingan, they were nothing more than reeds falling over in the wind. It took fifteen minutes to clear the road of the enemy, most were dead but a few ran off. _

_Looking around, Madara saw men, women and children lying dead on the ground, blood flowing from their lifeless bodies, staining the gray pavement. Rain began to fall and he looked up to see Nagato standing still, eyes closed in concentration, and hands held firm in front of his face in the sign of the monkey. He was making it rain._

"_Nagato… you…" Konan stood near him, her tears mingling with the falling rain, forever joined with the rivulets of water that ran endlessly across the ground, into the sewers, only to become lost in the rivers that flowed into the vast oceans of the ninja world._

"_They will be back. These people… Konan, if I back out now… they will all die."_

"_Yes." Her answer was short as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around his chest and lay her head against his heart. _

_He lowered his hands and held her close, but his eyes were locked on Madara. Eyes colored lavender and distinguished by several concentric circles that radiated desperation, sorrow, and above all, pain. _

_The cries of the injured and other survivors filled the air as mothers cradled dead children to their breasts and husbands tended to dead wives. And above all was the knowledge that they were now being hunted and they had no where left to go._

"_Hanzou has to die." Nagato stated clearly. "Your plan, Madara. You said you had a way to bring peace to the world. To stop this."_

_Madara nodded once. The memories of decades of combat ran through his brain, like a movie on fast-forward. From his childhood, to now, the battlefield always looked the same and sounded the same. No matter who lay dead upon it, or who walked away victorious. And there was always someone who asked for peace, who believed it would come if they just tried hard enough to bring it._

_But it never came.._

_Until now._

"_I can stop this, Nagato. But I need you to play an important part. I need the power of the Rinnegan."_

_Nagato didn't even pause to think before he uttered his next phrase, "I will do whatever it takes."_

It had been a little over twenty years since then, at least. Perhaps longer. Perhaps shorter. It didn't really matter. Madara groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "That man's eyes… that haunted expression… how could he forget how he had felt back then? How can he give up so simply when we are so close to victory?"

"Are you really that close?" Sora stepped into the room and slid the door shut. "You have been holding off on collecting the demons. I believe that was Pein's concern, was it not?"

"Don't you have clan stuff to do?" Madara grumbled irritably.

"Sometimes. What have you decided?"

"I can go ahead with the Eye of the Moon plan if I use Sasuke in place of Pein, but I will have to wait at least three years before he is ready. In that time we can collect the demons. However, it would involve disbanding the current Akatsuki and rebuilding a new organization. That takes time. Finding the right people is amazingly difficult.

"On the other hand, if I keep Pein alive he will continue his alliance with Fugaku and Konoha, making the Kyuubi all but unattainable. However… Sasuke is Naruto's best friend and that could easily be used to lure him out…"

"You're working your way into a circular argument."

"Sora, there is only one Rinnegan in this world. If I destroy it there will be none. Seriously, has that even remotely occurred to you?"

Sora shook his head and dropped down into one of the wooden chairs. Rubbing his crippled leg he gazed pensively at the floor. The sound of rain slowly filled the room and he glanced up to see garden beyond the porch and the wet drops that fell belligerently upon the ground, quickly filling the puddles and forming dozens of circles on the pond.

"You have a soft spot for the man." Sora finally observed. "Understandable, I guess. You have known him since he was a child."

"It's not that…" Madara sighed and rubbed his forehead, as if attempting to hold back a headache, "There are a lot of problems right now. First of all, we have Pein backing out, next there's Itachi who will never allow Naruto to be captured, or Sasuke to be used. Then there's Sasuke himself, who would follow his big brother into hell, but tell everyone else to jump off a cliff. There is also Naruto. The boy is the son of the Fourth Hokage. Minato Namikaze. A very powerful man and if Naruto had inherited even half of that man's abilities he will prove more and more difficult to catch as he get older and more experienced."

Madara covered his mouth and yawned, "We also have Akatsuki. An organization founded to run high level missions, and collect the bijou. If the organization is truly at an end, I will have to recruit new people to replace the old ones. That means the old ones will have to die."

"No one gets out of Akatsuki alive." Sora repeated the mantra that was the basis of the organization.

"No one." Madara stated clearly. "But I don't know if I can take out Itachi. And reforming Akatsuki while he's still alive will be impossible."

Sora stood up and made his way across the room and opened the sliding door, stepping cautiously onto the covered porch in order to avoid the small puddles that flowed across it in small rivers. He sighed softly and turned to face his nephew, "I will stand aside in this matter then. Besides, the real reason I came to see you was pretty much what you had just explained. Killing Pein would cause more problems than it would solve. And the only people who could kill him would be Uchiha, and Fugaku and Itachi would know immediately it was us. The situation has gotten very dark, Madara."

Madara nodded in agreement, "Indeed it has."

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The small inn was even more comfortable than Kabuto had first thought and he had found it very easy to relax. The innkeeper's meals were simple, and a feeling of nostalgia washed over him every time he sat down to eat. It reminded him of the meals his father would cook for him, or of the few times he had been invited to lunch at Itachi or Shisui's houses. The other guests were amiable and made no effort to push him into conversation beyond polite greetings or short discussions about the weather.

He sent his chakra through the immediate area, looking for Shinobi. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone came to get him, and he had already decided, or rather, he had resigned himself to joining up with Danzou. There was no one nearby though.

Rising from his bed he looked at the small clock on the nightstand. He had been sitting there, his back against the wall and an unread magazine in his lap for several hours and it was now evening. Too dark to read.

Kabuto turned his head when he heard running in the hall, but the voices that followed it were childish and he smiled, remembering what it was like to be young and full of energy. He shook his head in disbelief. He was eighteen after all. That certainly wasn't old, and yet here he was behaving like an old man.

But that was exactly what he felt like. Twelve years of his life had felt more like fifty or sixty and now he was overloaded and worn out.

Dropping back down on the bed he rubbed his eyes. He had to leave. If Danzou, or anyone else showed up they might start a fight and he didn't want anything to happen to the people here. They hadn't done anything wrong and certainly didn't deserve to go through such an experience.

He knew of several vacant houses in the mountains that would be a good place to wait for "capture", and no one would be injured in the crossfire. And if he left right now, he could make it to the nearest one before midnight.

Standing up, he collected his things, tossing them into a small bag. Raising his hands, he formed the seals for a transportation jutsu and disappeared.

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"That chakra…" Suigetsu stopped walking and looked down the road. His companions had also stopped walking.

"He's nearby… but why isn't he hiding his chakra?" Itachi closed his eyes and concentrated on the nearby area. They were only a couple miles from a village where they were planning on staying for the evening. Night had fallen three or four hours earlier and with it a cold breeze had started up. "There are ninja coming in from the north. They are hiding their chakra, but I can still sense them."

"Why is he doing that?" Suigetsu scowled, glancing back at Kisame, "Why does he want to be found? He could have just stayed behind at Orochimaru's hideout."

"What makes you think he wants to be found?" Haku asked curiously.

"Well, I guess he could be setting a trap, but Kabuto isn't like that." Suigetsu responded thoughtfully, "He always backs down and then attacks later when you're no longer looking for him."

"Suigetsu's right." Itachi glanced up at the sky. There would be no moon that night, meaning the darkness of the forest would be guaranteed. "If he's resorted to this, then he's doing nothing short of surrender. The question is who is he surrendering to?"

"My guess is Danzou." Kisame added, "He probably thinks you want to kill him, at least under orders from Konoha, if not Madara himself. Danzou is his only chance to survive."

Itachi nodded, "That is logical."

"That's stupid, why would he do that?" Suigetsu argued, "Kabuto…"

"Kabuto is a genius at survival. He knows that having both Konoha and Danzou after him is nothing more than a death sentence if he resists. He has no doubt picked the one side he is sure gives him the best chances of survival."

"A true ninja." Zabuza chucked, "You were saying Sasori was his master? That makes sense. He learned well."

"That he did." Kisame looked off in the direction of the chakra, "We need to get moving if we want to get there first. Suigetsu, if you can't keep up, then at least stay out of the way."

The group took off into the woods, a disgruntled Suigetsu following behind, "I'll keep up all right. And just you wait. You'll see how good I am in a fight."

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The small house was nothing more than a shell with two rooms. The main room contained a small fire-pit for cooking and heating, and a secondary room that was probably used for storage, since it was too small to be a bedroom – unless you were very short and didn't need to stretch your legs. It made sense, though. Many old-fashioned houses used the main room for sleeping. An outhouse was nearby, about forty feet away and as expected, it was also very small.

Kabuto threw his pack into a corner and dropped down to the floor, using a fire jutsu to light some branches he had picked up nearby. The fire-pit came to life and the white-haired medic leaned forward, drinking in the warmth. While there was no snow on the ground, it was definitely still very cold.

He straightened up a few minutes later when he sensed someone coming near. Or rather, several "someones". Kabuto had dropped his chakra hiding jutsu as soon as he entered the house, knowing that it would make it easier to be found. And while he wanted nothing more than to put off the inevitable for as long as possible, the stress of having to hide and move around constantly was beginning to take its toll. Hopefully, in a couple hours it would be all over. As skilled as he was, he just wasn't cut out to be a missing nin.

"They'll be here in a few minutes." Kabuto whispered. The evening silence closed in on him and he concentrated on the various sounds. The fire was the loudest, snapping and crackling with the wet twigs that were being forced to burn with a jutsu. The forest itself was unnaturally quiet, even for winter. No animals could be heard and he didn't sense any nearby either.

Soon enough the house was surrounded and Kabuto stood up, shouldered his pack, and resigned himself to his fate. However, when he stepped outside he was surprised to see a second group come running out of the forest.

"This is unexpected." A large, dark-skinned man with white hair smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I had a feeling you would be out and about as well, but to get here at the same time is unexpected."

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Itachi looked his childhood friend directly in the eye and noticed that the teen was, for some reason, very shocked. In fact, it was clear that the presence of Cloud, Konoha and Akatsuki were the last people he had expected to see upon exiting the house. The shock, however, was quickly replaced by rage.

Kabuto had made a very bad mistake, one that Itachi would have thought him incapable of making. He had not verified the identities of his enemies before showing himself. It was so unlike him, in fact, that for a couple minutes Itachi even wondered if that was indeed his target. But it was.

"Bee." Itachi stated the name without inflection as he surveyed the area. There were no other chakra sources nearby, so obviously the four Cloud ninja were the ones he had detected. He should have recognized him, but then again, it was possible the man's demon was able to change his chakra somehow.

"You know these people Sensei?" A girl pulled a sword out of a holder on her back and stood ready, waiting for the command to attack Kabuto.

"Yeah." Bee laughed, "That's Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza Momochi, and the other two I don't know."

"I am Haku and this is Suigetsu." Haku bowed politely. He purposely refrained from mentioning their surnames, believing that anonymity was a ninjas best friend.

However, Suigetsu didn't subscribe to this belief, "Suigetsu Hoozuki, the brother of Mangetsu."

Bee laughed, "You're an arrogant one. Well, this is my team, Karui, Omoi, and Samui." Karui and Omoi were both about Itachi's age and had dark skin, but while Omoi had the white hair predominant in most of the Cloud village ninja, Karui's hair was dark. Samui was very pale, almost white, and her pale blond hair was set off in a stylish cut that looked far too trendy for a kunoichi.

"Quit gossiping and get to work." Samui stated plainly. "And I'm not your student, Killer Bee. Nii Yugito is my Sensei and she would be quite upset to hear you say such things."

"Okay, only two of these miscreants are mine. This one is just along for the ride. I certainly don't want Yugito coming after me again." Bee amended, and then laughed at the look of annoyance that crossed the woman's face. It was obvious she was older than the other two, but only by a couple years, at most.

Itachi frowned, disliking the joviality that seemed to be replacing the seriousness of the task at hand. Kabuto wasn't going to sit back patiently and wait for them to finish, and sure enough, the teen raised his hands to form a seal.

In a second, Itachi was next to him, "Going somewhere?"

Kabuto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, actually, I was going to get away from you all."

"I don't think so. You're coming back to Konoha."

"No, Itachi. I _don't_ think so." Chakra began to emanate from his hand and he turned quickly, only to find that Itachi was no longer there.

"Watch out for his hands, he uses a surgical jutsu to attack with." Haku addressed the Cloud ninjas.

"Hmm. Well, that explains a few things." Bee muttered angrily.

"You're being helpful." Zabuza addressed his friend.

Haku smiled, "Well, they're allies with Konoha, can't have them getting injured. Itachi would just make me heal them afterwards."

Kabuto raised his hands again, but jumped back when an explosion blew up the center of the cleared, taking the small house with it. Flames burst from the wooden structure and a large, six foot deep hole was now permanently etched into the earth.

"Kabuto's coming back to Danzou with us." A woman with a black scarf wrapped tightly around her face stepped out of the forest, a few feet behind the white-haired teen. Her eyes glinted angrily at the scene before her and she raised her hands to perform another jutsu, then dropped them to her side.

Itachi had caught her eye, throwing her instantly into a Genjutsu before addressing his companions, "Look at her forehead protector."

"What symbol is that? I don't recognize it." Kisame squinted in annoyance as gazed through the fire-lit darkness at the odd symbol. A straight horizontal line with a small vertical line split it in half. On either end was a larger half circle with a smaller one set inside.

"Senju. It's their clan symbol. Hashirama Senju founded Konoha and the ninja village system. As a child, Danzou was his student. However, since he isn't part of that clan, I guess he's using it as a way to demark himself from Konoha, while still considering himself part of Konoha."

"Correct." A man with bright red hair and eyes stepped up behind the woman Itachi had case a Genjutsu on earlier and hit her sharply across the shoulders, breaking her out of it. "We are the true Konoha, and we intend on returning the village to its rightful Kage as soon as possible."

Another blast tore the ground open and the Cloud ninjas were forced to retreat. Itachi noticed that the man's strategy involved splitting the two groups up. He smirked, that was about as useful as splitting up two fighting dogs. Neither was going to back down, no matter who the opponent was and your chances of coming out unscathed were exactly the same whether they were together or apart.

"These guys are nothing." Kisame grumbled disconsolately. He had unsheathed Samehada at the first sign of intruders, but now he put it back and retreated to a nearby tree where he dropped to ground with a big sigh, "Suigetsu, this should be a little challenging for you yet, so don't bother fighting."

That angered the boy and he pulled his katana and stepped forward, in the direction of Danzou's Shinobi, "Not likely, fish breath." He looked back at his Sensei, surprised to see him laughing. "You just said that to tease me!"

"And it worked so well, didn't it? This isn't my fight though, so I'm going to sit here and watch.

Itachi, however, wasn't amused. He wanted to get this whole thing over with. Pulling his own sword he used a transportation jutsu to appear next to Kabuto, running the sharp blade through the teen's stomach, then grabbing him and returning to his previous position.

"Why…" Kabuto dropped to the ground, coughing up blood.

"Can't have you escaping with them. This'll slow you down for a few minutes." Sure enough, as soon as Itachi had finished speaking, he noticed that Kabuto had already begun to heal himself.

A wall of water formed in front of Itachi, blocking a third explosion from hitting him. Zabuza had his sword drawn and was standing a few feet away. "Take them all out?"

Itachi smiled, "Well, unless they are willing to back off and let us leave unmolested."

"Not on your life!" The woman had recovered and was obviously very angry at having been caught so easily by Itachi's Genjutsu.

"Good." Zabuza rushed forward, followed quickly by Suigetsu. Everyone else hung back and watched as the total number of Danzou's followers grew from two to ten.

"You're not going to use any of your cool clan jutsus?" Bee had moved closer and was grinning ear to ear at the swordplay.

Itachi smirked, "That would be like using a bear trap to catch a mouse. A very small mouse."

"Good point. Wow! Did you see what that Suigetsu kid just did?" Itachi glanced in the direction Bee was pointing. The white-haired wanna-be swordsman had just expanded his sword arm to about five times its usual size and was striking with such force, that the young Uchiha actually felt sorry for the blade. Sure enough, after killing only four of the Shinobi, the blade shattered.

Bee and Itachi turned to look at Kisame who was cursing his new student. He finally grumbled, "That sword was expensive. He needs to learn how to care for his blades. It sensed his feelings and broke just to spite him."

"Do swords really do that?" Bee whispered, disbelieving.

"If you are one of the seven swordsmen they do, apparently." Itachi watched as Suigetsu moved to Tai Jutsu. He wasn't very good at it, but his strong arm made up for it somewhat. He was able to get in a few good swings before being thrown against a tree and knocked out.

Haku quickly moved in front of the boy, pulling his own blade, "I'm not as rash as my companion here, and I'm a much better fighter. Do you still wish to engage me?" His even-tempered voice belied the dark chakra that was radiating from his body.

Kabuto had nearly healed himself, and was looking around for an escape route when Itachi bent over him and pulled his hands away from his body. "That's good enough. Haku can finish it up for you later. For now, I'm binding your chakra."

His arms were pulled around his back and wrapped with a chakra limiting rope that began to quickly drain him. "Seems oddly familiar, doesn't it?" Kabuto smiled, "I seem to remember saving you from these ropes a long time ago."

Itachi paused momentarily, remembering how, as a small child, he had been kidnapped by an insane madman who had wrapped him tightly in chakra limiting ropes. Kabuto had been the one to save him that day, at great risk to his life. He wanted to tell his old friend not to worry, that once they reached Konoha everything would be explained and redemption was within his grasp. However, if Danzou's people suspected, even remotely, that Kabuto was in league with his old village things would fall apart and there would be no turning back. He would have to keep up the ruse.

However, he had to say something, "It does not. This situation is completely different."

"True enough." Kabuto closed his eyes and lowered his head despondently.

"That's all of them." Zabuza grinned as he returned to the group. "That Suigetsu needs to learn some respect for his weapons, though. You got a lot of work with that boy, Kisame."

The big man groaned irritably, "Tell me about it." He turned to his student who was now, with Haku's help, stumbling forward towards his master, "That sword is coming out of your allowance, boy."

"Cool! I get an allowance?" Suigetsu beamed down at the still-seated Kisame, making him laugh.

"No. Earn your own money."

That really amused the boy and he laughed loudly, "That's what I thought."

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The Cloud ninja had gone off shortly after the battle, pleased that Kabuto was now in custody. Of course, Itachi had a little private conversation with Killer Bee about the true intention of the medic-nin's capture so they wouldn't freak out when he escaped again.

Itachi had burned the bodies of Danzou's henchmen and the group had moved a couple miles away, to a different house. This one was in much worse condition than the last and much more remote. However, it would serve its purpose. While travelling with a prisoner, Shinobi were not in the habit of staying at hotels. Civilians often didn't understand the circumstances and it wasn't unheard of for them to call the local police, resulting in a lot of explanations, and sometimes the loss of their prisoners.

"Why am I still alive?" Kabuto asked bitterly after he was pushed down to the floor by Haku, who began to finish up the healing.

"Because Fugaku wants it that way." Itachi said calmly. "You have too much experience as a spy to let you wander around."

"I hate being a spy."

"I bet you hate dying even more." Itachi added, the corner of his mouth lifting up in a half-grin.

"Not necessarily." Kabuto shut up and several minutes later the teen was fast asleep on the hard wooden floor. Haku pulled a travel blanket out of Kabuto's pack and draped it over him. He then turned his attention to Suigetsu.

"You aren't looking very well." The teen smiled warmly at the boy as he moved next to him.

"Just dehydrated. That jutsu takes a lot out of me. I need to practice it more." He was sipping on the fifth refill of his water bottle. The well connected to the house was still functioning and it was clear that it would be dropping an inch or two by the time Suigetsu was finished with it.

Itachi glanced at the window when he heard something brush against it. A tree was too near the house and its branches had started to move in the wind. And small white flakes were drifting down from the sky. He groaned with frustration. It was snowing again.

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**Next week, Kabuto begins his new mission, but this time, will he be a willing spy or will Itachi have to use a mind-control jutsu on him?**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	57. Chapter 57 His New Master

**Here's the next exciting chapter!**

**In the manga… I wonder if Karin is really going to be able to escape. I hope so, but Madara wanted her dead… and Konoha probably will too because she was with Oro and then Sasuke. Anyway, unless Madara intervenes and hauls Sasuke away for being out after curfew, it looks like we're in for another 3 or 4 weeks of Sasuke and Naruto battling it out. xD **

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 57 – His New Master**

Even though Sasuke had been told by his Tai Jutsu master that he had the day off, he still walked the short distance to the Uchiha clan's training grounds and proceeded to practice several of the more difficult moves on his own. There wasn't really anything else to do, as far as he was concerned. Juugo was working in the aviary, supervised of course by an Uchiha who had been assigned to study his malady, and Karin seemed perfectly happy at the hospital.

He was happy for them, but at the same time he was lonely. He knew it wasn't the company of his new friends that he was longing for, but his old ones. He hadn't had a chance to see Naruto's new jutsu and was feeling guilty about it. Even in the time they had spent together at Orochimaru's lair, they had spoken about other things.

Hinata was in his thoughts as well. The shy girl who was the leader of the Hyuuga clan. Naruto had told him that she was actually learning to stand up for herself in front of her clan's elder council. Sasuke worried about her, she wasn't anything like Fugaku or her father, the two clan leaders he knew the most about, and he wondered what the future would hold for her. She had also developed a crush on Naruto that the boy pretended to not know about. Or at least Sasuke hoped he was pretending. No one could be that dense. Right? Well, in retrospect perhaps he didn't know.

Sasuke ceased his mid-air kicks and laughed, drawing some odd looks from his kinsmen who were also on the field practicing. He gave them a wide grin and proceeded to return to his training. Several of them laughed at the boy's attempt at lightheartedness.

'I guess things aren't so bad here.' He thought to himself. But there was still a hole in his heart that quickly ate away at his smile. His family back home were probably worried about him. And most of the clan were very friendly. He stopped his kicking drill and stood still, staring into the sparse forest beyond the training grounds. The ever present fog impeded his vision, but he failed to notice that as he gazed at the leafless trees, blowing slightly in the breeze.

"You seem a little pre-occupied." Sasuke turned around and nodded to Sora, who was leaning heavily on a plain wooden cane. He was dressed in a heavy gray jacket and a black wool hat covered his head.

"I'm just training." The boy gave the clan leader a half-hearted smile.

"You have the day off, young Sasuke. I would recommend you take advantage of it. Even in the days before the villages when our name was enough to put fear into the hearts of our enemies, we still found time to kick back and enjoy ourselves."

"Odd. I was under the impression that you and Madara wanted me to ramp up my training for some reason."

"Why would you say that?" Sora smiled.

"Are you planning on using me as a replacement for one of the Akatsuki? Because I won't do that." Sasuke still remembered his brother's words and was suddenly wondering if perhaps they were true.

Sora laughed, "Sasuke, I can truthfully say that Akatsuki is not something you need ever concern yourself with."

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"How long are you going to sit there and stare at me?" Kabuto was back in Konoha, in the Hokage's office and feeling rather grumpy. Itachi had been left alone to guard him while Fugaku was in another meeting in a different room. The teen was restrained rather securely; his ankles, wrists and arms were tied tightly with a rope that was, in turn, looped around the chair. For some reason he couldn't understand, the chakra restraining rope had been replaced with a regular one several hours earlier.

"How long are you going to keep thinking about escaping?"

"I'd rather die trying than live as another man's puppet…" Kabuto was interrupted when the door swung open and Fugaku strode into the room, followed by Sakura and Sai..

"Humph. We'll see about that." Fugaku took a seat behind his desk, while the two young shinobi stood respectfully at attention several feet behind Itachi.

Kabuto sneered, "Why am I in your office and not in a jail cell?"

"Because I have an offer for you." The Hokage leaned back in his chair and stared at the empty ceiling. "If you accept, you can walk away a free man; your crimes will be erased, although never forgotten. I would suggest you accept."

The door opened again and a white-haired Kakashi entered the room, smiling and scratching his head, "Am I late?"

Itachi answered, "I think the question should be 'are you ever on time'?"

The Jounin laughed, then laid eyes on the prisoner, "Caught him, I see. That much has worked out at least."

"I was about to inform him of his options." Fugaku waved at a well-worn wooden chair next to Kabuto's and Kakashi sat down heavily, spreading his legs out in front of him.

"Then get on with it." Kabuto hissed.

"Tonight, Sakura and Sai will assist your escape and escort you to Danzou…"

"Then you should have just left me alone. I was about to join him anyway."

Fugaku shook his head. He was not pleased about having to "forgive" Kabuto's crimes. The teen had aided the man who had killed Sarutobi after all, and while he had always had his doubts about the man's effectiveness as a Kage, in the end Fugaku had finally learned to respect him.

His voice was filled with bitterness when he continued, "Once you have ensconced yourself with Danzou you will report his whereabouts back to me."

Kabuto laughed with an equal amount of bitterness, "And why would I do that? Once I'm with him, I am completely out of your sight. You won't be able to touch me."

"True, we won't. However, should you cooperate, and that cooperation leads to Danzou's death, your crimes will be erased and you can return to Konoha a free man."

"What if I don't want to come back here?"

"We can't allow you to roam free or go to another village. Your freedom rests solely on your return to Konoha." Fugaku stated firmly.

Kabuto snorted derisively, "And if I disagree you will use a mind-control jutsu on me to make me."

"And you will be summarily killed upon the death of Danzou." That news surprised Itachi and he turned his head quickly to gaze at his father. "A man who operates under a mind-control jutsu must remain in that jutsu's power forever to ensure cooperation. And at any time, someone could come along, remove the jutsu, and gain control of you through something you have mistakenly described as 'gratitude.' Kabuto, you cannot be trusted and that is the end of that."

The teen hung his head, and took a couple gulps, considering his options. Konoha wasn't such a bad place, he had grown up there and was used to its people, but he was also tired of the Shinobi world and the way it considered its citizens as nothing more than pieces on a chessboard. Sacrifices to be made for the sake of whatever mission it was working on at the moment. It was a sick way to live. Full of death, betrayal, false sacrifice, and above all, infinite heartbreak.

He turned his head slightly to look at Kakashi. He had heard the stories, how the man's father had been driven to suicide for considering the lives of his teammates over his mission. He was considered a disgrace and there were still those who criticized him and it was even rumored that Danzou had tried to block Kakashi's entry into ANBU on the grounds that the "traitors" son was not to be trusted.

Of course, if that had actually happened, the real reason for his resistance was probably due to the Sharingan Obito had given Kakashi. Kabuto smirked, that would definitely have made Danzou nervous.

"What's so funny? Kakashi asked, grinning broadly.

"Just thinking… if Danzou had succeeded in wiping out the Uchiha, you would have been next. Did they tell you what Orochimaru was doing for him?"

The Jounin turned serious, "Yeah. They did. And you're right. A lot of what that man has done… or tried to do to me makes sense now. But why worry about me all of a sudden?"

"He's just biding time." Fugaku answered impatiently.

"This isn't something to decide on a whim." Kabuto's voice turned bitter again.

"Just accept." Itachi spoke quietly.

"Why? So we can be buddy-buddy again? So we can go have some lunch at the barbecue restaurant and sit by the river and talk, just like old times?" Kabuto was quickly getting angry. He felt like he was being patronized, and was surprised that Itachi would indulge in such childish whimsies.

Itachi's answer was barely above a whisper, "Yes."

That was too much and Kabuto practically shrieked his response, "You're insane! How could you possibly think that? Everything is different! They're all dead! They aren't coming back!"

Even though everyone else in the room was now completely confused as to who "they" were, Itachi understood completely. He hung his head, memories of himself, Kabuto, Shisui and Yota washed over him. It seemed like so long ago since the four of them had last been together, and every year that distance grew wider and wider.

"Whoever 'they' are," Kakashi spoke up, "death won't completely overtake them until you have forgotten them."

"It's Shisui and Yota Hyuuga." Itachi added.

Kakashi grunted, "I guess I should have known."

"It won't be the same," Itachi continued, "but for all four of us to fall into darkness, after being offered a ladder to climb into the light… doesn't that seem rather selfish?"

Kakashi spoke up, "It'll be hard for a while, Kabuto, when you get back. I remember what it was like when dad died. Everyone was pointing at me like I was just as much of a criminal as he was. Only my team believed in me. And I never appreciated that until it was too late."

The room was silent for a long time. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts until Kabuto finally spoke up. "Fine, I'll do it. So what do I do to get out of here if I'm tied up?"

Sai stepped forward, "You'll be escorted to a cell that has already been rigged. Sakura and I will then come by sometime during the night and get you out."

Sakura continued, "But to make it more real we will be pursued by people who don't know the escape is rigged."

"But…" Kabuto's eyes opened wide with shock, "They'll see you helping me, won't they?"

The two young shinobi looked at each other and sighed before Sai answered, "Yeah. That…. That's the hard part. We have to go with you, which means we will be returning to Danzou. Everyone will think we are traitors as well. But it'll be okay. Once Danzou is dead, Lord Hokage Fugaku will let everyone know what really happened. Who knows, you may become a hero!"

"Don't make me laugh. This is far too serious for that." Kabuto berated the teen who was now giving him one the fakest smiled he had ever seen. And he had seen a lot of them over the years.

"Yeah. Right." Sai's face fell and he stared at the floor. "Sorry about that. Still trying to get this emotion thing down and I get it wrong a lot."

"Well, take me to my cell then. I'd like to get some rest and something to eat before we leave."

Fugaku stood up, "Sai, Sakura, escort Kabuto to Ibiki and tell him everything is on schedule."

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The isolation cell was barren except for a bedroll, toilet and overhead light that gave off very little radiance. However, Kabuto was surprised to see the meal that Ibiki had personally delivered. Expecting only a little rice and some water, he got a full boxed lunch from a local restaurant. The interrogation specialist had even provided him with a supply of vitamins, saying that his blood sample had come back anemic and Lady Tsunade had selected them herself.

Of course, Kabuto remembered the last time he had run into her and was very hesitant to take them. He had, after all, nearly killed her. But in the end he trusted her professionalism and decided if she wanted him dead she would have made a personal appearance, not hidden her feelings behind some poisoned pills. He swallowed a couple and stuck the rest in his pocket.

There was no way of knowing what time it was and the teen was beginning to get antsy. Despite everything, Kabuto had never been patient. Sasori had punished him on several occasions until he had finally learned how to disguise his feelings and "pretend" to be patient. He rubbed his arms subconsciously, remembering the agony that the puppet-master would inflict on him.

"Hey! Where are you kids going? You aren't allowed in here!" Kabuto recognized the voice as that of one of the guards.

He smiled, "So it begins." He couldn't deny the exhilaration that was now running through him. He was a ninja, despite all his objections, and this was certainly right up his alley.

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Despite the late hour, and cold winter night air, the park near the center of the village was the scene of a small party. Several picnic tables had been spread with tablecloths and the remnants of homemade snacks decorated its surface. The full moon was shining brightly over the earth and Itachi had used it as an excuse to gather Naruto and all his friends in one place. Mikoto, Sheeta and Kisa had done all the cooking, and Toshiro had rigged up some gas-powered lanterns earlier in the day to brighten the area.

Itachi had chosen the group of young Shinobi because he knew how they felt about Sasuke leaving. When they realized Sakura and Sai were also leaving the kids would likely revolt and take off on their own to bring their friends back. He had argued with his father about it, of course the older man saw it as too dangerous for Naruto, but had relented only on the condition that Itachi keep him in sight at all times.

Shortly after eleven Sakura and Sai discretely separated themselves from the group and disappeared. Itachi resisted the urge to sigh as he munched on some pink colored dango balls. The overly sweet confection was his favorite and his mother had, perhaps, the best recipe in town. Then again, perhaps it was just the one he was used to.

"Itachi!" Kakashi came running up, "Kabuto's escaped!"

Itachi took a deep breath and let it out before answering, it was time to begin the mission. "When? How?"

Kakashi looked over at the Genin who were now all ears, "Umm… maybe we shouldn't speak in front of them. This is kind of a delicate situation…"

"Itachi! Kakashi! Sai and Sakura helped Kabuto escape and are now running away with him!" Another ninja, notorious for his big mouth and ability to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time, ran up broadcasting the information for all to hear.

Itachi had to suppress the urge to smile when he saw the looks of disbelief turn to anger and betrayal on the faces of the gather children. Of course, he also felt sorry for them, but he knew, or rather hoped, that this would all be forgotten and forgiven when it was over.

And right on cue, Naruto spoke up. Or rather, he yelled, "We have to go after them! It must be a mistake! They would never help Kabuto!"

"Yeah!" Ji grabbed Naruto's arm in a tight grip, "It has to be a mistake. If we can talk to them… Maybe he's holding them hostage or something?"

"Let's go see Fugaku!" Shikamaru was clenching his fists and sneering. "We know them better than anyone. We're the best choice to go after them."

"No time." Kakashi spoke up, "You all take after them. Itachi, you take command. I'll report back to Fugaku and then join you. Now get going!" The group dispersed immediately, the remains of their feast left abandoned on the table.

"Time to eat?" The big-mouthed Chuunin grinned rather broadly.

"Yep!" Kakashi returned the grin as he sat down and reached for some bean paste buns. "They didn't leave much for us though."

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Upon leaving the village the trio had taken to the trees and were now leaping at a moderate pace from branch to branch. They needed to be seen together, which meant their followers would have to catch up first. This was the part Sakura and Sai had been looking forward to the least. The part where their friends would consider them traitors.

Sakura felt something wet falling across her face and wiped it with the back of her hand. It was a tear. Betraying Ino would be the worst. He foster sister didn't know she was a double agent and would be devastated, as would her foster parents. It was possible Inoichi knew the truth, but Sakura had never been sure of that. As a high ranking Jounin he was often seen in the company of Fugaku.

"Are you okay?" Kabuto asked kindly.

"Ye…yeah."

"I know what you're going through, Sakura."

Sakura was quiet for a couple minutes, "I guess you would. It's hard, but we have to think of the end result. If this works out, not only will Danzou be gone, but you, Sai and myself will finally be free to live our own lives. It's almost too good to be true, to think we're so close…"

Kabuto interrupted her, "It's considered bad luck to talk like that, you know, before the mission is over. Any number of things can go wrong."

"I know, but…"

"You aren't cut out to be a kunoichi, Sakura. You're too kind hearted. It's a pity. You should have a job where you help people, not hurt them."

"Help them?" There was another small silence. The ground was barely visible as they jumped through the trees, "I have been considering asking Lady Tsunade to take me on as an apprentice."

"Perfect! Your problems are solved!" Kabuto laughed.

Sakura smiled before turning the teen's words back on himself, "It's bad luck to talk like that before the mission is over! I haven't even asked her yet. She might say no."

Sai spoke up, "Or she might say yes." He suddenly craned his neck to look behind him, "They're here."

"Finally." Sakura said, relief evident in her voice. "Took long enough."

"Itachi is probably slowing them down by looking for clues. If he went all out we wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of escaping." Kabuto explained. "Let's slow down so they can see us, then get out of here. It's going to be hard enough as it is for him to explain letting us go without us hanging around for too long."

"As you command!" Sai teased.

The group stopped on a large, wide branch and waited until their friends had caught up. Spread over several branches, a good thirty feet away were Itachi, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ji, Ino, Hinata, Shino and Kiba.

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto yelled across the void. "Is he forcing you?"

Sai spoke up, "Sakura and I were not 'rescued' from Danzou, Naruto. We were sent to Konoha to act as spies. And now our mission is over as soon as we deliver Kabuto to him."

"What?" Ino screeched incredulously, "You? You were spies? That's impossible! My Sakura would never do that! She's like my sister! My family! And Sai! We opened our hearts and our home to you! Me and my parents…" Her voice drifted off as she caught the eyes of her "sister". They were cold and hard; the eyes of a killer with no emotion. "It can't be true."

Sakura shook her head and sighed, "Think what you want, Ino. But we were using you. All of you. And you fell for it so nicely. Danzou will sure have a lot of work getting you all up to par when he returns. If he lets you stay that is. After all, you are actively supporting that traitor Fugaku."

"Shut up!" Kiba gritted his teeth, and a small white dog propped on his head gave a short "yip". He raised his hand and pointed at the trio, "We have Itachi with us, one of the most powerful ninjas in the village, and if you don't come back with us…"

"What? You'll sick 'big brother' on us?" Kabuto teased. He found the entire situation amusing and had a feeling that Itachi was probably rather pissed off over the insinuation that he was going to have to fight someone elses battle simply because he was older. However, the teen remained quiet and let the kids do all the talking.

"You have no chance of escaping." Shino added, almost in a monotone. He raised his arms and bugs flew out of his coat sleeves, to swirl around his arms awaiting a command.

Kabuto looked at Itachi and watched as the teen's eyes bled into their Sharingan form. "Time to go." He took off through the trees at full speed, followed closely by his companions.

"Follow them!" Naruto also took off, but jumped back quickly, nearly falling to the ground when a large explosion blew the tree he was about to land on into a million pieces. Smoke, dust, and tree pieces clouded the vision of the friends and they also found their chakra cut off for a few short seconds.

"That was one powerful jutsu." Itachi coughed as the smoke invaded his lungs. Despite the treatments he was getting from Tsunade, his lungs were becoming less and less resistant to irritants such as smoke.

"Are you okay?" Naruto jumped back to his foster brother, just as the teen collapsed to his knees.

"Can't… breath…" Itachi started gasping in between coughing fits and his face was twisted in pain.

"We have to get him to the hospital." Shikamaru stepped forward and threw one of Itachi's arms over his shoulder. Naruto grabbed the other one.

"I guess they got away then." Hinata sighed, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

Ino gazed longingly into the forest, "Yeah. I guess… I guess having a sister was too much to ask for. This… can't be real…"

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"Comfortable?" Fugaku asked his son as he entered the hospital room and sat down on a chair near his eldest son's bed. "I thought you'd be asleep. It's almost five in the morning."

"Nah. I keep seeing the disappointment on their faces… maybe having them chase after Kabuto, Sakura and Sai was a mistake."

"It was the only way." He changed the subject, "I thought you were only going to pretend to get sick. Tsunade says you had an asthma attack."

"Yeah, well… I guess asking a sick person to pretend to be sick is rather pointless. That smoke wasn't normal, though. Kabuto's learned some powerful jutsus over the years. But I'd never had an asthma attack before, even though I was told it would likely be one of the conditions I would experience. It was minor, though, luckily. I don't even need to be here, but for appearance sake."

"Well, you may want to spend the week here. In case you forgot, Sheeta has the decorators working on that second floor starting tomorrow. Anyway," He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, "It's up to Kabuto now. All we can do is sit back and wait."

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Fire country was known far and wide for many things, but perhaps one of the most famous images that came to mind for most people were the forests, populated with massive trees. When tourist came to the various hot springs located throughout the country, they would also take side-trips to visit the trees.

However, there was one section of forest that no one visited. Even though the trees were several times bigger than the ones near the resorts, this forest had become a no-mans land.

The trees in that part of the forest were so large that you could easily fit a city block inside of each of them. Covered in old, thick bark, no branches could be seen unless one climbed all the way to the top of the forest, and then they were so thick that no light reached the ground. In that way earth was cut off from heaven and only rain and snow could connect them. It had been centuries since the sun had shone there, maybe longer, and predictably there was also no vegetation. No bushes, weeds, ferns or mushrooms. Or even animals.

The thick, sweet smell of vegetation that was present in the rest of the forest was absent here as well. Instead it was replaced with the bitter, sour smell of mold and mildew. For that was the only thing that did grow here. It attached itself to the sides of the trees, as well as any branches that had fallen. The smell was so strong that most people avoided the place.

As for sound, well, basically there was none. Occasionally you could hear something fall as an old branch or maybe some bark dropped almost soundlessly onto the soft loamy soil that made up the ground.

And that was the forests one great benefit. No animals or plants to eat, no sunshine, and a horrid smell. In the past, anyone who entered the forest quickly regretted it. In the present, they regretted for a whole new reason.

It was where Danzou was currently residing and he didn't take well to unannounced visitors.

Even if they were following orders.

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Sakura and Sai were very tense as they lead Kabuto through the woods. They had never been there before, but had been given very direct instructions on how to find it. Over several days, many different contacts had lead them to this location. It seemed that no one person knew the way. Only bits and pieces. And there was no way for the two young ninjas to relay the information to Fugaku. The seals on their tongues had seen to that. The cat that usually followed them had stayed behind. It was too dangerous to bring him.

The creepy blackness of the dark forest and the soft, dry dirt on the ground that practically echoed with every footstep was disconcerting. They knew the area was strewn with chakra traps and barriers and they moved cautiously, avoiding each and every one of them. However, they knew that in order to catch Danzou's attention and deliver Kabuto to him they would have to get caught in one of them.

The problem was, which one? Non-lethal would be the first choice, of course, but so far they hadn't found one of those.

Sakura groaned with frustration, "How are we going to do this? We can't even set one off from a distance, it would just move and get us anyway!"

"He could have people following us and we just don't realize it yet." Sai offered.

"Hey!" Sakura called out, causing her two companions to cringe.

Sai jumped forward and put a hand over her mouth. "Shut up, Sakura! Are you insane?"

"By now? Yes. I am." Sakura responded matter of factly.

"I think I can second that observation." A voice rang out clearly from behind the nearest tree, and a figure moved into view. "I have been waiting for you Kabuto. Welcome."

All three dropped to their knees and kowtowed.

"Humph." Danzou leaned forward on his cane. "I hear you were seen during your escape. I am quite disappointed with you, Sai, Sakura."

"We will accept any punishment you deem appropriate for the infraction." Sai stated calmly.

"Good. Because I am quite angry with the two of you." He turned to look behind him, missing the look of panic that crossed Sakura's face, "You three, take our two miscreants away. Kabuto, come with me. I have ordered facilities worthy of your skill to be set up. I believe you will find them more than adequate."

Kabuto rose to his feet, but kept his eyes politely averted, "I thank you." He glance worriedly at his companions as he followed is new "master". The desire to speak up in defense of Sai and Sakura was strong, but he had to stay in character. He knew they would understand. But the look in Sakura's eyes was too much to keep to himself.

"What will happen to them?"

"Are you concerned?" Danzou glanced at him. His bandages prevented him from turning his head much, but Kabuto clearly caught the glint of anger in his eyes.

"Yes. They saved my life. Fugaku would have killed me by now. You know that."

"Humph. Since I believe in repaying my debts, I will allow you to heal them afterward."

Kabuto opened his mouth to object, but closed it quickly. "Yes my Lord."

"That's better. See, we're going to get along fine here."

They reached the far end of the tree just as Danzou was raising his cane. He waved it in an intricate pattern, opening a wide door. As they passed inside Kabuto was surprised to see that the inside was completely hollow. As far as he could see, various floors were sticking out of the side with and endless number of staircases linking them.

"These trees are as strong as iron and as they slowly rot over the centuries it leaves bits and pieces sticking out. Perfect for building on. This tree is probably around nine thousand years old."

"That's impossible!" Kabuto said, disbelieving his eyes.

"Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Your quarters are on the twenty-third level. We have elevators, so you don't have to use the stairs. Please refrain from using jutsu teleportation here. There are too many people and any excess use of chakra is frowned upon."

As they entered the elevator, which was built against the inside of the trunk, Kabuto once again felt his eyes grow wide at the site. A window on the side of the elevator revealed a very disturbing sight.

There were levels were Shinobi were training, others were barracks, some were "civilian" in nature with apartments and shops, and Danzou had also informed him that at the top were several levels being used for high-yield agriculture.

The entire inside of the tree was not only filled with several thousand people, but was completely self-sufficient.

But what kept Kabuto awake that night, and many nights after that, were the next words uttered by the ex-Root leader, "This is only one of my trees. I have ten others just like this. So you see, now, what the real situation you have just walked into is, don't you?"

"Itachi," Kabuto muttered to himself, many hours later when he was alone, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling of his small bedroom, "Konoha is going to die, and there is nothing we can do to stop it."

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**Next week – Kabuto's adventures in tree land! Also, more Itachi and Sheeta, and Sasuke and Madara.**

**I like the idea of massive trees people can live in. It seemed like the perfect hideout for Danzou. He has his own little ninja village! I'll describe more of it next week as Kabuto begins his duties. I hope I explained why Sai and Sakura couldn't be used to track down Danzou. I might have to revisit that point next week, it seems a little lame to me.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	58. Chapter 58 The New Village

**You know… I knew it would happen. Madara busted Sasuke for being out after curfew and hauled him back home! When will teenagers learn? Always have an alibi. Geeze… hanging out with that Konoha gang… good thing Zetsu was there. Who knows what bad habits Sasuke could have picked up from those kids? Poisoned knives, white twirly balls of chakra and that Kakashi guy is definitely a bad influence. Madara sure has his work cut out for him with that kid, but that's what he gets for taking in wayward relatives. xD**

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 58 – The New Village**

"You sure are pensive for an eleven-year-old."

Sasuke glanced over at the clan leader, who was standing about ten feet away and leaning against the side of the tea house. The building was empty at the moment, as it was still early, but eating out wasn't what brought Sasuke to the Uchiha district.

"You sure are good at finding me, Lord Sora." Sasuke exclaimed. He was sitting on the edge of the wooden porch with his legs hanging over the side and leaning back on his hands. "Afraid I'll run away?"

"Perhaps." Without asking, the clan lord sat down next the boy and stared out at the garden. "The cherry trees are finally in bloom, are you meeting up with your friends later for the festival?"

"Yeah." It had been two months since Sasuke had arrived in Mist and while the time had passed quickly, it also seemed to widen the distance in his heart between himself and Konoha. "In a couple hours."

"So why are you here?"

Sasuke sighed, "I heard there was another 'ceremony' last night. Aina's brother had to fight."

Sora smiled, "He won, so what's the problem? Your girlfriend should be proud of her brother."

"It's sick that you don't see a problem." Sasuke fumed, "And if you hadn't heard yet, the boy who lost… his mother killed herself. He was all she had, no other children, and her husband died last year in an accident. How could you do that to her?"

"It strengthens the clan. We have no choice. You'll understand…"

"The only thing_ I _understand is how hard I'll have to work to set you guys straight."

That made the clan chief laugh, "I'm sorry, but you are definitely your own person. You are so much like Madara at times that it surprises me. At other times, you are so different I wonder if he is mistaken about you being his son."

"I don't believe in throwing away lives."

"Neither do I, Sasuke." Sora sighed and gazed across at the enclosed tea garden. The immaculately tended grounds contained a couple blossoming cherry trees that were blowing gracefully in the breeze, blanketing the ground in a layer of pink.

"Humph." Predictably, the boy didn't believe his words. He had seen Aina the previous evening by the training grounds. Her tears were real enough to reaffirm the conviction he had made several months earlier to stop the ceremony and save his Mist kin.

"The clan will be needed in the coming battle. That battle will bring peace to the world, Saskue, and after that there will be no more need for ninjas. All we have to do is follow along, do our part, and in the end the rewards will all be worth it."

"Itachi said that peace at any cost isn't worth it because it kills too many people. It was the reason Danzou was forcing him to kill all of us. And he would have done it too. But you guys… just what do you want me to do? You're always checking up on me and keeping me busy training and seeing if I'm happy or not. Are you guys wanting me to kill someone?"

"Lots of people, actually. You play a very important part in the future of the clan and the world."

"I'll pass." Sasuke responded grumpily. Silence fell over the pair for a while and they both watched as the fog grew brighter and began dispersing. Bright yellow streams of sunlight broke threw the overcast skies and shone on the small garden, like a spotlight on a stage illuminating the star. Sounds began to come from inside the tea house as the employees began setting things up.

"It bothers you that much." Sora finally replied. His only answer was a glare as the boy stood up and walked away.

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The letter was long, and by now, well read. Mikoto had, memorized its contents, but she couldn't overcome the desire to hold something in her hands that came from her son, albeit indirectly. About a month after Sasuke's arrival in Mist Aya had written a letter containing information and anecdotes about the boy's new life. She had tried to sound upbeat, even going so far as to include a few photographs of the young boy. Everything seemed fine, but Mikoto knew that whatever the younger woman wrote would ultimately be screened by Madara. The "truth" was probably in there somewhere, but Mikoto distrusted the man too much to take his words for granted.

Setting the letter down she looked at her self in the mirror above her dresser. Fine lines were beginning to form under her eyes and her hair definitely needed trimmed. A long time ago she had been quite vain about things like that. Her hair, while certainly not fashionable was always perfectly cut and she took better care of her skin.

"What are you looking at?" Fugaku mumbled sleepily from the bed as he pulled himself up and spotted his wife at the other end of the room.

Mikoto sighed, "I'm getting old."

"Yeah, me too." The clan lord groaned as he climbed out of bed. "I guess we should be happy about that. A lot of shinobi don't make it this far, but my body is rather stiff in the mornings these days."

Laughing, Mikoto made her way to husband and kissed gently him on the cheek, "Time to let the youngsters take over, huh?"

"Not on your life!" Fugaku snickered, "I'm still having fun! Besides, I'm only forty-three. That still young, right?"

Mikoto flashed him a big smile, "To an eighty-year-old, sure. Whatever you say, dear."

"Well, I've got to the office. Inoichi kept bugging me about wanting to go after his foster kids so I finally told him the truth about their mission. Now he's bugging me to send them backup."

"He cares a lot about Sakura and Sai."

"Yeah. I underestimated him in that. I thought for sure he had just taken in the kids because his wife and daughter talked him into it. Obviously there was more to it than that."

Mikoto gave him a lop-sided grin, "Like you and Naruto? You grew up an orphan, Fugaku, just like he was. I know you promised Minato to watch over his son, but it's just as plain to me that you didn't like the idea of him being by himself. And he certainly means a lot to you now."

"Hmm…" Fugaku made his way to bathroom and disappeared behind the closed door.

Mikoto gave a short laugh as she started shoving hangers around in the closet, looking for something to wear. "Maybe I should go shopping… get a new dress, new hair cut, eat lunch…"

"Itachi! Naruto! Get up here right now so I can kill you!" The voice was loud, very distinct, and very angry. Sheeta, who was now five months pregnant and very prone to mood-swings was using a jutsu to project her voice throughout the house.

"What in the world is going on up there?" Fugaku muttered as he stepped out of the bathroom, wet from the shower.

"We probably don't want to know. Just pretend you don't hear anything." Mikoto laughed.

"You put _what_ in her closet?" This time it was Itachi's voice, coming from down the hall.

Naruto responded nervously, "That maid uniform. You remember… when we went to get Sasuke you and me made a bet that I could get Sheeta to wear one. You said she wouldn't but that you'd like to see her in one. Don't tell me you forgot?"

Fugaku and Mikoto stared at each other wide-eyed for a moment before Fugaku grabbed a robe from the end of the bed and threw it on. Making his way to the door he was stopped when his wife grabbed his arm.

"Are you going out there to ogle your daughter-in-law in a maid outfit?"

"Y…yeah…" Fugaku stuttered, then smiled mischievously at the glare Mikoto gave him, "It's not like you would ever wear one. It's my only chance to… Hey! No hitting!"

Mikoto shoved him back towards the middle of the room. "Behave yourself!"

"I was just going to look…" Fugaku wandered back to the bathroom.

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"She's going to kill both of us." Itachi stated plainly. He was leaning up against the smooth wooden wall and staring up the stairs. Sheeta, dressed in her dark blue robe was standing at the top with her arms crossed over her swollen belly and a look on her face that was definitely intimidating. He pushed Naruto towards the staircase. "You go first."

"Me?"

"Women and children first. No women down here, so that means the children go next. Besides it was your idea."

"So? I thought it would be cute."

"You're too young to think things like that."

"Am not!"

"I'm not discussing this with you."

"You are too!" Naruto shouted. "We're standing here talking now!"

Itachi blinked in surprise, then looked up the stairs. Sheeta had been ordered to remain at home for the rest of her pregnancy with close supervision of her condition and whatever food or beverages she consumed or came into contact with. Not only that, but the exam for the Cryptology squad was coming up in a couple days and she had been putting in extra hours studying. Not only was it something she had been looking forward to for months, but it was the only exception from the "stay home" rule Tsunade had been willing to consider.

"This was a really bad time to play a joke on her, Naruto."

"Huh? You really think she's mad at us?"

"I…" He looked closer at the robe. It only went to her knees, but he noticed her nightgown, which should have brushed against the floor, was gone. Her legs were bare. Creasing his brow he wondered what exactly she was up to. "Sheeta… what are you up to?"

"Always so suspicious. Now both of you! Get up here!"

"Fine." Itachi led the way as the pair climbed the stairs to the second floor. Sheeta backed away from them as they entered the hallway.

"Now, I know this was probably Naruto's idea because Itachi would never be that… well… this just isn't something he would pull. However, we have a bigger problem. Obviously whatever was going on involved a maid outfit. However…" She opened her robe and Itachi saw why she had been holding her arms over her midsection. She was holding up a long skirt.

"That… Naruto?" Itachi was speechless. The "maid outfit" was actually the type an old scullery maid from the West would have worn a couple hundred years earlier. A long blue skirt, long sleeved matching shirt, full white apron with ruffles and large pockets, and as they watched the teen pulled out a fabric hat and fitted it over her head.

"It is apparent to me," Sheeta continued, "That Naruto is far too young to understand what, exactly, a maid outfit is supposed to entail. Itachi, as the one in this household responsible for his training, I find this oversight reprehensible."

"I'm… sorry?" He had been told once, by someone, that apologizing to a mad wife was a good idea, but he wasn't sure what, exactly he had done wrong. Sheeta turned on her heal and returned to her room, slamming the door in the process.

"Whew!" Naruto wipe his brow with the back of his hand, "We're still alive. And you owe me money!"

Itachi couldn't get over the feeling that the whole thing had somehow been a setup as he fished around in his pocket for some change. "I'll give it to you later. I don't have much money on me right now."

The blond boy gave him a big grin and raised one thumb in the air, "Okay!"

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The deathly calm that existed in the deserted forest disappeared quickly when one entered one of the giant trees. The sounds of people talking, children playing, Shinobi training pervaded the senses and when Kabuto closed his eyes he would swear he was back in Konoha.

When he had arrived, Kabuto had fully expected Danzou's hideout to be similar to Orochimaru's. Dark, cold, full of prisoners, torture and above all, fighting and anger. The reality, though, was a ninja village full of Shinobi, civilians, men, women and children. He saw babies being pushed in strollers, children running to school, old men playing shogi in the park, and off-duty Ninjas making passes at Kunoichi.

The militant stronghold he had expected didn't seem to exist. Or at least, not in the way he had expected it to. He saw ninja guards everywhere, and there were rumors of spies who mingled with open ears gather information about possible traitors, but Kabuto knew form experience that ANBU had often served that purpose inside Konoha as well.

The artificial lights that illuminated the inside of the tree were bright and powered with chakra. A group of Shinobi maintained a jutsu that somehow case a soft glow from the tree itself. It didn't hurt the eyes to look at it, but at the same time was as bright as the inside of a house.

The food that was grown at the top of the tree was tasty, and Kabuto was very happy to be able to eat fresh vegetables and fruit again. Orochimaru had lived almost entirely on canned food and soldier pills. Water came from an underground aquifer and was plentiful.

Kabuto shook his head in resignation as he moved over to the window of his lab and stared down at the lower levels. Naturally formed terraces, perhaps a hundred or more, formed livable areas for the many residents. He could see the closest level beneath him. It was offset instead of being underneath and contained a large park. The grass was artificially grown, but still real and the swings and slides were full of school children taking advantage of a day off. They were happy, laughing and playing as if they had no cares in the world.

But he knew they did. The children of this tree city were very worried. Danzou preached frequently about the horrors of war and many of them had already lived through it. There was a growing fear that Konoha would attack, and should Danzou be killed, they would soon follow.

"Are you adjusting?"

'Speak of the devil.' Kabuto said to himself before answering, "Getting there, anyway. It's quite a place you have here. After hiding underground for so long with Orochimaru, this is quite an adjustment. It's almost luxurious."

"It's the life a Shinobi deserves. We work hard to maintain the peace of this world, and we deserve the right to keep our families safe and happy." Danzou moved slowly to a chair and sat down, keeping his cane in front of him.

"You're using the Senju symbol for your village, but the name…"

"You don't like it?"

"It's too close to Konoha's name."

"Ki was one of the names the First considered when founding the village." Danzou explained patiently, "We are the embodiment of his intentions, and as such have taken his symbol and name."

"Village hidden in the Trees and Village hidden in the Leaves is rather confusing." Kabuto scratched the back of his head nervously and laughed.

"True. But when we wipe out Konoha, there will be no more confusion."

"Good point." The teen reluctantly admitted. He also knew it worked the other way around as well and he glanced back at the distant playground.

"Well, I got work to do. If you need anything, send me a message. Oh, and the vitamin supplements you asked to be added to the children's daily diet has been passed into law. We didn't realize not having any sunshine was such a problem, good thing you noticed the vitamin D deficiency before it got out of hand."

"Yeah, rickets isn't fun, but those kids will recover." By the third day in Ki Kabuto had had easily identified several young children with bowed legs and diagnosed their condition. The medics Danzou had recruited knew little of childhood diseases and had focused mainly on treating battle injuries. It was unfortunate and he had spent the intervening weeks trying to bridge the gap between ninja and civilian in their treatment practices. So far it had been an uphill battle. But he had won at least one fight.

Danzou left the room, silent as ever, and closed the door behind him. The lab was something Kabuto had only dreamed of. It was very modern, with several computers, diagnostics machines, books and all the chemicals and beakers a researcher could ever wish for. It was set up for Orochimaru, with the hope that he would one day join them here, but of course that had never happened.

"Are you alone?" The door opened again and Sai and Sakura wandered in.

"No, we're having a party. See all the people?" Kabuto grinned. He had been getting along will with the two kids and enjoyed their company, much to his surprise. Sakura had expressed an interest in learning medical jutsu and he had agreed to spend an hour with her everyday before judging whether she should ask to transfer to the medic division. Sai, of course, got along with everyone. Or so it seemed. The boy was rather repressed and seemed, often, to not know what he should do or feel.

"Ha ha!" Sai laughed, "Can we join in?"

"We have to talk." Sakura got to the point as she grabbed one of the lab stools and sat down. Kabuto and Sai joined her. "Sai got a message a few minutes ago."

"Oh?" Kabuto still wasn't thrilled about working for Konoha, and had considered the possibility of joining Danzou body and soul after arriving in Ki. The concept sounded simple, but he knew that if he did so he would be nothing more than a walking dead man. Fugaku did not take kindly to betrayal, and neither did Itachi, for that matter.

"We are to find any and all weaknesses the village has and report them back to the Hokage."

Kabuto laughed, "I would love to have seen their faces when they learned about this place."

"Not me." Sakura responded softly, "This situation is scary. I wish I wasn't here."

"Me too, kid." Kabuto admitted. "Really, It's all just too much to deal with. Sometimes I…" he suddenly stopped talked and began scratching the back of his head again, "Nevermind, just rambling."

Sai smiled back, "You're good at that. I tried it, but everyone looked at me like I had lost my head."

"I would have liked to have seen that." Kabuto mumbled, suddenly envisioning the stoic boy in a failed attempt at acting befuddled. He imagined it would look something like a constipated cow and a hysterical chicken.

"So where do we start?" Sakura got them back on track.

"The underground, of course." Sai smiled, "It connects all the inhabited trees and has the engineering rooms, prisons, and government offices."

Kabuto sighed in resignation, "I'm spending my life underground again, huh? Well, let's get this started."

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The rain fell steadily, as always, over Pein's city, but while the dreary weather matched his mood, it did little to ease his heart. Once the industrial capital of the old world, the worn, ruined city as it was now was barely functional enough to support the impoverished residents who had taken refuge within her walls. Pein had promised to one day restore his countries grandeur, but that day seemed a long ways off, and drifting further with every passing hour.

He pushed his chakra into the falling drops and sensed nothing in range that shouldn't be there. Of course, there was one person he was unable to detect.

"Pein? He's here…" Konan's voice trailed off as she called out to her friend, who was perched precariously on the figurehead of one of the gods that decorated his headquarters.

He was silent for a couple minutes. He didn't feel like conversing with Madara. The man had a way of talking him into doing things that weren't exactly within his own plans. However, it was pointless to send him away.

"Pein?" A strong voice called out to him and he turned his head, seeing the elder Uchiha standing behind Konan. The blue-haired woman stepped back and folded her hands inside her sleeves to keep them warm.

Pein let out a small grunt as he stood up and made his way through the rain to the covered entryway. His orange hair was dripping water into his face, but he made no move to wipe it away, nor did he speak as he stood eye to eye with black and red cloaked man.

"I am rather concerned with your actions of late." Madara continued, sensing there would be no pleasantries forthcoming from the pair in front of him. "I know you spoke with Fugaku and agreed to support him." He paused, waiting for a reaction, but neither Pein nor Konan responded. "Silent as always."

"What would you have me say?" Pein finally asked. His deep voice lacked emotion, and his Rinnegan eyes were locked onto Madara's Sharingan.

"Good question. I have supported you and your merry band of rebels for years and asked only that you support me as the leader of Akatsuki. Yet the first chance you get you betray me."

"How?"

"What? How?" Madara hadn't expected to hear what sounded like a denial.

"How exactly have I betrayed you?" Pein clarified. He saw that Madara was still confused and continued, "You have put off gathering the Jinchuurikis for years. We could have gotten them all by now and been done with this. Yet instead to seem to be waiting around for Sasuke to grow into something, or do something. And you are not clarifying your intentions to me. Akatsuki was meant to be a means to an end, an end that would bring a new beginning and spread peace. Yet you are using it for your own purposes. If that is the case, then you are the one betraying me."

"Humph. Semantics. It does not change the fact that you have agreed to support Fugaku against me."

"And what do you plan to do about it?" Pein asked matter-of-factly. He glanced down at Konan and saw that she was staring diligently at the floor. A smart move when in the presence of a Sharingan.

"Nothing. I have come here for one reason. To tell you that I have found a replacement. Sasuke has come to me and I can use him just as easily as I could have used you for my final plan. And you might pass this along to your new partner: if you should attack Mist, we have a power you cannot contend with."

Konan spoke up, "Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Yes. Only Shinobi with the Mangekyou are worthy of the Uchiha name and that is who you would face off against."

Pein closed his eyes and sighed, "Very well. You have said your piece. We can now consider this the end of our partnership. Out of gratitude, I will thank you for supporting us in the past, but now, we will stand on our own two feet."

Madara nodded once and disappeared, leaving the man and woman alone on the rooftop.

"Is he really gone?" Konan asked quietly.

"Probably not for good. It was hard. We would have died a dozen times over if he hadn't been there for us."

"I know." Konan slipped her hand into Pein's and looked up into his eyes, "But it's time, as you said, for us to do things on our own. But will we really have to attack Mist?"

"It seems inevitable, but hopefully it won't come to that. If we can somehow go up against Madara… I would think that myself and Itachi would be enough to bring him down, but even I have no idea of the depth of his power. He used a forbidden jutsu to survive his battle with the First Hokage and there are multiples of me, but Itachi… he is a wildcard in all this. He is different now from the boy we recruited back then. The boy he is now does not like violence and may refuse to fight."

"Do you really think so? Itachi seems very protective of his family, if you ask me. He would attack anyone who threatened them."

"But would he kill them? Konan, this will be a battle to the death. A battle to save the world. It will be unlike anything we, Itachi, or Madara have ever experienced."

Konan hung her head again, "It always boils down to more fighting." She glanced out at the gray city. "If that's the way it is… then we are no better off than the frightened children we once were, hiding and stealing food."

"You may be right about that."

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**Next week, Kabuto & co. descend into the roots to search for stuff, and Sasuke runs into trouble in Mist.**

**Updates on Fridays**

**Please review**


	59. Chapter 59 A Day in Spring

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Kisame!!! Not much else to say…**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 59 – A day in Spring**

"It's so cliché to break into a secured room at night, don't you think?" Sakura whispered as she watched Kabuto run through a series of hand signs, overriding the security of the engineering office. It was around two in the morning and the underground facility was almost completely deserted. However, there had been jutsus all over the place to prevent intrusion; all of which the white-haired medic had easily broken.

"I never thought of it that way." Kabuto answered quietly as he slid the door open and surveyed the room. "But if you want to think of it that way, everything we do is a cliché." It was an office area, containing several desks, computers, file cabinets and hopefully, secrets that could be used by Konoha to get their hands on Danzou.

The lights came on automatically as they entered the room, but while Sai and Sakura were put on alert by the sudden illumination; Kabuto ignored it and went straight to a row of file cabinets. "I'll start here. You guys, do whatever… just look for something."

"Of course." Sai responded professionally.

"I'll look at the files on top of the desks." Sakura offered, moving to the nearest desk.

The minutes ticked by as they carefully filtered through files, papers, ledgers and anything else that caught their attention. It was tedious and soon enough all three were yawning. However, the furthest thing from their minds was sleep. Konoha had commanded them to find a weakness, a way to defeat Danzou and his new village, and the trio was determined to find it.

"These people are very thorough." Sai finally muttered an hour later. "There is nothing here, and we shouldn't stay any longer."

Kabuto closed the file cabinet he had been searching and leaned his back against it, "There must be a hidden room around here somewhere. Nothing in these cabinets is of a sensitive nature and since this is the engineering department they must have maps or plans or something that details how the trees are connected."

Sai and Sakura closed their eyes and concentrated their chakra on the area, looking for anything that might reveal the presence of a chakra seal that could possibly hide the suspected room.

Kabuto, however, looked around the room. He suspected that a man as powerful and shrewd as Danzou would be able to design a secret room that could not be so easily detected. Yawning, he stood back from the file cabinet lined wall and looked closely at the polished wood. The cabinets had held nothing more than simple purchase orders, household repair logs for ninja and civilian residences, and repair schedules. Nothing to indicate the high-level activities he knew were going on here.

"There's something odd about this." Kabuto muttered to himself. The other two opened their eyes and watched curiously as their companion began to pace from one end of the file cabinets to the other, keeping his eyes on the wall.

Sai pulled out a notebook and drew an ink creature that jumped off the page and began to slither along the ground. The flat snake looked up at its master, waiting for a command. The boy brought his hands up, forming a series of signs before pointing to the wall.

"Find an opening and enter, then return to me." Everyone watched as the creature sailed up into the air and began to fly back and forth on leathery wings. Soon enough it dived straight at the center of the wall and seemingly flew straight through it.

"Odd." Kabuto moved closer to the mysterious spot, stepping back suddenly as the creature reappeared and made its way back to Sai. Falling onto an open sheet of paper, the drawing of an ink creature was replaced with kanji.

"The room you predicted is there." Sai intoned emotionlessly, "But the question now is how to get into it."

Sakura spoke up, "We've been here an hour and a half. Should we come back tomorrow?" Her Root training had taught her that the longer one stayed in a location, the more risky the mission. It was better to return at another time.

"I've spent hours in secured locations before and never been found." Kabuto boasted. "Don't worry so much."

"You sound like a man who is living on borrowed time." Sai commented dryly. He agreed with Sakura, they should stick to their training and return later.

"My entire life, Sai. Sometimes I wonder if I'm nothing more than a zombie and this thing I call my 'life' is nothing more than a set of false memories implanted by Sasori into one of his puppets."

Sakura's eyes opened wide, "Whoa. That's messed up."

Kabuto laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I even cut open my stomach once when I was a kid to make sure there were guts in there. Good thing my Kekkei Genkai lets me heal fast." He thought back to his early life in Konoha and the nightmares that had plagued his slumber. After a particularly bad one he had been so panicked he had been driven to cut himself open. The relief he had felt upon discovering his stomach was not an empty cavity had actually lessened the bad dreams to such an extent that he then wondered if Sasori had been the one causing them and not his own childish fear of the unknown.

"Poor kid." Sakura sighed, "But I guess I might have done the same thing. From what I've heard about Sasori, he's pretty gruesome."

"Yeah. Anyway…" Kabuto returned his attention to the wall, "let's compromise and aim for one more hour. That okay?"

"Sure." Sakura relented, "Any idea yet how to open it?"

"Well, we've got all these cabinets in the way… there must be away to move them or something…" The teen's voice trailed off as he stared blankly at the scene before him. Each gray cabinet was about five feet tall and aligned perfectly so that they filled the entire length of the room. He looked up at the spot Sai's ink creature had disappeared into a few minutes earlier.

Moving closer, Kabuto raised a hand to see if he could feel any kind of breeze or other indication that there was an opening above him. Sensing nothing he decided to take a risk and jumped to the top of the cabinets. The metallic "clang" that rang out when landed echoed throughout the empty room, making Sakura cringe.

"Kabuto! Be more quiet…" The girl blinked a couple times, then creased her brow curiously, "Should that cabinet be able to hold your weight?"

Kabuto chuckled, "No, it shouldn't."

Sai grinned widely, "I think we found the door."

"Or at least the porch." Kabuto amended. "This is not a normal cabinet. It's very sturdy up here, like it's attached to the wall and if I'm not mistaken this feels like it's made of wood and covered with metal." He placed a hand tentatively against the wall, but was surprised when it easily passed through.

"Some sort of a Genjutsu?" Sai speculated.

"No… it's a jutsu… but it's unlike any I've ever seen. I don't sense any chakra from it, at all. It's perfectly disguised."

Sai smiled and jumped up next to Kabuto. "Amazing."

"You first." Kabuto shoved the younger boy through the wall.

"Hey! That was dangerous!" Sai yelled from the other side.

"I take it you're still alive." Kabuto laughed, then followed his companion through the barrier, "Sakura, stay here and let us know if anyone approaches."

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The inside of barrier wasn't particularly awe-inspiring. In fact, it was a mirror image of the room they had just left. Upon crossing through the invisible wall, Kabuto stepped onto another set of cabinets and jumped down to the floor. The desks were arranged in the same symmetrical pattern, the notices posted on the walls were the same and even the arrangement of the ledgers, manuals and papers on the desks were identical.

"How odd." Kabuto muttered.

"This is one powerful jutsu." Sai commented, "Let's hope we don't run into the person who cast this."

"Hmm." Kabuto silently prayed for the same thing. Fighting someone who could cast barriers of this magnitude would be able to mess with your mind just as easily as a Genjutsu user. Except for one difference. The area inside the barrier was real and couldn't be dispelled.

"The stuff in the cabinets is much more in line with what we expected to find down here." Sai added. "Look at this, maintenance schedules for the tunnels that connect the trees. There's even a diagram."

"We need a diagram of the secret tunnels in Ki. If we can get access to those it would be a good way to infiltrate…"

"That poster looks odd." Sai interrupted. He looked closer at one of the safety posters hanging on the wall warning workers about the evils of not washing their hands before eating. "The bottom is curled up and frayed."

"There's something under it." Kabuto began pulling tacks out of the wall, only to have the safety poster disappear. There had been a jutsu cast on the pins that projected a false image over the real one. "Stupid of them to fray the edges. It looked too much like there was something under it."

"Maybe they want us to see this? Maybe it's fake?" Sai suggested.

Kabuto glanced around the room, "They're all like that. I think it's just poor planning. Anyway, this is definitely what we're looking for. Can you copy it and send it to Konoha?"

"Give me a few minutes." Sai responded.

Sakura's voice interrupted them, "Someone's coming! They're in the hall!"

"Make that a few seconds, Sai." Kabuto jumped back to the file cabinets, "I'm going to back Sakura up…"

He was interrupted by a short scream coming from the other room, and the sudden arrival of twenty Shinobi.

"So, the traitors finally make their move." A man with a mask over his face stepped forward. "I told Danzou not to let you come here, Kabuto. I knew you would not betray Konoha so I've been following you. And you two…" He looked over at Sai who was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back and then at Sakura who had just been pushed through the fake wall, "are the worst traitors one could imagine. I will enjoy watching your execution."

Kabuto looked around and realized that the office, although it seemed large when empty, had grown a lot smaller with all the extra people. Or so it had seemed. There was literally no room to fight, and if he won, there was no way to get out of Ki. He glanced over at Sai and saw him slowly lift his hands and wrap them around his chest.

'We can't escape,' Kabuto thought to himself, 'but hopefully Sai was able to get the message out.'

"You aren't going to fight?" the man asked, smirking.

"No point." Kabuto stated truthfully. 'Besides,' he continued silently, 'it doesn't sound you're going to kill us outright anyway. Might as well bide my time for a while.'

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Madara leaned up against a tree as he watched Sasuke playing soccer with several other Uchiha teens. Karin and Juugo were also playing. In fact, Juugo had been unanimously voted the best goalie ever after blocking every single kick the opposing team delivered. Karin had never played before, but a couple girls had latched onto her and she was quickly getting the gist of it.

Sasuke, it turned out, was quite good and admitted that he and his friends in Konoha would often play soccer in the park and even mentioned that it was Itachi's favorite sport. Even though neither of them followed any professional teams.

The elder Uchiha was reminded of his first meeting with Itachi. After healing the four-year-old's wounds and returning him to his room he had noticed a soccer ball placed carefully on a shelf. He had lifted it up and looked at it carefully, noticing that the black and white ball was far too clean. As if it had never been played with, or had been used only a few times.

"I had no idea Itachi had a favorite sport." Madara said out loud.

"I doubt he ever played like this." Aya spoke up as she approached her husband. "I don't remember it anyway."

"It's a shame. Even I played as a child." Madara added. "Sasuke seems to be adjusting well."

"He's got two personalities though. Or at least, that's how it seems to me."

He sighed, "Most good warriors do. Otherwise, they can't return home to their families and then go out the next day and slaughter twenty people. My son's potential is scary."

"You think he'll be able to do that?"

"I'll make sure he'll be able to do that." Madara stated plainly, "He must be able to go up against Konoha when the time comes. With Pein gone I have to get Sasuke up to my level as quickly as possible."

"How? I mean, he's not going to want to attack his home. And I don't want him to attack Konoha." Aya was rather fearful at the prospect of her family, especially her sisters and their children, being put in danger.

Madara realized what he had said and backed off, "That would only happen if they attack us first. The fact is, Fugaku wants to stop me. My plan needs to succeed, so there can be peace throughout the world. So our children can grow up without the need for war or famine. Fugaku only sees his own needs and looks no further than his own comfort. There is a broader world out their, Aya. I am thinking of everyone. Of everything."

"I hope so." Aya whispered to herself, but her attention quickly turned back to the field when Juugo suddenly doubled in bulk and started roaring "Kill! Kill!" over and over.

"There he goes again." Madara sighed.

Sasuke ran forward and grabbed his friends arm, "Calm down Juugo." His voice seemed to cut through the older boy's rage and he quickly calmed down, then slumped down onto the ground as if exhausted. The other kids, who had been standing back walked forward tentatively asking if their prize goalie was okay.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, he's fine. But he's always a little tired after these episodes."

"I'm okay." Juugo slowly stood back up and yawned. "Sorry about that, but I think I'm going to lay down for a few minutes." He walked to the edge of the field by a small set of bleachers and lay down on the ground, falling asleep almost immediately.

"I don't remember him being that sleepy after an episode." Karin commented, concerned.

Madara stepped forward, with Aya following closely, "The clansman I have following him around used a special jutsu that kicks in when one of these attacks happens. It weakens him substantially in order to lessen the severity of his anger and transformation. If Sasuke hadn't stopped him, he would have collapsed within thirty seconds."

Karin shook her head, "He can still do a lot of damage in that time, but I wonder why Orochimaru never did something like that to him."

Sasuke answered, "He was studying him. He wanted the attacks to happen so he could drool over Juugo's power."

"Unforgiveable. That's why he came to Orochimaru in the first place. To find a cure." Karin stuck her hands in her pockets and pouted.

"Anyway," Madara interrupted, "it's almost two o'clock Sasuke and I wanted to go through some drills with you."

The group dispersed, with several people volunteering to help Juugo back to his room. The large twelve-year-old was as big as an adult and very heavy.

As Sasuke watched his friends leave the smile on his face slowly disappeared to be replaced with an emotionless mask. Tensing, he glanced up at the tall man standing next to him. A few weeks earlier Madara had left for a few days, and when he had returned he had, somehow, been different. Sasuke's training schedule had doubled and the intensity of the jutsu's had tripled. The boy knew he was being powered up, but the reasons why escaped him.

"What's wrong?" Madara smiled warmly and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Nothing. Let's get started then."

"First, I have a mission for you." He glanced over at Aya, who nodded once and used a jutsu to disappear, leaving Madara alone with his son.

"I don't work for you, remember?"

"This isn't for Mist and this isn't for Akatsuki. This is for me. You didn't think you were going to live here rent free did you?" Madara chuckled.

Sasuke sneered, "Humph. I guess I did."

The older man broke out in laughter, "You're a cheeky kid, aren't you? Well, anyway, this mission should be quick. There is a merchant travelling about two miles from the village. He's on Water countries most wanted list for fraud."

"Fraud?" Sasuke wondered why a ninja would bother with such a thing. It sounded like something a policeman would deal with. Although he had to admit, he didn't know a lot about what "fraud" entailed, other than a basic definition.

"Hundreds of people have lost millions of ryuu to him. He promises a service, collects the money, and disappears. In a poor country like this one, loosing money could mean death. You can't feed your family or buy medicine or travel to another village to get a job. Or you can't repair your house and freeze to death… he has done it all and many people have died from his actions."

"What an idiot. But if he's just a merchant, why hasn't anyone taken him down before?"

"Good question. Sometimes I think people like being defrauded because they don't complain, but in reality it turned out I was wrong. The man is a powerful ninja with advanced Genjutsu skills. He tricks people into falling for his schemes and giving him their life's savings."

"Wow. So you want me to bring him in?"

Madara smirked, "No, Sasuke. I want you to assassinate him and bring back just his head."

"Assassinate? Like that lesson from last week?" Sasuke was feeling a little squeamish. He had killed before, but it had always been during an open confrontation. Sneaking around… even though he was a ninja… seemed odd to him. Not "wrong", but somehow not "right" either.

"I'll be following from a distance to judge your skills, so don't mess up." He bent down until he was at eye level with the boy, "Or I'll tell Aya to send you to bed without your dinner."

Sasuke grunted, annoyed, "Yeah right. Like she would really do that."

"Yeah. She'd probably give you twice as much food just to spite me." Madara laughed. "Let's get going, I'll fill you in on the details as we go."

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Sasuke was surprised when he saw his target. The small man couldn't have been any taller than five feet and was bent over as he rode his horse. As if bearing a great burden on his back.

"This had better not be another trick." Sasuke whispered. He remembered the "ceremony" when he had killed a boy he had been told was a murderer. The boy was innocent and had, in reality, never hurt anyone. He looked over at where Madara was leaning against a tree. The man had a serious look on his face and Sasuke suddenly wondered what would happen if he failed. Probably nothing pleasant if the man's expression was any indication.

Moving silently along the muddy trail Sasuke use the ever-present fog to mask his presence. The early spring forest was nearly silent except for the occasional chirping of birds or the wind brushing against the trees and shrubs. He looked carefully at the horse to see if there were any traps set up. While it wasn't a common practice, some people would use devices imbued with chakra to help sense out other chakra sources. Just in case, Sasuke masked his chakra.

Just as the man moved into a large clearing Sasuke made his move. Pulling a kunai he broke into a run and jumped up to the back of the horse, then reached down and slit the man's neck. The merchant slipped off his horse, falling onto the ground with a thud. Sasuke landed on his feet next to the body and watched for the two minutes it took the man to die. It was grisly and the dying man's eyes were focused on him until the very end.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke gulped then began the process of cutting off the head and placing it in a bag. He then felt the need to verify the man's identity… to verify Madara's story. Stepping over to the horse he began to rifle through the deceased bags.

The first thing that occurred to the boy, however, had nothing to do with the man's identity, but how calm the horse was acting. It hadn't reacted when he had jumped on it, it hadn't reacted to it's master being killed, and it was ignored the smell of blood in the air. Sasuke had to admit he knew very little about horses, but he was almost positive the animal should have run off in fear by now.

Continuing his search he found a bag with several thousand ryuu bills in it. Banks were a bad place to keep money in Water country so most people hid their money. Carrying around this much was an open invitation to thieves. Only the very stupid or the very strong would even attempt it. Digging a little further he found a folder with about fifty flyers in it advertising a security system for five-hundred ryuu that could detect criminal intent and keep your family safe.

"Okay… I think it's safe to say this guy is a fraud." Sasuke said out loud. It was nearly impossible to detect such a thing unless you were a "sensor-type" ninja. And it was impossible to imbue that ability into an object.

"Happy?" Madara asked as he approached the scene.

"Yeah. It looks like he was pretty shady."

"Good boy. A simple job, but I hope you see how easy that was compared to an open attack. That is the essence of the ninja. And you still have all your chakra so if he had a companion with him that was dangerous, you could still fight."

Sasuke agreed, but he still felt odd about it and Madara was able to read the boy's hesitation in his face. But there was nothing to be done. Only experience could wipe away that feeling. That was one thing the man knew for sure. It had been one of the hardest lessons of his own childhood, but he knew it was probably the most essential one for a ninja to learn.

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"How come you're not on the list of Jounin candidates?" Naruto was looking at the list Fugaku had dropped on the table before leaving the living room to retrieve something.

"Me?" Itachi asked absent-mindedly. He was currently engrossed in a book about childhood development that Sheeta had coerced him into reading and, like most books he read, was finding it engrossing.

"Who else is in here? Of course you. You're better than everyone else in the village, I'd bet my life on it."

"Please don't say things like that." Itachi felt a chill run up his spine at the thought of Naruto having to be this life on anything. The boy still didn't seem to understand just how much of a target he was despite all the lectures he had received.

"Okay… But why aren't you on the list?" Naruto was insistent on getting an answer.

"Because I have more important things to do than wasting time on some stupid test, and father knows that. The test takes two months from start to finish. There's too much going on right now."

"Oh." The boy was silent for a couple minutes before continuing, "Is that a good book?"

"I guess. I'm not sure I believe everything they're saying though." He put it down. And looked at the paperwork his father had left behind. He had to admit, he hadn't even considered becoming a Jounin. His experience with the Chuunin exam had soured him to such an extent that he never wanted to take another test again. As the future leader of the Uchiha clan he didn't see it as a benefit anyway. His future was as a police chief, not a Jounin.

"How long will Sheeta's test take? She left hours ago."

"Several hours. Mother said they would be back around four. But then again, they may be going out to lunch after the test… Oh I guess they can't. Sheeta isn't allowed to eat out."

They were interrupted when the phone rang. Because it was rarely used, Itachi stared at it for a few second before rising from the couch to answer. Surprisingly, Haku was on the other end.

"Itachi? Sheeta collapsed and was taken to the hospital, get over here right now."

Hanging the phone up the teen stared at the hallway as his heart slowly fell into his stomach and every nerve in his body iced over.

"Itachi… what's wrong?" Fugaku appeared next to him, holding a file folder stuffed with paper, "You're as white as a ghost."

"Sh…Sheeta's been admitted to the hospital… I gotta go…" He used a jutsu to disappear, leaving Fugaku and Naruto alone.

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Itachi ran into the hospital and skidded to a stop by the front desk. The nurse looked up at him and pointed to the waiting area, "Please have a seat. Lady Mikoto is over there already. Lady Tsunade will be out soon with more information."

"No! I have to see her!" Itachi was insistent. He didn't want to leave Sheeta alone. She didn't like to be alone.

"Come over here." Mikoto's kind voice broke through the fog in his brain and looked up at his mother, then behind him where Fugaku and Naruto had suddenly appeared. "Tsunade is taking care of her. We'll just have to wait."

He followed his mother to several chairs where the family sat down. Itachi noticed that there were no "she'll be okay", or "don't worry" comments forthcoming and his stomach began to knot even tighter.

"What happened?" Itachi whispered, unable to raise his voice any louder.

"I don't know. She finished her test and was talking to the teacher when one of the other examinees collapsed and began to convulse. While everyone was rushing to help him, two other's also collapsed. Then Sheeta… she also fainted and when they got her here she was bleeding."

"A miscarriage?" Itachi could barely get the words out. After tricking her into getting pregnant, postponing the wedding for months, having her sign a marriage certificate without a ceremony and moving her into his house it seemed unreal. It couldn't be happening.

"Tsunade…" Mikoto was interrupted by her son, sounding more desperate and upset than she had seen him in years.

"Tsunade isn't a miracle worker! She can't fix everything!"

"Itachi…" Mikoto tried once again to console her son.

"Don't give me that mother! I'm not an idiot who can be soothed by false words." He then turned his anger to the cause of the situation, "What's being done about the other examinees? Who did this? When I find them I'll kill them in so many ways they'll wish I was never born!"

"The others are being treated… two… two have already died…" His mother's voice faded away and Fugaku stood up, growling under his breath.

"Excuse me. I need to look into this." He started to walk away before noticing that Itachi was planning on shadowing him. "Stay here, son. And don't worry. Whoever it is that did this, I swear I will save him for you and you alone."

Itachi stopped walking and stared as his father disappeared through the inner doors of the hospital, no doubt on his way to the security office. He heard someone sniffing and saw Sheeta's aunt and uncle rushing in. Mikoto quickly filled them in on the situation, but Itachi only heard some of the words.

"It's all my fault." Itachi muttered. "If I had… If I…" His voice faded away as he dropped back down into his chair.

Two hours later a very stressed out Tsunade walked resolutely out of the treatment area and joined the group in the waiting room. She was running her hand through her hair and grinding her teeth.

"I'm sorry for making you wait out here for so long." She addressed them in a soothing voice that belied her stern appearance, "Sheeta is stable for now, but the baby is still having problems. We are keeping an eye on the situation and will do everything we can to save your child."

"Thank you, Tsunade." Itachi wanted to smile, but his mouth wouldn't move. The grief was still there and while the news was good, it wasn't good enough. "What about the poison? What was it?"

"I don't recognize it. It was fast acting and the two people who died had pre-existing conditions that reacted badly to the poison. They basically had no chance of survival from the outset. Everyone else who took the test, including the examiners were poisoned. They are all stable for now, but in a minute I'll be in the lab helping Shizune to fine the antidote. Fugaku had directed a full inquiry and has ANBU and the police investigating."

Itachi nodded, he had been wondering why his father hadn't returned. "Will that help the baby?"

"The poison is reacting badly to the poison that was already in Sheeta's system. I really don't know what will happen when I apply the antidote. It may help the situation, or it may do nothing. Itachi, I hate to say it, but you may want to prepare yourself for the worst."

"No! I won't!" Itachi yelled.

"Itachi." Mikoto stood up and laid a hand on her son's back.

"The poison… Itachi, if I could figure out an antidote to counteract the original poison… The one I used on you doesn't work on Sheeta. It's an intelligent virus and like nothing I've never seen. Chiyo of Sand country couldn't even identify it. And she and I are the only experienced poison specialists left."

"Chiyo…" A light went on in Itachi's head and he grabbed Tsunade's hand, "Give me a sample of the poison. I know of someone else who could help. Damn it! Why didn't I think of him before?"

Tsunade, as well as everyone else, looked at the teen curiously as he stared determinately at the woman in front of him. "Alright. I'll order a nurse to bring several out right away. I don't know what you're planning, but at this point, any help you can get is welcome. In the meantime, you can go see Sheeta. Keep it brief, she's very tired."

Itachi was the first one in the room, pushing past everyone to get a glimpse of his wife. She was very pale, sweat stood out on her forehead and was hooked up to several diagnostic devices and IV's. He kissed her lightly and sat on a chair at the side of the bed. She was too weak to say anything and stared at the small group with glassy eyes.

"Sheeta," Itachi spoke as calmly as he could, but he could feel and hear his voice shaking, "I'm going to be gone for several days. I know someone who might be able to help and I'm going to go see him. Please hold on until then."

In response she blinked her eyes and one small tear dripped from her eye as she drifted into unconsciousness.

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**Next week, Itachi seeks help with the one person he never thought he would have to bargain with. And we find out if Sai was able to get the information to Konoha.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**.


	60. Chapter 60 Poison

**Thanks for the reviews and fav's.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 60 – Poison**

"This prison is rather unique." Kabuto muttered to himself as he stuffed rice into his mouth. It had been two days since he, Sakura and Sai had been captured and things had slowly gone from bad to worse.

After they had been discovered in the underground Engineering office they had been taken to Danzou's office for a lecture on loyalty and then straight to the underground prison. However, the jail was probably the best thought out design the teen had ever seen. And he had seen a lot of jails.

Instead of placing cells next to each other and packing inmates in them like sardines, each cell was separated from its neighbor by a hundred feel of solid earth with only one occupant per cell. They were also lined with a concrete and sealed with a jutsu that drained chakra. The door was constructed of a metal alloy that Kabuto had yet to identify.

Finishing his meager dinner, Kabuto placed the empty bowl on a tray next to the door. His food was delivered twice a day via jutsu. It would simply appear out of thin air on a simple plastic tray that had been permanently attached to the stone floor.

"They're either being very careful to keep out of my sight, or purposely isolating me." The teen sighed as he returned to his bed roll and lay down, staring up at the single-bulb light fixture on the ceiling. He snickered as he folded his arms under his head. If they were staying away from him it would be a smart move. After all, he was extraordinarily skilled at Genjutsu and had escaped from every jail he had ever been held in. He was a master at breaking in and out of buildings. All he needed was an opportunity.

He was worried about his two companions, though. He doubted either one of them had the skill to escape and going after them would lessen his own chances of getting away from Ki. Kabuto had never been one to take unnecessary risks. On the other hand, if the mission failed and he didn't have Sakura or Sai to back up his story Konoha would come after him for sure.

"They might anyway." Kabuto muttered. Failure, after all, was unacceptable to one such as Fugaku. Stern and set in his ways, the Hokage was certainly not the type to "forgive and forget", and even less likely to give second chances.

Of course it was still possible that Sai got his message to Konoha. They had found a map of the Ki underground and the boy had been in the process of composing a message with his ink jutsu when they were discovered.

"Even a partial message…" Kabuto wondered if that would be enough. Closing his eyes he listened carefully for any stray sounds. He had done that many times since he had been placed in his small cell and there was nothing. The space was completely silent.

He hadn't even tried to escape yet, to tell the truth, because he was still undecided about what to do with Sakura and Sai. And he was waiting to see what Danzou had in store for him. After going to such lengths to retrieve him, would the old man really order his execution? Kabuto didn't think so. And if that was indeed the case, it might be possible to save his companions. Sakura could be of great use as an assistant and Sai…

Kabuto smiled at the thought of the smart-alecky Sai sorting microscope slides and filing reports. It would be amusing to have the boy under his command. Every time he said something to insult him, he could just give Sai more work.

Hopefully, he would soon find out, one way or the other, what Danzou had planned for him.

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Contacting Sasori had not been easy, and Itachi was bitterly angry with the delay. The puppet master had been on a mission Akatsuki had contracted with Stone village to capture an S-class criminal who was plotting a coup against that countries Daimyou. Sasori had either been unable or unwilling to answer any summons sent via his ring and Deidara, for some reason, hadn't gone with him.

Itachi was in a bad mood when he set out from Konoha. Haku had offered to accompany him, and Naruto of course wanted to come as well, but in the end Itachi would have none of that. He knew he could travel faster on his own and exposing either of his friends to Sasori was not acceptable. While they had met him before, it had always been in the company of others. Sasori on his own was a dangerous man who showed little to no restraint.

He set a course that took him to Deidara's last known location. While he wasn't planning on asking anyone to join him, he knew that the person who had the best idea as to where Sasori was heading would be his partner. And currently, for some reason, the blond teen was hanging out at Kisame's cabin.

Running full speed through the trees, it only took a day to get the small house hidden in the middle of the Fire countries vast forest. He approached the structure without concern for the traps he was setting off. He was more than capable of avoiding them and was only held up for a couple minutes when a corpse caught his eye.

"Looks like someone is trying to spy on you Kisame." Itachi muttered as he threw the lifeless body over his shoulder and continued on through the dark forest. Night had fallen rather quickly as the sun disappeared behind a tall hill west of the cabin.

He slowed down as he approached a small clearing. The small house, shed and sparring area were exactly the same as the last time he had been there and he had to force the memories of that mission out of his head as stopped about forty feet from the door. Kisame would have already known he was coming, but coming too close to the hidden hideout of an S-class ninja, no matter how informal the relationship was never a good idea.

Itachi only had to wait a couple minutes for the door to open and a large blue man stepped out and leaned against the doorway. "Deidara said you were on your way. Come on in."

The teen nodded as he approached the porch and threw the corpse on the aged wood, "You have some spies sneaking up on you."

"Another one, huh? Suigetsu? Get out here and bury this raccoon." Kisame stood aside as the white-haired boy quickly ran out of the house.

"Another animal summons? Whoever is sending these in is heartless. This is the fifth one. What an idiot." The boy picked up the poor animal and walked away beligerantly, mumbling to himself.

"I would never have taken him for an animal lover." Itachi finally said.

"He's always been like that. Used to make friends with the rodents trying to steal our food when he was his brother's apprentice. Anyway," Kisame changed the subject and began walking back into the house, "come on in and join the party."

The bright light of the living room shone out into the yard as Itachi approached the house. Squinting as he entered he adjusted his glasses, and gazed at the occupants in shock.

"Have a seat, kid! We've got enough Sake for everyone!" Sitting at the table with a large bottle and a flat sake bowl in one hand was the last person he would have ever expected to see in the living room of an S-class criminal. Jiraiya.

And next to Jiraiya was the second person he would have never expected to see in Kisame's house.

'Is she… smiling?' Itachi asked himself as he looked closely at the only woman to have every graced Akatsuki with her presence. Konan was dressed plainly in black ninja pants and a long sleeve shirt in the same color. A waist length dark blue cape was wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl and her blue hair, instead of being gathered at the back of her head like usual, was braided down her back. And she was also holding a sake cup in her hand.

"Good evening, Itachi." Konan replied politely. "You look surprised."

"Well… yeah, I am. What are you two doing here?" Itachi deposited his backpack against the wall and sat down cautiously at the table. Kisame handed him a glass and a pitcher of water.

"No need to go into that yet." Jiraiya smiled broadly.

"Are you sure?" Konan asked.

The middle-aged ninja laughed, "Yeah. I heard through the grapevine what happened in Konoha. I think we can wait until Itachi gets his current task completed before burdening him with more."

"Which reminds me… where is Deidara?" Itachi decided to ignore the situation for now. While he was burning with curiosity about the current circumstances, he knew that the life of his wife and child were hanging in the balance.

"He's asleep in the other room. Hasn't been feeling well lately and Sasori dropped him off here for some reason. I'll have Suigetsu wake him up when he gets back."

"He's sick? That isn't like him." Itachi commented.

"Happens to the best of us!" Jiraiya laughed.

"It's just a cold, but he wasn't taking care of himself and started to come down with pneumonia." Kisame added, "One of the banes of being a missing nin, actually. You can't stay in one place long enough to care for yourself and any illness you get can easily turn deadly. But he's not that bad. Having Sasori around can be useful sometimes."

"Humph." Itachi nodded in understanding, thinking about how close he had come to living that exact same lifestyle. It wasn't uncommon to find out the ninja you were tracking had died of "natural causes". Few people would treat missing nin's and those who did were so secretive about it that often those who should be their patients didn't even know they existed. Word of mouth was the only way to get help in the culture of the exiled, but admitting you have an illness and asking for help were words one was understandably cautious about using.

"So you're going to have Sasori analyze the poison?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes. Tsunade doesn't recognize it and she and Shizune are working night and day to identify it and find an antidote. But it's alluding even them. All they've been able to do so far is extract it from the victims and keep it from spreading too much. They have a drug they cultured that also helps to inhibit the poison, but its only about eighty percent effective."

Konan put her cup down and frowned, "Hanzou was also a poison specialist. And he had an alliance with Danzou."

Itachi blinked once as he stared at the woman before him, "That… hadn't occurred to me... I wonder if Tsunade is thinking of that as well..." His voice drifted off.

"Perhaps not. I'll contact her for you, Itachi, and pass that on. Hanzou wasn't known for selling his jutsus the way Sand was. Chiyo's poisons became fairly widely used among several countries and were very easy to track back to her. Of course, only Tsunade ever found an antidote."

"The same can be said of Sasori." Itachi continued, "He is also a poison specialist with medical jutsu training. He is the only other person I can think of that is still alive that can help."

"Do you have an extra sample?" Konan asked quietly. "I can send it on ahead to Rain and have our technicians run some tests to see if it is one of Hanzou's. We seized his laboratories after Pein killed him and most everything was left intact."

"Yes!" Itachi quickly got up and rummaged through his bag, pulling out one of the ten vials Tsunade had prepared for him. "Thank-you very much, Konan."

The woman smiled warmly and she collected the small vial and pulled out several sheets of paper from inside her cape, "I'll get this off right away."

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Deidara, it turned out, was sicker than Kisame had led Itachi to believe. The blond was very sleepy, had hardly any voice, and was coughing like his lungs were trying to escape.

"He'll live." Kisame smirked when the teen peaked out from under his blankets and glared at him. "Although he may feel like he'd rather die at the moment."

"What do you want?" Deidara's raspy voice was barely above a whisper.

Itachi groaned inwardly. Hopefully Deidara's brain was still working, because the rest of the teen looked really out of it. "I need to find Sasori. I told you that when we spoke using the rings."

"Oh yeah." Deidara closed his eyes for a moment, "His mission was taking him into Rice country. A large village on the coast. His target has been hiding out there while he plans his coup against…" He started coughing, and rolled over onto his side to make it easier to breath.

"Do you think he's still there?"

Deidara took several deep breaths before continuing, "He said he would contact me when he finished. I haven't heard from him yet."

Itachi nodded his thanks and went back to the living room, gathering up his backpack.

"Leaving already?" Kisame asked, "You're welcome to stay the night."

"I don't have time." Itachi gripped the doorknob and glanced at Jiraiya and Konan. Something was going on, and he had a feeling it was going to complicate his life even more. He ran full speed into the night, disappearing from the area mere seconds later.

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Rice country, after the departure of Orochimaru, was slowly recovering. There were no Daimyou's left in the country to rule it and the lesser nobles were trying to rebuild the government, but it was a slow and painful process that would no doubt take years to sort out. After all, the snake Sannin had cared little for the nation he had taken over and after assassinating all those who stood in his way, had turned a blind eye to everything else.

Itachi raced through the countryside, slowing down only when he reached a village so he could eat, swallow a couple soldier pills increase his endurance and rest for a few minutes. Then he would be off again.

Two days after leaving Kisame's cabin he reached the port town of WaterLily Bay. A rather cheerful name for a village that was the exact opposite. Dingy, destitute and smelling like a mix of coal fires and urine, Itachi carefully entered through the town walls and used his chakra to try and sense Sasori.

He walked around for an hour, observing, listening, feeling for anything that would give a hint as to the puppet masters whereabouts. At the end of that hour he groaned and turned around, staring belligerently at the three ninja behind him.

"How long are you intending on following me?" Itachi asked calmly.

"How long are you going to stay in this town?" One of them, a man about six feet tall with a dark complexion and blond hair placed his hands on his hips and glared at the stranger.

"Not long." Itachi replied truthfully. "I'm not looking for a fight, so please leave."

A woman dressed in a long, split skirt responded, "Can't do that! We were hired to protect this town from ninjas and we take that job seriously."

"Hmm." Itachi looked closely at the trio. "Who hired you? That S-class guy everyone's after, or the village elders?"

"None of your business!" The big guy yelled.

"Ah. That would mean the S-class guy, then." Itachi smirked. If they had been "officially" hired by the elder council there would be no need to deny it. "I guess that means he's still alive?"

"Why you…" The three ninjas ran straight at Itachi, who used a transportation jutsu to disappear from their line of sight. Reappearing behind them he watched as they momentarily lost track of his location.

"Amateurs." Itachi chided, "I guess you were following me because you don't have any other talents. Although most tracking shinobi I know can at least hide themselves while following their targets."

"You! You have no right to criticize us! If you know about our boss then you have to be S-class and a missing ninja as well." The woman pointed a finger at Itachi as her anger grew.

Itachi was getting bored, "True. But I'm not looking for him. I'm looking for someone else. And I prefer to do it without an entourage."

"Too bad! We're going to run you out of town!"

Growling under his breath, Itachi gritted his teeth as his eyes bled into their Sharingan form, "I do not have time for this." He easily caught their eyes, casting them in a Genjutsu world consisting of quicksand and murky swamps. Itachi watched for a minute as the trio clawed at the empty air trying to escape their inner torments before walking away.

It would be naïve to assume that those underlings would know anything about their employer. Whether he was a live or dead, it would be difficult for them to see or hear anything about the man. They would likely stay at their post until they realized the weren't being paid anymore. That was a Shinobi's duty and that was all there was to it.

Continuing his way through the winding streets of the village Itachi had to silently compliment Sasori on his chakra hiding abilities. They were definitely among the best he had ever seen. Unless of course, he was no longer in the village. Then it was just annoying.

The teen spotted a street vendor selling Yakisoba and decided to take a break when his stomach growled at the sweet scent of the sauce the old woman was pouring over the fried noodles. Paying for a small serving he sat in a rickety chair near a dried out, half dismantled fountain and dug into his meal, eating quickly. He didn't have time to waste on pleasantries and the stares of the locals was more than enough to tell him how unwelcome he was.

"Young Itachi. What brings you here?" The childish voice coming out of the red-haired puppet boy brought a wave of relief to Itachi and he set his empty paper plate on the ground and stood up.

"Looking for you, Sasori."

"Humph. I've been ignoring my ring so I could finish this mission in peace. So Madara sent you to me instead."

"No. This has nothing to do with that man." Itachi wondered why Madara would be trying to contact Sasori alternatively, why Sasori was all of sudden ignoring him. Was there really something more to this assassination mission than it originally seemed?

"Well that's a good start."

Itachi felt a chill run up his spine, "Did you infect Deidara on purpose so you could do this mission on your own?"

"Yes and no." The puppet laughed, "He did have a cold and it did have a rather nasty cough, but I knew the idiot would still want to come along. However, this target is not someone I want to share the final blow with. He's mine. So I just nudged his cold along a little with some strategically placed medication. It won't kill him. I did add some poison antidotes to the medication as well, so he's also working off the affects of those. He's down for the count for a few weeks."

"Aren't you nice." Itachi said dryly.

"Being my partner does come with risks, after all. Orochimaru was able to make his own antidotes of course. Deidara on the other hand… he's annoying but still a hundred times better than Orochimaru."

"Humph. Well, speaking of poison, I would like to hire you for a job."

"You? I guess if it comes from you, you can afford the price."

"What is it?" This was the part Itachi was dreading. What would Sasori ask for in return for lending his skill? He knew Sheeta would never forgive him if someone died so she could live, and he wondered what his decision would be if that was what Sasori asked. Sheeta, after all, was his world. Would he really refuse any price to ensure her recovery?

"Do we need to discuss that now?" Sasori replied calmly. "First tell me what you need."

"Fair enough." Itachi looked around and saw that they were no longer the center of attention. Everyone had returned to their previous activities or were wandering off. The street vendor was directing a teenager to pick up all the discarded plates and bowls and an old man was restocking the woman's supply of noodles. It was a normal scene that he had seen in Konoha hundreds of times and he wondered why people were so fixated on their differences when in reality they were so similar to each other.

Itachi sighed and pulled the group of vials out of his backpack, "I need you to analyze this poison and come up with an antidote."

"Hmm. Is that poison I've been hearing about? The one Danzou dumped into your water supply?"

"In a matter of speaking. Someone poisoned a group of people taking a test a few days ago. The old poison mixed with the new poison and Lady Tsunade is unable to do anything other than delay its progress through the body. You are one of the premier poison specialists in the ninja world. Even Chiyo has been unable to decipher it."

"Grandmother…" Sasori's voice drifted off.

"I gave one vial to Konan. She sent it to Rain to have it compared to Hanzou's poisons."

"It would be logical if it came from him. I never sold anything to Danzou… or Konoha for that matter. I'll check this out for you and let you know the price later. But first… I have a target to assassinate."

"How long will that take?"

"About thirty minutes. He is nearby and I am finished playing with him. My specialty is puppets and poison, and your mission sounds a lot more fun than Madara's. No matter how much I have wanted this guy dead, and no matter how much I want to prolong that death… regretfully he can only die once."

Itachi was presented with another mystery as Sasori walked away, looking around the street with mannerisms of a normal boy so as not to draw suspicion. However, this mystery, he knew, was one he would never solve. It was Sasori's business and somehow, seeing the puppet master seeking vengeance made him seem more human than puppet. And perhaps that was why he wished to end the mission without any contact. Because he didn't want anyone to see his humanity.

Gazing down at his empty hand, Itachi realized that in handing over the poison samples he had silently agreed to any price Sasori asked of him.

'All I can do now,' Itachi thought to himself, 'is hope he doesn't ask for too much. And if he does… maybe someday… she'll forgive me.'

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**Next week, we find out what the poison is and if an antidote can be made. **

**Got to feel sorry for Deidara. Can you imagine being sick and at the mercy of Kisame and Suigetsu? xD**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	61. Chapter 61 The Price

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Wasn't Karin great in this weeks manga? She's definitely a survivor.**

**So Itachi's other element is water… that's pretty cool actually. It also makes me wonder what a water based fight between Kisame and Itachi would look like since Itachi was second only to Jiraiya (according to the last databook.) It's entirely possible that he's better at water jutsus than Kisame. But I wouldn't bet money on that… after all Kisame is pretty awesome too xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 61 – The Price**

Sasori's promptness was nothing short of admirable, as far as Itachi was concerned. Being used to a highly disciplined lifestyle, the fact that the puppet master would say he would be "finished" with his assassination mission at a specified time and then showing up a couple minutes later ready and willing for a new mission was almost enough to make the teen smile.

The circumstances of the new mission, however, overrode any gratitude he felt. As the pair made their way out of the destitute Rice country village and into the forested hills in the center of the small nation they spoke little and anyone who saw them would not think they were travelling together. Though they walked a mere ten feet from each other, their thoughts were miles away.

The house Sasori lead Itachi to was medium sized with about eight rooms and a central kitchen that also served as the dining area. The faded green tatami mats that covered the dusty floor were worn in places – no doubt nibbled by rats. Rustling sounds accompanied them as they walked down the house's central hallway, confirming the presence of rodents. Or at least Itachi hoped it was rodents. Knowing Sasori, they could have been zombie puppet rats programmed to protect the house.

"Come with me." Sasori lead the teen into a room near the center of the house and pulled back one of the mats. His puppet body opened and a red-headed boy stepped out and formed a series of hand signs. The exposed floor glowed as kanji lit up in a bright yellow light before fading away.

"Interesting." Itachi observed.

"Follow me." Although the boy's voice was pleasant, the tone was definitely impatient. He stepped down into a steep staircase that descended into a large basement. Although a full laboratory was set up with glassware, scrolls, chemicals and a computer there were no corpses nearby waiting to be turned into puppets.

"What is this place? Is it yours?" Itachi stepped cautiously, not trusting Sasori to lead him safely into his lair.

"I have at least one lab in every country on this continent."

"That's quite a few…" Itachi's voice trailed off as he watched the red-head pull the poison samples out of the pocket of his Akatsuki cloak and set them on a table.

"You can rest over there. You mentioned Konan was also checking into whether Hanzou created this poison so you might check in periodically and see if she has found anything out. No use wasting my time if she already has the answer." He immediately got to work, pulling out several slides, labels, and a box of chemicals from various drawers. Ignoring Itachi, he placed drops of the poison on the slides and began examining them under a high-powered microscope.

Itachi looked at his watch and wondered if Konan had time yet to get the sample to Rain. It would be cutting it close, but he decided to check in anyway. Making his way to a couch at the far end of the room he pulled out his Akatsuki ring and stuck it on his finger. Closing his eyes in concentration he called out to Konan. Ten minutes later she responded, without any apology for the delay. After all, there was no need. Contact had to be made in secrecy and it was not always convenient to respond immediately.

As her voice filled his thought Itachi suddenly wondered why Konan still had an Akatsuki ring if she and Pein had divorced themselves from the organization.

"I haven't heard anything, Itachi." Konan's soft voice was almost comforting and again Itachi was struck by how much she seemed to have changed. Had Akatsuki been a burden to her as well? The answer seemed self-evident.

"Thank-you Konan."

"I'll contact you when I get an update. Have you found Sasori?"

"Yes. I'm with him now."

"Then that is something, at least."

"By the way, the ring…" Itachi wasn't sure if he should ask why she was able to use her ring for contact.

"It's okay. Pein and Sasori are the ones who came up with the rings. They cannot work properly without Pein's jutsu. I have to go now, Itachi."

"Thank-you." Itachi broke contact and smiled for the first time in days. Konan had just revealed a very important piece of information to him. And because she was not the type to make stupid mistakes, he knew it had been a calculated move on her part. Madara's entire communication network could be brought down at the whim of a man who was now silently feuding with the real leader of the Akatsuki.

The fact that the rings were still working seemed to indicate something as well, however what exactly that was completely escaped Itachi's comprehension. Perhaps Jiraiya was in on it on some level? Seeing Konan and Jiraiya sitting at a table together sipping sake was still eating at him.

"What did you discover?" Sasori broke him out of his thoughts and Itachi looked across the long room and the childlike puppet perched on a tall stool with a thick book open in front him.

"She hasn't gotten any information back from her sources yet." Itachi yawned and opened his backpack to retrieve a soldier pill, but he was interrupted again by Sasori.

"Go ahead and get some sleep. It will take hours to sort this out, and for what I am going to charge for this… I promise I will wake you if I find anything."

Itachi deposited the pill container back into his pack and nodded. Laying down on the dark colored couch he closed his eyes, falling asleep easily.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sasuke cried out as he opened his eyes and stared at the pale crescent moon invading his room. Taking a deep breath he sat up and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"Why am I having so many nightmares?" The boy moaned helplessly to the empty room. A sudden urge to seek out his mom was overwhelming and he felt a tear slide down his cheek when he realized she was hundreds of miles away in Konoha. "At least she's alive."

For the last few days the boy had suffered through many different nightmares detailing, in surprising clarity, the destruction of Konoha and the deaths of his friends and family. And he was the instrument of their destruction.

He had heard stories of how dreams could foretell the future and Itachi seemed to believe it as well. In fact, Sasuke creased his brow in concentration as he remembered the time they had shared in the secret jail underneath the Konoha police station. He and Itachi had the same dream.

"I was standing over the bodies of Sakura and Naruto." Sasuke whispered.

"Sasuke?" The boy cringed as he recognized the voice calling out to him from the hallway.

"I'm sleeping. Leave me alone."

The door slid open and Madara walked in. Despite the early hour he was dressed in his Mizukage robes and appeared to be wide awake. "You were broadcasting some pretty powerful chakra there, kid. What's going on?"

"I… was?" Sasuke blinked a couple times in surprise, "I… had a nightmare… nothing important."

"Sasuke?" Another voice called out to him, this time it was Karin. This was expected, given the circumstances. The girl was extremely sensitive to chakra fluctuations and he had probably woken her up.

"I'm okay Karin. Go back to bed."

"Are you sure?" The redhead glanced in the room and looked worriedly at Sasuke and Madara. She was clutching a dark blue silk robe tightly over her chest and her wide, frightened eyes brought a sudden feeling guilt over him.

Sasuke nodded slightly and whispered, "Yeah."

Unconvinced, Karin gave one more look at the pair before reluctantly returning to her room.

"It was that bad, huh?" Sasuke continued to whisper, not trusting his voice to speak any louder.

"Well, Karin's an exception here, but you were broadcasting some pretty heavy chakra. I doubt anyone else sensed it. The question is, what's wrong with you and why are you so bad at controlling your emotions? You did undergo desensitization training at the Academy and you have seen some pretty bad stuff since then. You shouldn't be fazed by nightmares anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"I will speak with Sora about arranging for you to undergo more desensitization training. This can't continue, Sasuke." Madara's voice was stern and it was obvious he was upset.

"No!" Sasuke cringed inwardly as the memories of the training he had undergone as a young child in the Academy returned to him. They were exposed repeatedly to training films detailing missions that involved assassinations and some of them had been quite gruesome. Considering the reputation of Mist village, he had to wonder what their methods were. Did they use live people? Would they make him watch as prisoners were horribly tortured and mutilated for not providing information?

"'No?'" Madara quoted the boy, "I believe that answer is all the proof I need."

"I…"

The elder Uchiha interrupted him gruffly, "What did you dream?"

The urge to lie had never been so strong and Sasuke actually uttered the first few syllables of a falsehood before his good sense clicked in. Snapping his mouth shut he stared back at the window. The moon had drifted away from the window, or perhaps it had been hidden by the clouds or fog. Either way, the pitch black night was as dark and distant as the man sitting in front of him.

"You don't want to tell me?" Madara urged impatiently.

Sasuke shuddered, "Why do you want to know?"

"Sasuke, I'm very busy and you're acting like a child." He creased his brow for a moment then continued, "Well, you are a child, but ninja shouldn't act like children."

"Oh." He took a deep breath and decided he had no choice, "I dreamed that I destroyed Konoha and killed my best friends and my parents and Itachi were dead." Sasuke was a little surprised at the look of shock that briefly crossed Madara's face. However, a moment later he wondered if he had just imagined it. After all, the man was not the kind of person to be surprised by anything.

After a couple minutes Madara finally turned his back to the boy and began walking towards the door, "Hmm. I see. That's all it was. Then let me ask you this, Sasuke. If peace was within your grasp, something tangible that you could not only hold in your hand, but share with the rest of the world, and your fath… Fugaku tried to kill you in order to prevent that peace… what would you do? And keep in mind that he would use the Shinobi forces of Konoha to stop you."

Sasuke chewed on his bottom as he tried desperately to find some sort of logical meaning behind Madara's words. The boy knew there were different ways of getting peace – Danzou had tried to use Itachi to get one of those ways – but it was wrong. How could peace be "peace" if it was soaked in blood?

"Don't have an answer?" Madara was still standing with his back to the boy, his voice was firm, but carried a hint of sorrow.

"I… can't hurt them…" Sasuke finally said.

"Even if it means the rest of the world has to suffer for it?"

"Even if… why would that happen?" Sasuke was now thoroughly confused and apparently Madara knew that because he shook his head and began walking toward the door again.

"Sasuke, be ready to leave at ten tomorrow… um… this morning. In eight hours. You and I will take a little trip to the island of broken dreams."

"Where's that?"

"Water country." He exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Sasuke stared after him with a blank look on his face, "But… we're already in Water country."

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Drifting in and out of sleep, Itachi found it difficult to get comfortable on the wide couch. It wasn't that the cushion was hard or the pillow lumpy, but the heightened state of awareness at being so close to Sasori that put him on edge. He doubted the puppet man would do anything, but he had worked too closely with S-class criminals to completely lower his guard around them.

After several hours the teen gave up trying to sleep and sat up. He had to admit, though, that he did feel a lot better. Some of the soldier pills had been able to work their way out of his system leaving him a little lethargic, but it was nothing a good meal and another night of sleep wouldn't fix.

"You awake?" Sasori called over.

"Yeah."

"There's food upstairs. You can cook here and it won't alert anyone to our presence. Deidara keeps a stash. It's just canned soup of course, but he thinks it's edible."

"Hm. Thanks. Have you gotten anywhere yet?" Itachi yawned widely and rubbed his eyes as he fumbled with his glasses.

"Well, this looks remarkably like something Hanzou would have come up with. But it's different. I thought it was one of his 'M' strains, but… I'm not positive of that."

Itachi walked over to the long lab table and stared down at the cultures Sasori had been working on. "So did someone take one of Hanzou's poisons and alter it?"

"Possible. It's harder than it sounds, though. Hanzou, Chiyo, Tsunade… those three were definitely masters of their art. Orochimaru and myself are from another generation but still geniuses with poisons. There is no one else at our level. Yet…" Sasori's voice trailed off as he picked up a slide and stared at it without emotion.

"I could see Orochimaru doing it just to see if it was possible." Itachi added.

The puppet man shook his head, "So could I. The question is how would he get a sample? Hanzou's poisons broke down quickly so they wouldn't be detected, yet this one was engineered to stay in the body and duplicate, even evolve in order to prevent an antidote from working. As paranoid as Hanzou was about being found and killed, I can't believe he would create something like this, or give a sample to someone else to play with."

"He and Danzou had an agreement of some sort at one time." Itachi offered, "Could this poison have been made in payment for something?" He thought back to Nagato's admission a few months earlier about how he had started Akatsuki after Danzou and Hanzou had killed his friend.

"Ah. That story." Sasori responded, as if reading his mind, "I would like to say 'no', but one thing I have learned is to not make absolute statements about people. Perhaps Konan will find out more and contact you. In the meantime, I have isolated several active elements in the poison and I am now working on finding an antidote that will work with all of them."

Itachi nodded, "Then I won't bother you anymore."

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The soup Deidara had stockpiled was a rather expensive brand with very good flavor. Of course, on his Akatsuki salary buying cheap stuff was a waste. Because, as Kisame was fond of lecturing, "You're going to die young anyway, and if you can't take it with you, make sure you die with an empty wallet."

"I wonder if Deidara has figured out yet why he's sick." Itachi smirked to himself. The thought of Sasori poisoning his partner so he could go on a mission by himself was rather amusing. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt his ring grow warm on his finger. Looking down at it he saw it glow slightly and immediately scanned the area with his chakra to make sure he was alone.

"Yes?" He spoke quietly as he entered a meditative state and called out to the summoner. He was surprised to see Pein instead of Konan.

"The poison is from Hanzou's 'M' series." The man got right down to business, confirming Sasori's findings with one short sentence. "According to the records it was a special order, but no mention of who it was delivered to was found. It's probably safe to say it was Danzou, given the dates of the records. There was no antidote provided though."

"Sasori suspected as much."

"I'm afraid your best bet right now is Sasori. None of the scientists here are at his level so having them work on it would be time consuming. I have passed this same information on to Jiraiya, who will pass it on to Tsunade. Between Tsunade and Sasori, if they can't do it…" The sentence went unfinished, but Itachi knew what the implications were.

"Thank-you for looking into this. I know you didn't have to do it." Itachi replied politely.

Pein sighed loudly, something he rarely did in front of others, "Sheeta is a good kid. She has suffered much in her short life and it would be a pity if it ended with more suffering." He ended the communication, leaving Itachi feeling very confused and a little disoriented. Of course he was surprised by Pein's admission, but he was also struck with a feeling similar to waking up in a strange place and not knowing where you were.

"There is no antidote. Danzou ordered a poison with no antidote. How could that be? What if one of his own people accidently got exposed? He would just let them die?" The answer seemed obvious and a few minutes later when he reiterated the conversation to Sasori he was struck with just how insane the man was.

"It's not unusual." Sasori interrupted his thoughts. "During the great Ninja wars… sacrificing your own people in a raid was normal. Your own Second Hokage died that way. That was how the Third came into power. Shinobi exist only for the mission. They have no past, no future, no family, no friends, no enemies. They are only tools."

"Tools…" Itachi repeated. He had been taught that, and had even believed it at one point. But now that the reality of what being a "tool" had slapped him in the face he knew there was something vitally wrong with that lifestyle.

"Danzou isn't insane, or cruel, or a despot. He is simply nothing more than a Shinobi. Perhaps he has even come the closest to living the pure Shinobi life than anyone else alive. He has no clan connections, no family, no friends. He is living from mission to mission. The time between those missions does not exist."

Itachi was forced to agree, but something else was nagging him, "Yes, but… you seem to be the same."

"No, young Itachi. I have my grandmother and my great uncle is still alive and has descendants. The only way for me to live a true Shinobi lifestyle would be to kill them."

Itachi wasn't sure he could believe that. After all, clans had been an important part of Shinobi life since the beginning. Ninja gathered together to support each other during missions and teach their children to carry on the traditions. It was disturbing to hear Sasori talk about his family as if they were targets to be assassinated to prove he was a Shinobi.

"Nevertheless," Sasori continued, "I believe I am close to obtaining an antidote. Having confirmation that this was one of Hanzou's and that it was indeed a type 'M' series does help, as I can now focus my research in one direction. Itachi…" He stared directed at the teen and even though the small puppet body was incapable of showing emotion, his voice resonated distinctly with excitement, "be ready. The price for my services will be high."

"Am I correct in saying it won't consist of money?" Itachi countered.

"I have no need of money."

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"Fugaku, why are you in your office so early?" Toshiro stepped into the large room and approached the desk where his friend was diligently stamping reports with a large wooden seal.

"Couldn't sleep. Mikoto woke up in a panic over Sasuke and began pacing back and forth. It was quite annoying."

"She had a nightmare?"

"Probably. Although she claims she didn't. Could just be anxiety, though. Anyway, Naruto was already awake and training rather noisily in the yard so I figured I would just get up anyway."

Toshiro laughed, "He sure is focused. Who would have thought that little troublemaker would mature so fast?"

"Well, unless he learns to execute his jutsus in silence he won't be alive long enough to mature completely. I gave him a short lecture to that effect before I left, but I'm not sure he understood."

"He relies too much on strength and ignores his brain."

Fugaku turned around and glanced out the window. The sky was bright, indicating the sun was mere moments from breaking over the horizon. Turning back to Toshiro he was interrupted when he saw something out the corner of his eye. Quickly turning his head he saw the distinct outline of an ink creature that could only have come from Sai's jutsu. The small mouse climbed effortlessly onto up the side of the ancient wooden desk and onto an empty scroll Fugaku had quickly unrolled over the table top.

Forming a series of hand signs, Fugaku changed the mouse's form into kanji that spread out over the paper. A diagram also began to draw and as its form took shape the two men's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"They did it!" Fugaku grinned happily, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing, "But the information is disturbing. Danzou has his own village named Ki and is fully armed. However, this diagram might be helpful. Or…" Fugaku saw some words written hastily at the end of the scroll and banged his fist heavily on the table.

Toshiro frowned, "What is it?"

"They were discovered while sending the information. Humph. They're probably dead."

"Perhaps, it's hard to say until we check."

"True, but the real problem is Kabuto. He is at his most dangerous when cornered. Danzou would be a fool to leave him alive. And so would we." Fugaku looked up at Toshiro and gritted his teeth, "We must prepare for war. Ki will fall before us and Danzou will finally be dead."

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**Next week, Itachi finds out what Sasori's terms for his antidote are, Fugaku works out a battle strategy and why exactly is Madara so determined to take Sasuke on a tour of Water country?**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	62. Chapter 62 The Inconceivable Dream

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

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**Chapter 62 - The Inconceivable Dream**

Early morning sunshine filtered down through the bright green leaves of the alder trees as birds flew back and forth across the clearing chirping and diving for bugs. The tall grass in the overgrown lawn rustled slightly as small rodents ran back and forth looking for food or perhaps just playing.

An abandoned house overlooked the busy scene with no more than a passing glance. It had its own problems and the arbitrary fancies of a spring day were of little importance as it felt its stairs cracking and the roof creaking. And what lay underneath the house was even less important. However, to the living beings who were temporarily residing in the decrepit building the basement was perhaps the most important place in the world.

One teen-ager, dark haired with even darker eyes and olive skin watched intently as a rather oddly shaped boy worked intently and without interruption over several slides, test tubes and formulas. His short red hair seemed real enough as it shifted slightly as his head moved, but his skin and eyes were not real. He was a puppet and far older than the "boy" reflected in his outward appearance.

The hours passed and early morning turned into afternoon, then evening. Three days passed since they had arrived at the old house, but finally the boy set a vial in front of the teen and looked him directly in the eye. "I have an antidote, Itachi. And now it's time for me to collect my fee."

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Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he stared longingly at the pale blue liquid filling the small glass vial. It was hard to believe that the contents of such a delicate piece of glass could save a life. His thoughts turned to Sheeta who was still hospitalized after she and several others had been poisoned during a test. A plain, old-fashioned written examination with paper and pencils. The least dangerous of Shinobi exams had come with deadly consequences.

Turning his gaze back to Sasori he nodded his head once and steeled himself for whatever it was the puppet master was about to say. But the words that came out of his mouth were neither surprising nor unexpected.

"I want an Uchiha corpse to make into a puppet." Sasori spoke calmly and with deliberation, knowing that he would get his way. "And not just any corpse, but that of a powerful Uchiha."

"And who would that be?" Itachi's mind went into overdrive as he compared the powers of Sasori's battle puppets to the real people they had once been. Every single one of them had retained it's chakra and the jutsus that had been learned or inherited during life were Sasori's to command in death.

"I have a list of possible candidates. You bring me one of them, and the debt is paid. Oh, and it doesn't have to be paid right now. There is a war coming, Madara will start it probably right after Danzou's death. Likely, my candidate will die during that war."

"Sounds reasonable." Itachi didn't know what else to say and decided to just play along, "Who is on your list?"

"You, of course. But there is also your father Fugaku, your brother Sasuke, Madara, and Madara's uncle Sora who is also the current head of the Uchiha clan in Mist village. All five of you are at the head of your clan in terms of abilities and would make fine puppets."

"Yes. I'm sure we would." Itachi kept the sarcasm out of his voice, but it was definitely eating away at his heart. He wasn't overly fond of his father, and his fondness for Madara and Sora had dropped substantially over the years, but the thought of their corpses being manipulated in battle by an insane puppeteer wasn't very pleasant. Nor was the thought of having to fight them as puppets.

"Then we have an agreement?" Sasori pressed.

"Yeah." The teen reasoned that if Madara or Sora died it would be because he killed them. The fight would be difficult and it was certainly possible he wouldn't live though it either. If he had to fight them a second time as mindless puppets controlled by Sasori, would he be able to win? And if that puppet was instead his father or little brother, would he have the heart to fight at all?

At one point in his life he had been prepared to strike down his father, and the rest of the clan. His heart had been manipulated by Danzou and his mind twisted up with lies and innuendo. But now that gone. Both his heart and his mind were clear and killing was something he didn't want to do.

"If you should decide not to provide me with the corpse, Itachi, I have included a slight alteration to the antidote." Sasori sounded remarkably like he was gloating and Itachi frowned, his chest clenching tight with foreboding, "Keeping in mind that the poison was created by Hanzou, and that it was designed to 'evolve' somewhat, thus keeping the poison inside the persons body and changing forms to prevent detection, I altered its chemistry and essentially 'reprogrammed' it. Now, the virus will attack itself until there is only one viral cell left. That last cell will remain inert in the body forever. Unless I order otherwise. And Itachi, that order comes from a jutsu so I do not need to approach your beautiful wife or child to order the virus to activate and re-infect. Oh… and when it does re-activate, it will be ten times more deadly than it was originally. Everyone injected with this antidote will die."

"Is it contagious?" Itachi had to work hard to keep his voice level, but his heart was pounding heavily and his limbs felt numb with shock. He had known Sasori was insane. It was quite obvious, after all what sane person would collect corpses of powerful Shinobi and turn them into puppets? But for some reason, the puppet master's idea of what an "antidote" should be was so far beyond "insane" that the teen could literally not think of a word to describe the man.

"Hmmm… good question. It might be. It will certainly be passed down to the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren but as for contagious… I'm not entirely sure about that."

Itachi had a feeling he was lying, that he knew the answer and was now playing with him. "Very funny, Sasori. You are getting your corpse. Don't worry about it."

"Their eyes are included in that. Don't forget."

"I won't." The teen added dryly.

"Well then, it's ready to go. If you need me for anything else, I'll be asking for two corpses so think twice before asking for favors. Every life saved is paid by someone else's death, as the old wives tale goes."

"I never heard that one." Itachi picked up the vial and made sure it was securely closed with a tight seal. "Are you sure you aren't talking about your own superstition?"

Sasori looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "The flow of souls in and out of this world must be equivalent at all times. Saving one soul from moving on interrupts that flow, meaning that another soul must take its place."

"I don't believe that." Itachi responded belligerently. "It sounds like one of those sayings people use to justify acts of barbarity and cruelty."

"Equivalency in all things, Itachi. Balance and harmony to keep the world in perfect flow with nature. It's not a myth, my young boy, but a truth that has been handed down to us for hundreds of years."

Not wanting to draw the argument out any more, Itachi nodded and quickly left the room. Philosophy was not something he enjoyed thinking about and religion seemed to fall into that realm. It wasn't that it didn't interest him, but perhaps, he thought as he ran full speed through the dark forest, it was frightening.

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"The price for this cure is too high." Tsunade glared at the vial Itachi had set carefully on the wooden lab table in front of her. "We are still working on it. Right now we have something that works, even though it has to be given once a week for life, it will render a one hundred percent cure."

"That's not a cure by any definition I would use!" Itachi countered angrily. "And you already said the baby could be born dead if you use it!"

"But Sheeta would be okay…"

Fugaku interrupted, "That's not good enough!"

"Fugaku, you're letting your personal feelings get involved. This isn't like you." Tsunade smirked.

"This means everything to Itachi, and I'm going to make sure he sees it through."

Itachi blinked once as he looked up at his father. It was not something he would have expected to hear from the man who had, at times, made it seem as if his life's goal was to make as many people miserable as possible.

"Father, you aren't saying what I think you're…"

"Itachi, I am definitely the weakest person on Sasori's shopping list. It makes perfect sense that my corpse should go to him. It will be easier for you to defeat. If he should get Madara you will die trying to stop him. And Sora and Sasuke may be just as hard to defeat. I on the other hand… you have just reason to attack me and you could use that anger… put it to use to stop me."

Itachi silently agreed that it was the best plan, but the thought of loosing his father brought a sudden lump to his throat and he turned his head to stare out of the window instead. It had taken him three days to get home and he had not slept during the journey and had eaten only a minimal amount of sustenance. His head was starting to swim, both from an overdose of soldier pills and from his father's words.

"As logical as that is, Fugaku, you are still the Hokage of this village. You have to think of more than just your family." Tsunade reminded him petulantly.

"Lady Tsunade, we had a discussion about this a couple weeks ago and you asked for time to think it over. I believe now is the time to hear your decision." Fugaku's voice had turned stern and his penetrating gaze was locked firmly on the woman in front of him. "After Danzou is destroyed, will you take over the village as the Sixth Hokage?"

Itachi was so shocked over his father's divulgence that he forgot to breathe for a few seconds and subsequently ended up in a fit of coughing. The older man and woman ignored him as they continued to stare each other down. As his chest cleared and the coughing stopped, Tsunade shook her head and sighed heavily.

"I thought it over. There are many reason why you should resign, Fugaku, and if some of them got out in public you'd probably find your head on a stake at the front gate instead of those traitors you were putting on public display a few years ago. But, believe it or not, that has been true of all the Hokage's. Some of the things my grandfather, the first Hokage, did would definitely tarnish his name if they got out."

"Then what is you decision?" Fugaku pressed.

Tsunade threw up her arms then grabbed the vial, "I'll do it. But there is still the issue of Madara. You will be heading up that battle so don't think you'll be going on any vacations for a while. You aren't retiring, just getting a different job."

"Thank-you." Fugaku added drily as the woman stalked out of the room.

"You're… serious? She's a member of the Senju…"

"As are about half the other villagers. Itachi, the persecution we were put through was all Danzou's doing. With him gone, there should be no reason why we all couldn't live together. And like Tsunade said, we will retain a voice in the village governance, along with the other clans in Konoha. Things are being set up so that the events of the last twenty years will never be repeated. Then, and only then, can the lives we lost during the coup have any meaning. Otherwise, we are nothing more than that man's pawns."

Itachi smiled and stared down at the floor. "The idea that there could be an end to this seems absurd. It's all I've known. My entire life has been consumed by this struggle. But I will look forward to it nonetheless."

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"And this is?" Sasuke gazed warily over the wide valley that had appeared at the end of a badly overgrown mountain road. The steep drop off fell into a flat grassy plain thinly populated with fir trees.

"This is the scene of a travesty the previous Daimyou set into action many years ago. Your brother had the misfortune of stumbling upon the aftereffects mere days after the massacre." Madara leaned back against a tree and crossed him arms across his chest.

Sasuke voice wavered, "Massacre?"

"Come with me." He stepped away from the tree he wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders and used a jutsu to transport them to the valley below.

"I wish you wouldn't keep doing that." Sasuke stumbled slightly as they landed, his head spinning in five different directions.

"Eh, you get used to it after a while."

"Says you." The boy mumbled obviously annoyed, the looked up at the tall man, "Tell me about the massacre. What does it have to do with my brother?" The pair started walking through the tall grass. The valley seemed very peaceful as the cool spring breeze blew across the plain, whipping their hair across their faces and forcing the young trees to bow slightly as if welcoming the new season.

Large puffy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky casting occasional shadows on the ground. The sounds of hawks flying overhead crying out to each other sent several nearby squirrels scrambling for safety and Sasuke watched curiously as a tan fawn with bright white spots on its back stood up from its hiding place in the tall grass next to a tree to stare at the strange creatures.

"The place is alive again." Madara replied softly, "But back then nothing was alive. This entire valley, from one end to the other was filled with tens of thousands of corpses. Rebels lived here, and the Daimyou sought a solution that was neither noble nor effective. It was cowardly and threw this country into complete and utter chaos."

Sasuke stopped walking when he saw the older man bend down and pick up something long and white from the tangled grass that had hidden it.

"There aren't many bones left. It is surprising this femur exists at all." He placed it carefully back where he had found it before continuing his story, "The Daimyou, through lies and innuendo, lured several rebel groups to the village that lay at the center of this valley. He then hired my village's ninja with a false mission to crush the leadership of the rebels living here. All those groups converged in the valley that day and were quite surprised, sensing treachery almost immediately they should have worked together. Instead they started to argue and fight amongst themselves.

"Meanwhile, the Daimyou's own troops entered the valley from the passes at both ends. Under his orders they began to kill every man, woman and child they came across. While the rebels and ninjas fought each other from the inside, the civilians ran out of the city to what they thought would be safety…"

Sasuke closed his eyes at the imagined sight of soldiers slicing young children in half while their mother's cried out in horror. "I… it's… terrible."

"By the time the people in the village realized what was going on it was too late. They had already cut their numbers down so far that by the time the soldiers reached them there was no chance of survival. We can at least congratulate them for wiping out the Daimyou's troops before succumbing themselves, but really, Sasuke, tell me who you think was the winner here?"

"They… at the Academy… they say the one left standing is the winner. So if the rebels and ninja were the last to die…" Sasuke looked down at the femur, now lying exposed to the empty sky and lifeless plain. A small mouse popped out of the grass and sniffed it once before running away. The plain wasn't completely lifeless after all. "It looks like the animals won, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess that's one way to look at it. But you can see now how the logic we are taught as Shinobi fails…" Madara suddenly turned his head, as something caught his eye. Bending down he picked up another bone, this one much smaller. Holding it up, he walked over to Sasuke and placed it against his upper arm, "This no doubt belonged to a child near your own age, Sasuke."

Repulsed, the boy stepped back and glared at the bone as if it was somehow cursed. However, he recovered quickly and blinked his eyes furiously as tears began to well up unbidden and bitter. They streamed down his cheeks faster than he could raised an arm to wipe them away.

"Why… why did you bring me here?" Sasuke was trying desperately to get a grip on his feelings, but the touch of the dead child's bone against his own arm was more than he could take. The imagined cries of pain, fear and desperation that rang out over the valley as people had been cut down without remorse echoed loudly in his head to the point where he could almost literally feel, hear, taste and touch that child's last day on earth.

"Why?" Madara sighed, "War hurts people, Sasuke. So does hate, fear… well, you get the picture, I think. Anyway, I can stop all of this. I can make it so there will be no more massacres. No more war."

"Impossible." Sasuke sniffed as he fumbled around in his coat for a handkerchief. "It can't be done."

"It can, son." Madara insisted, keeping his voice low. "This world has been marked by war for thousands of years. We see its scars all over. The Uchiha hideout in Fire country is a base used by the old empire. We don't even know how old it is and some of the technology it contains is so foreign to us that some even speculated that aliens left it behind. Yet it is human. We build, fight, tear things down, and build again. Yet each time we build it is either greater or less than what existed before. It is never the same."

"I… don't understand."

Madara moved forward and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, "You have seen Konoha suffer the after effects of a coup. The poverty that some had to endure, the orphans that lived on without parents, and the parents who had to live on without their children."

"Yeah." Sasuke reached up to wipe his eyes again and memories of Sakura pretending to smile as they discussed their families. Even Naruto, who had no memories of his family came to mind. The lonely boy no one would even talk to.

"It will happen again. Over and over and over. Every generation will see war. Every generation will see death."

Sasuke nodded and leaned forward, resting his forehead on the man's chest. He closed his eyes as Madara began to stroke his hair. "Son, you know what will happen if peace isn't brought to this world. I can make that happen, but there are people who are actively working to stop me. They want the world to stay as it is. They call it 'free will' but really, all it is, is the freedom to kill without consequences."

The wind picked up, but Sasuke barely felt it as it blew over the pair and bent the trees over, making them creek as their branches brushed up against each other. He remembered Madara's words spoken in Mist village hours before they had left to go on this journey. He had said that Fugaku was trying to stop him.

"Why... why would he want to stop you?"

Madara instantly knew who the boy was talking about, "Because the peace I will bring will bring an end to the era of the Shinobi. Fugaku and the rest of the Kage's have invested their entire lives on perpetuating the teaching of Ninjutsu and passing them down through the ages. They revel in the destruction. They live for the kill. And they look forward to the day when their own children take over to carry on their beliefs."

"So… that is why… is why… you want me to be able to fight… them…" Sasuke could hardly believe what he was hearing or saying, but somehow, everything was beginning to fall into place.

"Itachi has suffered horribly from the death he saw here. A young boy forced into the role of a ninja at such a young age. Is that any way to raise your children?"

"No." Sasuke agreed. "He… I feel so sorry for him sometimes. Yet there isn't anything… I can't help him. I just create more trouble for him. He keeps having to bail me out of trouble."

"He enjoys that, Sasuke. He's your brother. He would die for you."

Sasuke realized he could hear Madara's heart beating rhythmically against his ear and he yawned widely.

"You may sleep for now, Sasuke. I believe you can finally see the true path." Madara wrapped his arms tightly around the boy and lifted him up. Sasuke's eyes slid shut as the tears he had been trying to hold back escaped, falling slowly down his cheeks. Kneeling down, the man lay the boy on the grass between two trees just as the tip of a large plant rose up out of the ground, forming itself into a man with two halves – one white and one black.

"That was quite a performance." White Zetsu remarked caustically. "You should have been an actor. I bet you could win a lot of awards."

"Shut up." Black Zetsu responded. "He fell for it perfectly. But how will you keep him away from Itachi? As soon as he sees his brother his will to follow you will waver."

"True. But it will take more than just this to get him completely on my side. This is just the beginning, Zetsu. When I am finished, he will be able to walk into Konoha and kill without a second thought."

White Zetsu was still unconvinced, "You sound so sure of that. We need the nine-tails and you are betting everything on this one boy to get him for you."

"Yes. If my plan to seal the fox in Sasuke had worked out to begin with, this would have been much simpler. As it is… my plans are beginning to fall apart. We will have to rely on Sasuke for this."

"We will succeed." Black Zetsu uttered resolutely. "Peace will be ours. Finally."

"Finally." White Zetsu repeated wistfully.

Madara turned his gaze back to the sleeping boy, then looked over at the small bone, now lying discarded in the grass. It had been chance that he had found it. Most of the corpses had disintegrated quickly in the harsh weather, and it had been nearly eight years since the massacre.

"I could never forgive the Daimyou for what happened here. As a warrior and a ninja, I can only see what he did as cowardly and short-sighted." He dropped down onto the grass next to Sasuke as Zetsu disappeared back into the ground, "I'm sorry, son, but at this point, all I can do is hope you will survive. I can no longer guarantee your safety. I had hoped that you would be the child that would live. My one son to grow up and walk this earth as I gazed down from the moon at your new life of peace and hope. But perhaps, it will only be your grave I will see after all."

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

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**Next week: Itachi chooses a team to infiltrate Danzou's nest.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	63. Chapter 63 Leaves, Trees and Roots

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**You know, I am quite impressed that in the manga, Naruto knows the difference between a squid and an octopus. Not only that, but he's dumb enough to stop and count the legs in middle of a dangerous squid attack, lol. I guess that's why we all like him, huh?**

**I really haven't explained Madara's motives very well. Or rather, the reasons behind his motives. I've actually been playing around with a story about Madara's childhood (I wrote three or four chapters to see if I could get a handle on it and some of it has already shown up in this story) and I'm not really sure why he would want a peaceful world. Either it's the way to display ultimate domination of the world by an Uchiha, or he truly wants to see a peaceful world. **

**It's easy to say it's the first reason, but that's not really how manga's work (or so I've noticed.) There's always some deeply tragic reason for bad guys to do the things they do, so I think I have to go with the second reason. Then again, Kishimoto has a way of turning things around on us and second guessing him is nearly impossible. Or I could just make something up since it's fanfiction anyway. As far as this story is concerned, I wasn't really going to explain it too deeply. His followers all think he wants peace, but his real motives stay slightly ambiguous in order to add more mystery. **

**The problem is that if I write Madara's childhood story I'll have to come up with an answer to why he wants world peace. Of course, it could just be left open ended until I got to that section of the story (hoping Kishimoto revealed some secrets by then.) I just have to think about it some more.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 63 – Leaves, Trees and Roots**

As expected, Sasori's antidote worked its way through the bodies of the many victims, curing them in a matter of days. However, while they rose from their sick-beds triumphant over their recovery and grateful for Tsunade's impressive medical skills (it was deemed unnecessary to reveal the true source of the antidote) Itachi dreaded the moment Sheeta learned of the price he had paid to get it.

The young woman was able to return home within three days of treatment, but was relegated to bed rest and Fugaku had forbidden her from leaving the house. Not that she wanted to leave. After the traumatic events of the last couple of weeks she was more than happy to lay low until the baby was born. Even the news that she had received the highest score on the cryptography exam and was promised a mid-level spot in the department wasn't enough to make her feel like celebrating.

The health of the infant was now in question and it was impossible to know the full effects the poisons had on the poor fetus until birth. Oddly enough, that was probably the one thing that brought a smile to Sheeta's lips.

"No matter what, our baby is proof that Danzou doesn't have any control over us. He wants her to die, but I won't give up on her that easy."

Her attitude made Itachi feel slightly better as the couple fell back into their old argument, "You mean him."

"Got any names picked out?" Mikoto interrupted, laughing. She had brought some tea up to the second floor living room and was admiring the black lacquered furniture that Sheeta had picked out when the room was redecorated. Surprisingly, the teen had been rather traditional in her selection of furnishings and the room fit perfectly with the overall design of the house.

"'Hey you'." Itachi replied quickly.

"'Hey you'…" Sheeta repeated thoughtfully, "It has the benefit of simplicity and can be used for both girls and boys. I approve."

"Well that's settled. Now for the wedding…" Itachi dropped four sugar cubes in his tea and sipped it appreciatively.

Sheeta smirked, "We can just pretend it happened and if anyone asks, we can say 'you got so drunk at the reception I'm not surprised you don't remember any of it.'"

"Sounds good." Itachi laughed.

Mikoto shook her head, amazed at how well the couple got along together. "You do need to set a date, though."

"Next year." Sheeta sighed. "We're already legally married, so we don't have to worry about the baby. And…" She gave Itachi a worried look.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "There's too much going on now. And we really want Aya and Sasuke to attend and if we can at least kill Danzou by then it'll feel more like a celebration. Right now… I guess…"

Sheeta shook her head and looked morosely at her mother-in-law, "It would feel like a funeral. Like we were doing something because we were supposed to instead of because we wanted to."

"I think that's probably wise." Mikoto replied kindly, "The events of the last few months… or years… have weighed heavily on the clan. And it would be nice if you two could go on a honeymoon. A nice tropical island with palm trees and sand and lots of room service."

Itachi shook his head in disbelief over his mother's plans as he stood up, "I have to attend a meeting. Sheeta, please don't stay up too late watching TV again. You need to rest."

"Yes sir!" Sheeta raised her hand to her head and saluted her husband, earning a smirk from the bemused teen. Exiting the house a few moments later he saw Rumiko's twins chasing each around a bench their grandmother's were sitting on. The beach was otherwise deserted as the sun began to set over the distant hills.

Remembering what Sheeta had said only a few minutes ago he stopped to watch the young boys laughing joyfully as they played a game that only they understood. Happy, loved, and free from the strife that would one day infect their lives. Gravel shot into the air as the boys skidded to a stop suddenly and, as if some unspoken command had been given began running around a different, empty bench.

"Sheeta is right," Itachi muttered to himself, "As long as our children continue to exist we will overcome Danzou, and others like him."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Don't tell me you got here before everyone else?" Zabuza laughed heartily at Kakashi who was sitting on a chair in Fugaku's office looking rather miserable and disgruntled.

Fugaku smirked, "He was in a meeting I attended an hour ago. I grabbed him before he could run away and made him sit here until this meeting started."

"Smart!" Zabuza observed, "Gotta remember that one."

"I don't even have my book with me." Kakashi complained. "And the only things to read in here are mission reports."

"Well, the council thinks that keeping pornography in the Hokage's office would look bad." Fugaku defended his choice of reading material as he continued to peruse a report he had open on his desk. Reaching for a large stamp he punched his mark on the paper and moved it to a large pile to his left. Turning around, he quickly glanced out of the window, noting that the sun had finally disappeared over the horizon and a single bright star was twinkling overhead. A sudden memory of himself as a young man entered his thoughts, followed swiftly by the words of an elder who had commented on how the days seemed to get shorter the older he got.

'How true that is.' Fugaku thought to himself.

"I'm here." Haku smiled at everyone as he entered the office, followed momentarily by Itachi who strode silently into the office and stood motionless behind the others. He seemed pre-occupied, as if his thoughts were a million miles away.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were the last to enter and Kakashi vacated his chair, insisting that the female Sannin sit down. Smirking, she did just that, crossing her legs and resting one hand on her knee. Jiraiya moved over to the window and leaned against the spotless glass.

Fugaku slide the pile of file folders in front of him to the side and leaned back in his chair, "It looks like everyone is here."

"Yeah, but why are we here?" Zabuza interrupted impatiently.

"He was getting to that." Haku smiled warmly at his friend.

Fugaku ignored them, "We have found Danzou. He has taken up residence in a hidden village he founded and named 'Ki'. It is here in Fire country in the old forest."

"How did you find it?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Sakura and Sai assisted in Kabuto's escape a few weeks ago, as you already know. However, what I did not tell you was that Kabuto is working for us as a spy, as are the two kids. The three of them were able to infiltrate Danzou's village under the guise of turning Kabuto over to him."

Kakashi stepped forward a couple paces and stared straight at the Hokage, "So they're safe?"

"Probably not. We have reason to believe that they were discovered while sending us information. While its possible Danzou will keep Kabuto alive in the hopes of turning him to his side, I can't help but think Sakura and Sai may already be dead."

"I can't believe it." Haku muttered.

"Which is why you are coming." Fugaku looked straight at the teen, "Tsunade tells me you have excelled at your medical jutsu studies, and of course we already knew about your high level ninja skills. You're task in all this is to aid Sakura, Sai and Kabuto in returning to Konoha. If they are alive its possible they are injured or otherwise incapacitated. You three…" He pointed at Kakashi, Zabuza and Itachi, "Are to perform a surgical strike and assassinate Danzou."

The four ninjas nodded to show their understanding and acceptance of the mission.

"Also, should Kabuto be any trouble to you, you are to kill him." Fugaku noted the look of surprise on Itachi's face, but ignored it, "I realize I promised him a pardon if he cooperated, but that was against my better judgment and will not be honored if he betrays us." He looked closely at his son, seeing the conflict that momentarily crossed his face before he nodded his acceptance.

"There is one last thing." Fugaku had been debating all day whether or not to reveal this last bit of information, but considering Danzou's decades long theft of Sharingan eyes, it seemed likely that the team would run into it. "This is something that has been kept close to the breast of the Uchiha clan and at the moment only a few of us even know about. Itachi, you are not one of them."

"What?" The teen finally spoke, glancing sharply at his father who had suddenly risen from his chair and was now facing the window, his back turned to the assembly.

"It is a forbidden jutsu, so dangerous that it was completely expunged from any documentation, never mentioned in the clan journals, and only passed down by word of mouth. Therefore, once revealed, you must never tell anyone about it."

"And if we do?" Zabuza grinned broadly.

"You will die. I will see to that personally."

"Ha, ha ha!" The big man laughed, "Must be some jutsu then. Get on with it, I'd like to hear about this."

Jiraiya spoke up, "Be careful what you wish for, Zabuza."

"So you already know about it?" Fugaku wasn't surprised, and he even expected it.

"Let's just say its something I suspected was possible."

"Hn." Fugaku leaned back against the window and crossed his arms, "It is the ability to turn reality into nothing more than a dream. A deadly blow that should kill you passes through as if it never existed. And in that same instant you can reflect that dream and turn it into reality to attack your opponent. The ultimate attack of the Uchiha meant to be used on oneself. Izanagi. However, it does come with a price. Complete blindness."

Jiraiya gave the Hokage a bitter smile, "I have been reviewing the records of the battle between Madara and the First. Anything I could find, no matter how anecdotal was read. And the only conclusion I could come up with for his survival was that a jutsu of that sort existed. Although I certainly didn't know it's exact function or the cost."

Tsunade shook her head, clearly upset by the news, "And now we do. With all the Sharingan's he supposedly stole over the years he could have easily mastered the jutsu with no ill effects. He will be difficult to take down."

"It certainly won't be any normal assassination." Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and looked over at Itachi, "As good as you are, kid, I don't think you're that good."

Itachi's expressionless face turned into one deep with worry as he contemplated a fight with a man who literally couldn't die. However, his thoughts were interrupted by Fugaku, "Which is why I will also be going on this mission."

"Two Uchiha's fighting the ultimate battle. This will be worth seeing." Zabuza commented, his eyes were practically glowing with bloodlust and his smile was hard and bitter.

"Are you sure?" Jiraiya sounded worried. "If you don't…"

"I have already made arrangements for Tsunade to take over as Hokage. If the mission fails, I will be dead. If it succeeds, Danzou will be dead and I, as an Uchiha, feel confident in handing the fate of this village back into the hands of the man who founded it. Or, in this case, his granddaughter. As you know, our entire argument was against Danzou."

Jiraiya nodded his head in understanding, "Then I should go too…"

"Out of the question." Fugaku interrupted. "There is still one more battle after this one. And that is what you must save yourself for. Besides…" he turned to look at the assembled ninja, "if the worst comes to pass and all of us fail to return, Konoha will find itself in dire straights. Everyone in this room is a high level 'S' class ninja. Loosing that manpower would guarantee Madara's success. Plus, Jiraiya, you have already been working on another plan that you must continue to put into motion. Tsunade and Konoha need you here."

Jiraiya dropped his head and closed his eyes, "You make a good point. I guess I'll spend some time with Naruto, then."

"There is someone I would like to ask to join the team." Itachi spoke up.

"Ah, him." Fugaku smiled, "I expect he will be most pleased with your offer."

"Kisame Hoshigake?" Zabuza smirked.

Itachi nodded once, "Yeah. He seems to have some sort of personal vendetta against Danzou."

"That he does." Zabuza agreed, "And even the gods won't save the prey _that_ shark demon sets his sights on."

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"_Have you figured out how to get me home yet?" The boy's pleading was heartbreaking and all Sasuke could do was kneel down next to him and place one hand on his back in an effort to comfort him._

"_You are just chakra. Your soul has already gone to wherever souls go. Heaven I guess. Or maybe reincarnated."_

"_I know you keep telling me that but it… I feel like myself. I can see what you do sometimes. I can see the outside world. I don't feel like chakra. There must be a way to escape."_

"_My brother is going to ask his friend. He… is like you." Sasuke sat down on the floor and looked around. He was dreaming again, but this dream wasn't a product of his subconscious. It was a side effect of the Mangekyou Sharingan, and the boy with the long read hair he was talking to was the sacrifice he had killed to obtain it, now residing in his body as chakra. Killian Uchiha._

_They pair were sitting under a spotlight in a large dark room. Or at least it looked and felt like a room. There was no breeze, it was a little stuffy, and even though neither of them could see any walls due to the darkness they could "feel" or perhaps "sense" their existence._

"_Then there is a way…"_

"_Quit asking that!" Sasuke finally snapped, "I can't promise anything and where do you think you'll go if you find a way out? Your body is long buried. You can't return to it. Your soul is gone, maybe even reincarnated by now. All you can do is cease to exist."_

"_I hadn't thought of that." Killian muttered despondently. "I'm not really the smartest person you'll ever meet, you know."_

"_That's okay." Sasuke was feeling a little guilty about his outburst. After all, it was neither of their faults things had turned out like this. "I mean… if I got rid of you perhaps this Mangekyou Sharingan would go away."_

"_I doubt it. Somehow… I seem to know that it won't. That me being here is a fluke."_

"_That would explain why most people with Mangekyou don't dream of the people they killed to get it."_

"_But I believe it does give you more power, Sasuke. My being here, that is."_

"_Oh. So… like I do a jutsu and you do the same jutsu and it doubles it?" _

"_Perhaps. I'm not sure. But you shouldn't try it. I saw what happened when you fought that snake dude. I was afraid you would die afterwards. You have no idea how sick you were and the others wouldn't tell you. They didn't want to worry you."_

"_Figures. Well, I don't want to use it again but Madara…"_

"_Is a manipulative bastard."_

"_Yes. But… he wants peace…"_

"_Does he want peace or has he just found a way to use 'peace' as a way to place himself in a position of ultimate power?"_

_Sasuke was quiet for a couple minutes. The valley he had visited with Madara was real. The bones were real, and the deaths that occurred there were real. And Madara had promised a way to stop that from ever happening again. _

"_In the end, does it really matter? As long as no one else has to die anymore. Those people… all of them… I saw them die in Konoha and my classmates were dead. Just dead. Lying in the street bleeding. And those people in that valley, what they went through. And after Madara does whatever it is he's going to do there will be no more ninja… no more Mangekyou Sharingan. No more friends fighting friends."_

"_If that is your decision, then I will try to help you."_

The scene faded and Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, disoriented slightly as his mind tried to digest both the dream and the fact that after two weeks of travelling to different locations in Water country he was finally back in his own bed.

"Thank-you Killian." He muttered to himself.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Kisame cursed as he stood up from his meditation spot under the trees near his small house. The early morning fog was already burning away as the sun pushed its way through the flowered branches of the budding trees. Striding angrily back into the clearing he slammed open the front door and cursed again when he saw one of the hinges pull away from the wall.

"Deidara! Suigetsu! Get your asses out of bed! Now!" His loud voice echoed through building, sending the pair scrambling into the main living area grasping exploding clay and weapons fully expecting a fight of some kind.

Deidara's blue eyes were opened wide in bleary-eye shock as he looked around at the couches and dining area for someone or something to blow up, "Who is it? Who's attacking us?"

"Time to hack up some people!" Suigetsu grinning happily.

Kisame blinked several times in surprise as he stared at the pair standing before him. Both were dressed only in their shorts and barefoot. "Do you feel any enemy chakra?" He finally said.

"N..no…" Suigetsu answered slowly.

Deidara growled under his breath, "Then why did you wake us up? It's not even noon yet!"

"Kids." Kisame felt like cursing some more, but the desire quickly faded as the reality of their next mission re-surfaced. "Anyway, I was just having a conversation with Madara. It seems Konoha has found Danzou and Itachi thought I would like to accompany his team on an assassination mission."

Deidara was confused, "Why would he think that? It's a Konoha mission… I mean… even though Akatsuki has also been looking for him… it seems… strange."

"I have a pretty big grudge against that man. Itachi knows that, although he doesn't know what it is. Anyway, I volunteered you two to go along."

"Gee, thanks. You're very kind." Deidara replied sarcastically.

"Get dressed. We're leaving in one hour. We have to hurry to meet up with Itachi." Kisame was in no mood for Deidara's smart mouth or Suigetsu's moody arguments and luckily both of them picked up on that rather quickly and rushed off to make their own preparations.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Master Kisame?" Suigetsu moved closer to the blue man as they jumped through the trees at full speed, intent on reaching the rendezvous point on schedule.

"Less talk, more running." Kisame responded. He had barely spoken one work since they had left the house and the mood that had settled around him was decidedly dark, even for an "S" class missing nin.

"I know. I am running, but something is wrong with you. Why do you want Danzou so badly? If it affects you this much… maybe you should tell us?" Suigetsu dropped back somewhat when Kisame turned his head and glared at the boy, baring his teeth in the process.

"My life is my business, as I have already explained to you, boy."

Despite the dark chakra swirling around his master, Suigetsu pressed on, "Does this have anything to do with Yoshino? I couldn't help but notice she's no where…"

"I said to shut up!" Kisame turned around and grabbed the boy by the front of his jacket, but he quickly melted into water and reappeared several feet away.

"Who is Yoshino?" Itachi landed on a branch next to Suigetsu, who jumped away, startled by the sudden arrival of not only Itachi, but Fugaku, Haku, Kakashi, and Zabuza.

"No one." Kisame answered quickly.

"His girl friend." Suigetsu frowned and looked at Zabuza who was scowling just a fiercely as Kisame.

Kisame shook his head slightly glanced up at the sky, "Didn't expect to see you, Itachi, for another hour."

Itachi adjusted his glasses and glared at the blond bomber who now seemed perfectly healthy and virus free,"I knew you would have Suigetsu with you and I suspected Deidara was still hanging around and would tag along as well."

"I'm not a tag-along." Deidara pouted.

"This is how it will work." Itachi ignored the comment and continued speaking, "Deidara and Suigetsu will assist Haku with the rescue of Sakura Haruno, Sai, and Kabuto. Kisame will come with Fugaku, Zabuza and myself to confront Danzou. We aren't going in to defeat the entire village so try not make too much of a scene."

"Acceptable." Kisame sneered. He looked down at the teen who had been his partner for so many years that he was almost like a brother. His expression softened and he glanced around at the others who were standing around looking at him or the open forest.

"What?" Itachi asked curiously.

"How's… Sheeta?"

"Better."

"Keep her safe, Itachi. I…" He turned and looked up at the sky, "wasn't able to protect my girl. While I was on a mission, she visited her home village. Danzou knew who she was… what she was to me… and because I was in the bingo book he personally took a trip to Water country and wiped out an entire village of civilians." Kisame clenched his fists and yelled, "Just to get to me!"

"At least you didn't fall for it." Fugaku spoke up.

Zabuza answered, "He did. I had to stop him from taking off and ripping Konoha apart piece by piece."

"When I calmed down somewhat I realized that attacking Konoha wouldn't get me any closer Danzou than I already was. The rat would just scurry away, leaving his people to die instead. I've waited years to see him die."

"You seem more adamant about it now than a few years ago when we were looking for him in the underground." Itachi added.

"Probably meeting up with Suigetsu did that. Yoshino was rather fond of the annoying brat."

"She thought I was cute!" Suigetsu gave everyone a toothy grin.

Deidara groaned, "That image is going to give me nightmares, water-boy." He looked around and asked, "Didn't Naruto come?"

Haku took advantage of the change in subject and continued in an attempt to lighten the heavy feeling that was beginning to settle over the group, "He your new friend?"

"He's fun to play with." Deidara smirked, "You can talk him into doing almost anything."

Kakashi had to laugh at that, "He's pretty famous for that. But we had to leave him behind this time. Far too dangerous."

"Humph. Good point."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

As evening settled over Fire country the group entered the outer boundaries of the old forest. Ancient trees, wider than city blocks and stronger than metal blocked their view as they moved silently; closing in on their target. There were no patrols or electronic surveillance devices and the group was getting more and more suspicious as they approached Ki.

Fugaku raised his right hand, stopping the group outside of a tall tree that looked pretty much like all the others. There was nothing really to tell them that this was their target, except for the detailed directions Sai had passed on to them before his capture, but there was no doubt that they had arrived.

He motioned for the recovery team to split up and Haku, Deidara and Suigetsu quickly disappeared. His eyes bled into their Sharingan form as he glanced around at the remaining men. Kakashi had lifted up his forehead protector, revealing his own Sharingan and Itachi was pulling a pair of prescription goggles out of his pocket and fitting them over his face. Unlike his glasses, the goggles wouldn't get knocked off during a fight.

Zabuza pulled out a roll of white bandages and began wrapping them around his lower face and neck while Kisame pulled Samehada off his back and flung it once to unwrap it. A slight crunching sound could be heard as the hundreds of individual blades, all shaped like sharks' teeth ground against each other for a few seconds before settling down and becoming quiet again.

One by one Fugaku caught everyone's eyes, earning a slight nod from each. The confirmation that everyone was ready was given and after taking a deep breath and letting it out he pointed to the tree. Wordlessly they move forward, silently they brushed the dirt off the underground entrance and it was with a grim solemnity that they descended into the lair of their target.

The ninja moved expertly through the underground tunnels, never pausing, using only hand signs to speak and with the full cooperation of their comrades. Differences in village politics and personal beliefs were put aside as the mission took over replacing all emotion with the cold, brutal truth of the murder they were about to commit.

It was not just professionalism, but a way to close off any feelings of empathy one might feel for the target. Of course, in this case, the problem wasn't empathy but something quite different. Revenge was probably foremost in their thoughts, and as they moved quickly through the tunnels each one of them reconsidered the reasons why they were there. The relentless barrage of memories threatened to overwhelm them and one by one they shut them out. Closing their minds to the past and focusing only on the present.

After thirty-odd minutes of following Sai's map through poorly lit, earthen tunnels they finally came to a dark wooden door that had a letter taped to it. Everyone stopped at stared wide-eyed at the kanji that had been expertly inked across the folded parchment.

"So much for sneaking in." Zabuza muttered bitterly.

Itachi read the writing out loud, "Fugaku, Itachi, Kakashi, Zabuza, Kisame."

Pulling it off the door Fugaku unfolded the paper and continued to read, "Please be so kind as to direct yourselves to the location indicated on the map below. I shall kill you there. Danzou."

Kakashi leaned against the wall and sighed, "Well, this isn't completely unforeseen. We knew there was a possibility that Sai's information had been compromised."

"True enough." Fugaku agreed. Having memorized the small map he passed it around for the others to view before sticking it in his pocket. Without any further discussion the five ninja changed direction, moving towards Danzou's preferred battle venue.

"At least we don't have to wander around looking for him." Kisame muttered a few minutes later.

Itachi nodded, "That is certainly a benefit as far as I'm concerned." He glanced at his father who was walking several feet in front of him. The man's ulterior motive in coming was probably death. Not only Danzou's, but his own. Itachi had seen the way his parents had kissed before they had left. He had rarely seen them display any affection toward each other, and what he did remember was one-sided. His mother doting over his father. Never the other way around. Yet it was clear that Fugaku had feelings for his wife. And it was also clear he fully expected he wouldn't be returning to her when the mission was over.

'This is going to be sticky.' Itachi thought to himself. If Fugaku died, Mikoto would be heartbroken. As would several other clansmen. Including Toshiro and Kisa. Naruto, who saw the man as a godsend after he invited him to live with his family would be devastated. And if he died before making up with Sasuke, he knew his little brother would one day regret it.

The clan leadership would also pass to Itachi and his freedom to come and go would be gone. He would have to finally take his place as chief of the Konoha Police force, a position that was currently be held by a clansman under the condition that he would step down when the heir was ready to take over.

'Too much is going on.' Itachi continued to review Fugaku's ulterior motives, but he could see no benefit to be gained in his death. Even using his father's corpse to pay off his debt to Sasori was now unacceptable. He would much rather see Madara or even Sora pay the price than his father. And of course Tsunade was working on a way to disable the jutsu placed in Sasori's antidote. It was possible she would find it.

Itachi suddenly creased his brow as a rather interesting thought crossed his mind, 'He has to know she'll try to neutralize his antidote. She's one of the best remaining poison masters. I wonder… is it possible… he doesn't actually want a corpse? Could he just be stringing me along? Or…' The teen suddenly stopped in his tracks and called out to his father.

"What, Itachi? We don't have time for…"

"Father, listen. I think Sasori and Madara have played a rather intricate joke on us."

Kakashi interrupted, "What? Itachi, can't this wait?"

"No!" Itachi responded firmly, then went on to explain his line of reasoning.

"It sounds like…" Fugaku was flabbergasted over his son's line of reasoning, "it sounds like you're saying that Sasori's assassination mission was a setup… Madara ordered Sasori to poison the people taking that test, using a formula that only he could create an antidote for. This lured you to his lab, where he made a show of creating that antidote then ordered you to pay him with an Uchiha body, knowing full well that I, as the weakest person on his list, would volunteer to be said body."

"Yeah, that's it." Itachi agreed.

"I don't know whether to laugh or hit you upside the head."

Kisame frowned, "It would explain why he pushed Deidara out of the mission. And Sasori has always enjoyed playing mind games with people. Also, it fits perfectly with the way Madara operates. Have someone else do the dirty work and no one can trace it back to him."

"He's a god damned expert at it." Zabuza sneered, "I know that from personal experience. Don't dismiss Itachi's claims out of hand Fugaku, and don't die. I couldn't stand the thought of that man getting one over on anyone." Of course, Zabuza's hatred of Madara was quite well known by now.

Fugaku sighed, "Mikoto's right, Itachi, you need to go on a long vacation with lots of room service."

"An insane asylum?" Kakashi offered.

"That works." Itachi agreed, "I think I'll be needing one when this is all over."

"I'll join you." Kisame offered, rolling his eyes.

Fugaku turned around and continued walking through the tunnel, "Well, let's get going. All I can say at this point is 'whatever will be, will be'."

"In the end, that's all any of us can say." Zabuza muttered quietly.

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**Next week, Danzou makes an appearance.**

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	64. Chapter 64 Danzous Legacy

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**Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 64 Danzou's Legacy**

"This tunnel isn't very well reinforced, un." Deidara grimaced as he brushed dirt out of his long blond hair for fifth time since they had entered the earthen corridor after leaving the main group. Charged with the recovery of Sakura, Sai and Kabuto, he and Suigetsu had had been paired with Haku with orders to descend into the dark tunnels under the trees of Ki village and seek out the dungeons.

Haku shuddered, "Don't remind me. I hate being underground. I think I may be claustrophobic."

That greatly amused Suigetsu and he had to cover his mouth quickly to keep from laughing out loud and giving away their position. Both Deidara and Haku gave him a dirty look, but decided to remain silent. They were on a mission after all, not an afternoon stroll.

Fifteen minutes later they came across one of the gigantic roots holding the huge tree above them in the ground. It was so massive, the trail ended up wrapping around it for about two hundred feet before resuming its course. Smaller roots, probably from plants and smaller (normal-sized) trees began to appear, poking through the roof of the tunnel.

"Don't touch those, un." Deidara whispered as he bent over to keep his top knot from hitting them. While the teen was small for his age, the added inches the traditional hairstyle of the Stone village he continued to wear was now a disadvantage. He crouched on the floor and removed the tie from his hair, then gathered it in a ponytail at the base of his neck, "In Stone we would use a jutsu that would turn roots like these into sensors. Also, don't touch any of the rocks sticking out of the wall and ceiling."

"Glad you came with me. I never would have guessed that. So what kind of jutsu is in the rocks?" Haku muttered appreciatively.

"None. It's just that this tunnel isn't very stable and if you bury me alive I'll come back and haunt you in your next life."

"Ah." Haku stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned, "Good to know that too."

Suigetsu sipped water from his canteen and stared at the roots and rocks. His purple eyes roaming over the uneven floor to the small lights that had been strung on the wall and the discoloration of the soil halfway up the wall. "It's very humid in here. We're near an underground lake. And it hasn't been long since this tunnel was underwater."

"Hasn't been long?" Haku was feeling very much out of his element. He was more used to the open ground of Water country where tunnels were unheard of.

Deidara answered, "As in days. This tunnel was underwater when Sai sent that map to Konoha."

Haku couldn't help it. He started cursing, much to the surprise of his two companions, "We've been lured here. Suigetsu, how far away is that lake?"

The boy closed his eyes and, mindful of Deidara's warning, gingerly touched the wall with his finger. As soon as he made contact his entire arm turned to water. Sending the chakra-imbued liquid into the earth he felt around for any veins of water, little streams flowing through the earth.

Opening his eyes, Suigetsu was surprised at the look of worry that was etched clearly in Deidara's face. He was chewing on his lip and adjusting the scope over his eye, apparently trying to see look closer at the wall.

"Be careful when you deactivate your jutsu, un." Deidara said quietly as he raised his head to look at the top of the wall. Suigetsu's eyes opened wide as he followed the teen's line of sight. There was now an inch wide crack extending from the point where he had placed his finger to the top of the wall.

It was Suigetsu's turn to curse and he held his breath as he very carefully, and with much more control than he had ever used before, or knew he could use, withdrew his jutsu from the wall. Stepping back cautiously he exhaled with uncertainty as he looked up to the two older boys with something akin to panic on his face.

"Scared?" Deidara teased humorlessly.

"You know, I don't get scared fighting people, but this… yeah, you bet I'm scared. You know earth jutsu though, you could get away."

"So could you." Deidara turned serious. "Just dematerialize into water and follow the underground rivers. They eventually lead to a cave or even above ground to a spring. But even so… a cave-in can happen faster than you do a jutsu. Seriously, un, we need to get out of here. Now."

The trio took off at a cautious jog, stepping lightly on the increasingly damp ground as they moved forward. Water began to drip from the ends of the roots hitting them in the face and head as the small puddles soon gave way to larger puddles that spread out in rippled waves as they pushed chakra through their feet so they could run on top of them.

"The lake is just ahead." Suigetsu said quietly. "We can…"

He was interrupted mid-sentence by a low rumble, followed by a small earthquake. A few short seconds later a sound, unlike anything they had ever heard before, engulfed their senses. A cross between a locomotive engine and a thousand water faucets left no doubt in their minds about what was happening.

"The tunnel is collapsing behind us! We need to get to that lake! Run!" Deidara yelled as they were engulfed in dust. He felt someone tug at his shirt and realized that Haku, who had been behind him, had grabbed onto him. A smart move, the teen decided, and reached up grab onto Suigetsu's shirt as well. The three ran swiftly, coughing and choking on the thick air, guided only by Suigetsu's ability to sniff out water.

"It's coming closer!" Haku tried to yell above the roar of the water as small waves started to lap at their ankles.

The tunnel opened up into a large cavern and the three teens, quickly took in their surroundings. With only seconds to spare they had to find a way out. The roof was about forty feet over their head and, surprisingly, made of wood. The cave itself was artificial, and poorly made, as Deidara mentally observed as his eyes took in the deep scratch marks of a badly executed earth jutsu. It was at least five-thousand square feet and the lake actually looked more like a reservoir with large pipes feeding into it from another tunnel opposite the one they had just escaped from.

"There's a ladder over there!" Suigetsu yelled as he took off at a run, reaching it in three seconds flat. Using chakra, he jumped up and grabbed it about a quarter of the way up and started climbing. His companions did the same thing just as a large gush of water emptied through the tunnel into the cave. The roar of the water was overwhelming and the ladder shook and then swayed as the bottom was struck by the tumultuous barrage.

Looking up Deidara saw that the metal ladder was welded to a small opening at the top. It was probably a safe bet that the bottom, which had also been welded, was no longer attached. The ladder swayed precariously as a boulder was slammed into the wall behind it. The wall of the cave nearest the escaping water began to crumble and part of the wooden ceiling became detached and hung precariously towards the ground.

It took only a few seconds to get to the top and Suigetsu pushed the trap door open, jumping up onto the floor. Haku and Deidara followed him, both landing in a crouch, weapons pulled and senses alert. They had no idea where they had ended up; after all, the ladder had not been on the map.

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"He's on the other side of the door." Fugaku's emotionless words cut through Itachi like a knife and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he mentally prepared himself for the coming battle.

Shisui entered his thoughts, the boy who's eyes Danzou had stolen. At least one of which was now residing within the man's head, gazing out at the world with no awareness of the havoc it would soon be called upon to create. Itachi had been asked to rescue the eyes, to implant them in his own head to counteract the blindness that the Mangekyou Sharingan imposed as payment. Both Shisui's chakra "self" and his parents had requested it, but it would be difficult. The guilt that had been borne the moment he had learned of his friends death had never died and this fight would no doubt continue to fan the fire.

"Itachi?" Fugaku placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "You and I will have to work together on this."

Itachi heard the unspoken question, "Are you well enough to continue?" and nodded his head once in affirmation. His illness had been at the back of his thoughts lately and the only symptom he had suffered was mild asthma. Yet it was still there, and extreme physical exertion would make it worse. Unfortunately, this was not the kind of battle he could hold back on.

Fugaku uncharacteristically wrapped one arm around his son as he looked up at Kisame, Kakashi and Zabuza. They nodded once as well and looked determinately at the door, waiting for it to open and the battle to begin. The three men had been given the task of taking out anyone who tried to interfere with the fight, although at this point it was fairly reasonable to assume there would be no intrusions. Danzou wouldn't have gone to the trouble of setting up this fight, only to have his own people break it up.

Stepping forward, Itachi grasped the door handle and slid it sideways. The plain wooden door held no decoration and made no noise as it opened, but the scene they saw before them was quite unexpected. While they had been aware that the tunnel they had been following was situated at a slight incline, they were surprised to find themselves outside, in the forest near one of the giant trees. Massive boulders were arranged to make a large oval shaped "arena". At least, that's what it looked like. It was an odd place to have such a thing, but perhaps with everyone living in the trees, having it outside was more private.

"No point harming my ninja unnecessarily." Danzou's sharp voice rang out clearly as the elderly ninja shrugged out of his dark colored robe and approached the newcomers with no outward signs of fear or trepidation. He had his arm wrapped tightly against his chest, one eye was wrapped in bandages and he leaned heavily on a cane. There was nothing about this man's appearance that revealed the power that lay within his body.

"I did not come here to hurt them. Only you." Compared to Danzou, Fugaku's voice was more brutal, and held definite undertones of bloodlust.

"You say that, yet I have seen nothing in your past behavior to justify your claim."

"Perhaps not." Fugaku shrugged. He knew he was no angel and having someone throw it in his face was, in his opinion, beyond pointless.

"Is this really him?" Zabuza asked, scowling sourly behind his bandages.

Itachi, who had once been a member of Root and been in contact with the elder frequently, nodded his head, "Definitely. This time… we have him."

"Finally." Kisame slammed his sword down on the ground, "Can't wait to see this."

"Then let's get on with it." Fugaku growled.

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Deidara stood up from his crouch and looked around, trying to get a handle on the situation. "Where are we?"

"You forgot to say 'un'." Suigetsu corrected.

"This isn't the time for jokes, idiot." Deidara glared at his young companion, "We were obviously forced to come here for some reason. But what is this place?"

"There doesn't appear to be any doors or windows." Haku looked around the large room. About the size of a soccer field, the floor was constructed of wooden beam laid end to end and the walls were made of cement blocks. The ceiling also appeared to be concrete.

Suigetsu spoke up, "It looks like a basement. Like we're under a building or something."

"I can break through the concrete with an ice-jutsu." Haku ran one hand over the rough surface, "The ice can expand, making the concrete crack and fall away."

"I would prefer using my art, un." Deidara grinned broadly.

"I want to send a powerful water jutsu through the wall and bust it down that way!" Suigetsu offered.

The three boys glared at each other for a minute before turning their attention back to the wall. The sound of rushing water began to die down as the flood underneath them stabilized. Looking through the trap door Suigetsu jumped back as the ladder, and about three feet of the floor it was attached to broke off and fell into the swirling waters.

"This floor isn't very stable, I think." He looked intently at the two older teens, "Maybe we should think about leaving."

Deidara looked up, "The walls are probably holding back dirt, so our best bet is to go through the ceiling. If I remember the map correctly, we were following that tunnel below us to a warehouse that connected with what looked to be a prison, un. We're probably in the general vicinity of our original target, just a hundred feet above it. And that's assuming we didn't have to do any climbing to get into the prison level."

"So are you saying, that you think that," Haku pointed up, "Is the prison?"

"Not really. Just… we got diverted, but we aren't completely lost yet, un."

"I'll us my ice jutsu and make a ramp. We can use that to get up to the ceiling." Haku focused his chakra and with one hand formed a series of hand signs while holding his other hand out in front of him. Water rushed in from all around and a fairly steep ramp, about two feet wide was quickly constructed.

"A fun game would be to see how far you can go on that ramp without chakra before falling off." Suigetsu grinned broadly at his companions.

"What are you, twelve?" Deidara complained.

"Eleven, actually."

The mad bomber pushed chakra into his feet and began the ascent behind Haku, "Should have left you at home with a babysitter, un."

"I hear something!" Haku had reached the top first and had his ear pressed firmly against the cement ceiling. A jutsu had been used to enhance his hearing and the distinct sounds of a mumbled conversation could be heard. "It's just two people. I can also feel their chakra. There's lots of other chakra sources, but they are very, very weak. Like they're sick or something. Humph. This must be the jail."

Haku formed another jutsu and placed his hands on the ceiling. They glowed bright white in the dimly illuminated room as he forced water into the pores and cracks of the cement. Soon a circular area, large enough for one person to squeeze through was encased in an ice jutsu that would freeze, thaw, then freeze again. The cycle was repeated every second and soon a crack was heard as the hole fell away from the ceiling and crashed to the ground.

"Huh? Are they here already?" A voice with heavy baritone undertones laughed above the trio.

"Sounds like it." Deidara answered as he led the way through the hole and into the prison. The room he landed in turned out to be the bottom floor of a vast prison structure. The terraced facility held at least ten floors above the current one, each with several narrow doors spaced far apart. The prison was poorly lit and the exact number of cells was impossible to determine.

"Hey! Up there!" The man, who it turned out was quite large both in height and girth, looked up as three people were pushed against a railing one level above. "You ready to watch your rescuers die?"

Deidara, Haku and Suigetsu looked up and were surprised to see Kabuto, Sakura and Sai staring back down at them wide-eyed. They were unbound and appeared to be in good health. At least they were standing and seemed to have all their limbs with no visible cuts or contusions.

"They look kind of healthy, Haku." Suigetsu observed.

"At least from here, anyway." The teen turned and faced the two men standing in front of him, "Why did you go to such great pains to lead us here?"

"Lead you here? I think you've got the wrong idea. You are, in fact, the first to survive this facilities basement security system. It has taken out about thirty… uh…"

"Thirty-two." The other man answered, "The last ones were a couple weeks ago. But usually it's used on people trying to break out, not in. So you are 'first' for two reasons."

"Glad to hear it." Deidara brushed his bangs away from his eyescope and looked closely at the surrounding area before fusing a jutsu into his clay and launching a large, pure white owl. Jumping on it he flew up about thirty feet and hovered as he began to drop more explosive clay figurines onto the ground. Smiling, he laughed as the two guards jumped back and forth, trying to miss them. He saw that the three guards watching the prisoners were standing behind their charges, unmoved. However, someone was moving in on them from behind.

Suigetsu took advantage of the barrage to jump up to the next landing. Pulling his sword he ran forward to attack the guards. They turned quickly, pulling out their own swords, but as soon as they tried to connect with the boy their weapons would pass right through him as his body turned to water, then reformed into flesh.

"I can keep this up all day." Suigetsu boasted.

"I doubt that very much!" One of the guards, a woman with bright green hair yelled as she stared at him dubiously. "Your chakra levels are dropping."

"Ah. You're a Hyuuga, I see." Haku had followed his companion and stood nearby. The landing was only about four feet wide and he was concerned about how to fight on such a narrow surface. "I wonder… do your kinsmen know you're here?"

"Of course. The clan lives here now. We support Danzou in all things."

"That's not what I hear in Konoha."

"They were traitors and we killed the main branch when they refused to agree to join with Danzou. The rest will die in time."

"What does that mean?" A sudden, unbidden image of the sweet Hinata lying dead in a pool of blood crossed the teen's mind and he shuddered.

"We're going to kill them. Then we are going to kill the Uchiha. Konoha will be left defenseless and will fall."

Haku laughed and shook his head in disbelief, "You think the power of that village rests with only two clans? I'll admit, I've only lived there a few months, but I have observed enough to realize just how wrong you are. It's pathetic to think you spent your entire life… probably over twenty or twenty-five years in that village and never realized that one simple little fact."

More explosions rocked the facility and a particularly violent one shook the landing they were standing on. Sakura lost her balance, forcing Kabuto to grab her and pull her up against the wall. The girl sank down to the floor and rested her head on her knees. Apparently, the prisoners weren't in very good condition after all, Haku surmised as he watched Sai sway slightly before dropping to the ground as well. Kabuto stood his ground, but his chakra level was so low that it was obvious he would be of no use fighting.

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"I have quite a collection of eyes." Danzou pulled the bandages off his shoulder, revealing his arm. It was encased in a series of heavy bolts that he loosened, one by one, letting them drop heavily to the ground. "I am going to enjoy adding yours to my collection, Itachi, Fugaku, and even Kakashi."

Everyone gasped as the last of the bolts fell off and he began removing the last of the bandages from his arm revealing several embedded Sharingan eyes. They turned in their sockets, looking around as the man held his right arm up for everyone to see.

"You're a monster." Kakashi was the first to speak, no doubt spurned on by the memory of his dearest friend and teammate Obito, whose Sharingan now reside in his own head, given as a gift as the young boy had lain dying.

"That's a matter of opinion." Danzou stated firmly.

"That's a matter of fact." Fugaku growled, "You dare judge others after what you have done?"

"Humph." Danzou pulled a kunai and launched himself at Fugaku, who countered with Susanoo. A chakra mass resembling a massive skeleton that blocked the Root leader and then grabbed him in one giant hand. Lifting him off the ground, the hand squeezed tightly, crushing Danzou instantly.

"Missed me." The old man appeared behind Itachi, who quickly activated his own version of Susanoo and swatted the man away from him. Danzou was tossed through the air, back towards Fugaku who threw an Amaterasu fire at him. His body was engulfed in black flames, however he was able to dowse them quickly with the help of his Sharingan's.

'This isn't going well.' Itachi said to himself. His left eye had begun to drip blood and he was forced to remove his goggles. Placing them in a pocket he rubbed his forehead as the beginnings of what promised to be very bad headache began to surface. 'Father has more endurance than me, but his Mangekyou Sharingan isn't as developed. If he keeps up these attacks he'll be like Sasuke was after fighting Orochimaru. He needs to pace himself better.'

Itachi was forced to jump back again as Danzou sent a powerful burst of wind towards him, almost knocking him off his feet with its force. He jumped up and latched onto the tree, standing sideways with the help of chakra. Forming his own jutsu, the teen pulled water out of the ground and trapped the man in a large bubble. Dropping back down he walked up to the trapped Root leader and watched with incredulity as Danzou smiled grimly for a few seconds before lifting his Sharingan filled arm and breaking the jutsu.

Dropping to the ground, Danzou took several deep breaths, then jumped away as Itachi aimed a kick at his head. Unfortunately, that placed him near Fugaku again, who took full advantage of the situation and re-activated Susanoo. The large skeleton towered over the make-shift arena as it advanced on its victim.

Danzou leapt up into the air, only to find himself at the mercy of Itachi, who had jumped up behind him, wielding a katana. It only took a second for the teen to slice the man through the middle, and cut off his head and arm.

Fugaku watched closely, knowing that Danzou was going to somehow slip out of this attack as well. It was the nature of Izanagi. Each time Danzou came close to dying he would activate the forbidden to turn the attack into a dream and bypass the effects, thus surviving. Each eye was capable of doing the jutsu just once before it close. And as expected, Danzou appeared about a hundred feet away, and three of the eyes on his arm had already closed.

Moving forward, Fugaku's Susanoo placed one hand behind the Root leader and stamped one big foot, sending the man backwards and capturing him easily. However, Danzou used a transportation jutsu to escape the creature's grasp and appear behind the Hokage. Fugaku dispelled his jutsu as he turned to face him.

"Is this all there is?" Fugaku chided, "All you've done is dance back and forth, avoiding us."

"Humph. What do you know about what it takes to be a real ninja? You, who have never had to sacrifice anything?"

"What are you talking about?" That angered Fugaku and he clenched his fists as he stared down the old man, "I have sacrificed both my sons, my wife and soul for the sake of being a ninja! And I won't have you saying otherwise!"

Itachi realized quickly that Danzou had found the chink in Fugaku's armor. "Don't let him goad you!" He yelled to his father.

Fugaku shook his head to clear it, "Humph. I guess there is no point in getting any madder at you than I already am."

"It would have been a pleasure to see your body, lying on the ground dead pierced by your own son's katana. Too bad you stopped him. I was looking forward to that scene. All that hard work to set you and Sarutobi up, all of it was for naught. The village was wracked with civil war…"

"A war you set up to happen! It would never have come to that if you hadn't been playing the Uchiha against the village and vice versa. If anyone should have been wiped off the face of the planet for the sake of peace it should have been you… and it should have happened sixty years ago! The Uchiha incident was just one example. How many others have there been? How many sacrifices have there been so you could live in your own little peaceful world? The entire world suffers, but as long as you remain you don't care."

Danzou yelled back, "I am a true ninja! I will die for the mission, for the peace of the world!"

"If that were true," Itachi interjected, "They you would already be dead. You would have accepted your fate long ago and walked into oblivion like the rest of the ninja. Yet you stole Sharingan eyes and are using a forbidden jutsu to keep yourself from dying. You are the worst kind of Hypocrite. The kind that believes himself to be the one and only exception to the rules of nature and expects everyone to bow down to you in reverence."

"How dare you!" Danzou replied dangerously.

"But there is no helping it." Itachi activated his Susanoo again and this time the giant was much better formed, with a ghostly body covering the massive skeleton. It pulled a sword and lifted the blade high. "We don't have time to wait for you to die for each of those eyes."

Danzou began to unwrap the right eye on his head and Itachi silently observed one obvious fact, 'That has to be Shisui's. I can't let him use it! If he kills it Shisui will be devastated.

Itachi's Susanoo dropped the blade down onto the old man, just as he began shrugging off his shirt, Danzou next revealed his right arm and a face appeared on his shoulder, from which a large tree began to grow. It blocked the blade enough for him to jump away from the giant creature.

"So you also stole the First's DNA." Fugaku observed.

Susanoo lifted the word again just but the jutsu faded as Itachi was dropped to his knees with a coughing fit. Spitting up blood he wiped his eyes, only to find that both of them were bleeding and he could barely see anything. It was all a fuzzy, double image that kept moving. Or perhaps it was himself that was swaying. Taking a deep breath, he stood up again and Susanoo became whole once again.

"You're at your limit, young Itachi. But no worries. I'll put you out of your misery soon enough." He lifted his hands to start the seals for another jutsu just as Fugaku's Susanoo grabbed him again. Only this time he was unable to escape as Itachi's Susanoo ran its blade through the old man's body.

The blade that sealed one's soul in an alternate dimension for all time was impervious to Izanagi and Danzou fell away, broken in half, onto the ground. His lifeless body lay like that for a full minute as everyone held their breath, waiting to see if he was truly dead.

"It looks like you did it, Itachi." Fugaku released his jutsu as he fell forward onto his hand and knees, breathing heavily. His eyes were also bleeding, but unlike Itachi, or even Sasuke, his health didn't seem to suffer, other than just being extremely tired.

Itachi, on the other hand, started coughing again as more blood was expelled from his lungs. Having trouble catching his breath he fumbled in his pocket for his asthma medication, only to have Kakashi pull it out for him.

"Need some help?" The man was grim, and seemed a little out of sorts, but Itachi accepted the offer nonetheless as he popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed.

"Don't harm the head." Itachi heard Fugaku order. He looked up and saw Kisame standing over the corpse with his sword lifted in the air.

"Humph. What about that arm?" The blue man pointed at the Sharingan filled arm.

"Mash it to pulp."

"Gladly." Kisame smiled for the first time since the mission had begun, and Itachi could have sworn that there was something different in it. Of course. It was the teeth. Usually, the fish man bared his teeth when he smiled, as if grimacing. This time he Kept his mouth closed and his eyes half-way closed.

'That's the first real smile I've ever seen you give.' Itachi thought to himself as he watched Kisame begin to shred the corpse with his Samehada.

"Are you well enough to move?" Fugaku asked his son.

"Yes…" Itachi was interrupted by Kakashi.

"No he's not. But I can carry him on my back."

The teen swayed slightly, and put his hand out in front of him to keep from collapsing. "Why aren't you affected?" He asked his father.

"I am." Fugaku admitted, "I need to rest for several hours, perhaps even a day or two. But we need to get out of here and return to the rendezvous point." He wiped the blood away from his eye and yawned broadly before picking up Danzou's head and placing in a jutsu sealed bag.

"That was too easy." Zabuza muttered, but he seemed pleased at the result, nonetheless.

"Don't worry. You'll no doubt get a turn to fight before we're done here." Fugaku reassured him.

"I'm counting on it."

"Well, if everyone is ready, let's get out of here."

They departed quickly and silently, and for the moment, life went on as usual inside of Ki. Missions were planned, children sent to school, houses cleaned, and TV shows watched. Everything was normal and everyone expected it to stay that way. But unbeknownst to them, their leader lay dead just outside the tree and his killers were still around. Life was about to change and very few people were going to let it happen willingly.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, Deidara, Suigetsu and Haku continue their fight.**

**Updates on Fridays**

**Please review**


	65. Chapter 65 The Light and the Dark

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! There were a lot of them last week. More are always welcome.**

**I'm sorry this is late. This time, it's because I was being lazy. No other excuse. That's it. Oh well. It's been that kind of a week. Lots to do but I don't want to do anything. xD**

**Chapter 65 – The Light and the Dark**

"I think he may be blind." Kakashi was sitting in a crouch in front of Fugaku, who was resting on the ground using his backpack as a pillow.

Fugaku nodded once, "It definitely doesn't look good." He had fallen asleep as soon as they had reached the rendezvous point, but Kakashi had woken him up after an hour, knowing that his commander would get upset if he slept for too long. And besides, there was still a lot to do.

"'Doesn't look good' is an understatement!" Zabuza interjected, "I've never seen such a thing, and I've seen everything. His eyes were completely white except for a tiny black pupil in the middle. And, in the worse case scenario, we'll have to leave him here while we take our three targets back to Konoha."

Again Fugaku nodded. It was standard procedure that the mission took precedence over ones health. And that was supposed to mean that teammates got left behind, to be retrieved later – either dead or alive.

Of course, Kakashi had other ideas, "I'm not leaving him."

"We will have to see what happens before deciding that, Kakashi," Fugaku replied quietly, "But in the worst case, where Sakura, Sai and Kabuto have to be carried back to Konoha, we may have no choice, and you will have to accept it. I can leave my summon cats here and you also have your dogs. He won't be unguarded."

The white-haired ninja scowled under his mask, but decided not to argue the issue any further until he knew more about the situation. And, of course, he trusted his dogs implicitly. If it did come down to that he knew they would protect him as long as they could. Of course, there seemed to be someone else who was also concerned about the teen who had fallen asleep seconds after being removed from the scene of Danzou's final stand.

Kisame was sitting about two feet from Itachi's head deep in thought. Kakashi took a deep breath before speaking hesitantly to the big man, "What are you thinking?"

"Hmm?" Kisame looked up at where the sky would have been if it wasn't for the thick canopy of branches and leaves that had hidden it from the ground for thousands of years. "Just thinking about how messed up all this is. He's dead, and I've wanted it for so long, but there's no way to…" His voice disappeared and he went back to staring at Itachi. After a couple minutes he spoke again, his voice lower and a small smile playing on his lips, "But I will sleep better now. I got my revenge and that man can't do anymore harm. He can't rip apart any more families now."

"You're sounding rather melancholy, Kisame. That isn't like you." Zabuza taunted. "Besides, his followers are still out there. Even though Danzou is dead, there will be lots of people still running around killing in his name. They will come after Konoha." He turned to Fugaku, "So what are you going to do about Ki?"

"Humph." The Hokage closed his eyes for a second, then opened them slowly, "Wiping them out, down to the last man woman and child would be logical choice. But that is something Danzou would do. That is what we, as ninja, are taught is the correct way to deal with problems."

"But?" Zabuza prodded, a big smile on his lips.

"But… it seems the next generation has different ideals." He turned to look at his son again and sighed, "There was a time when Itachi would have done anything I asked of him. But as he is now, he would never follow that order." Once again he closed his eyes and expelled a deep sigh, "Thank God for that."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Do something stupid like that again and I'll personally incapacitate you to keep you out of the way!" Haku yelled as he stood over his white-haired teammate, who was currently lying on the floor panting after having been pulled out of the way of a rather potent fire jutsu. "You may think you're in our league kid, but you are no more than Chuunin level. If that. Got it?"

Suigetsu sat up, took a deep breath and scowled, "He caught me off guard. That's all it was."

"Ha ha ha!" The jailer stood over the pair and laughed heartily at their bickering. The man was one of several elite Shinobi Danzou had assigned to meet the team he suspected would be showing up to rescue the three traitors. The large prison, built underneath one of the massive trees the area was known for, was composed of several terraces that went straight up until it hit the base of the tree. All of the fighting, so far, had taken place on the lowest level. Although Deidara with his flying owl was definitely trying to change that.

"What are you laughing at?" Haku was calm again and looked carefully at the man in front of him. His Kekkei Genkai was definitely going to win the fight, but he was suddenly curious.

"You hanging out with that kid. A member of the infamous Ice clan hanging out with a member of the Hoozuki clan. You're ancestors would be turning over in their graves if they knew."

Haku and Suigetsu looked at each, clearly in the dark about whatever it was their taunter was hinting at.

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about." Haku replied with a blank look on his face.

"The Hoozuki clan never mentioned an Ice clan when I was still living with them and my brother. Besides, Haku is from the north of Water country and we stayed in the east." Suigetsu tried his best to remember any hint of a conversation that could elaborate on what the ninja was saying, but nothing came to mind. Of course, he was quite young then, and it was possible he had forgotten.

"Travel in Water country is very difficult. Until the formation of Mist village ninjas rarely left their territories so I doubt our two clans would have interacted much at all."

Kabuto, who had be standing nearby trying his best to look like he was not weak from his stint in an underground dungeon spoke up, "He's lying. Don't fall for it. He's just trying to rile you up."

Haku laughed, "Thanks, but I think we figured that out on our own."

Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto grinned back and moved so he could lean against the wall. "That's good to know." He glanced down at Sakura and Sai who were now lying down sleep. They lacked the energy to remain conscious and Kabuto silently cursed the circumstances that let them all to this situation.

Deidara chose that moment to launch an attack on the terrace opposite the one they were standing on. The clay caterpillar he tossed at it flared for a moment before exploding magnificently in a burst of flames and noise. Flashing a mischievous grin he dove towards the floor again.

Haku stepped back two paces as the distracted shinobi watched Deidara's wild flying. Raising one hand he formed series of signs as he quickly raised his other hand, palm up.

Too late they realized their mistake as they were enclosed tightly on all four sides and above by several thick, chakra enforced panels of ice. The clear cube was left open at the corners so air could get through, but other than that it was inescapable. The ninja pounded heedlessly on the cold walls of their tiny prison and yelled, but no one could hear them.

"Are they suffocating?" Suigetsu asked hopefully.

"No." Haku responded with a small smile, "In fact, the chakra will wear off in about four or five hours and they can escape easily."

"Is that wise?"

"I see no point in killing people needlessly." Sighing at the younger boys bloodlust he turned his attention back to Deidara.

The mad bomber had cornered his prey on the bottom floor and was keeping them on their toes with a series of well placed explosions. In fact, upon closer inspection Haku noticed that there was a definite pattern to his attacks.

Four ninja were backed up against a wall and effectively immobilized by a series of holes that had been blown through the floor. Weakened, the floor was beginning to sag, but every time one of the men would try to move forward to safety Deidara would blow another hole in the floor, forcing them back.

"Are you ready to go?" Haku yelled out across the open expanse of the prison, only to find himself on his knees when something hit him across the back, knocking him down.

Quickly turning around he watched as Suigetsu flew threw the air as he too was quickly dispatched by a very large woman, well over six-and-a-half feet tall, was standing over the teen with what could only be described as an insane look in her eyes. Her ebony skin was set off by shoulder length white hair and light brown eyes that perfectly matched her brown leather shorts and white sleeveless shirt.

She reached down and lifted Haku up by the front of his jacker and held him up over her head for a moment, "I think the young man wants to go flying like his little friend over there." Her voice was surprisingly feminine.

Throwing the teen over the edge of the railing she quickly turned her attention back to Suigetsu, "Humph. He was hardly worth the effort. That little fall shouldn't have knocked him out. What a wimp."

The boy was lying against a badly cracked wall, while blood leaked from the back of his head and his left arm was bent in an angle that could only indicate a break.

"Loli..." Kabuto stared at the woman warily, "Why are you here?"

"Danzou wants to keep his personal physician safe and sound. Why do you ask?" Loli ran a hand through her hair and looked over the edge of the railing.

"I had a feeling that flyboy would catch him, but I was hoping he would miss." Haku was now sitting behind Deidara, arms firmly wrapped around the teens middle as if holding for dear life.

He looks scared." Kabuto snickered. "Anyway, if you are here where is Danzou? I know you are one of his personal guards."

Suigetsu mumbled something as he slowly climbed to his feet. "So he sent away his guards, eh? That must mean he's dead. With both Itachi and Fugaku after him, he won't last five minutes."

"You looking to get your ass whooped again kid?" Loli growled angrily.

"No. Once is enough." Suigetsu gave the woman a toothy grin.

"Smart boy. I..." She was interrupted when Kabuto suddenly leapt away, landing on top of Sakura and Sai as a huge explosion shook the terrace.

Smoke and dust filled their lungs as Kabuto and Suigetsu started coughing. Sakura and Sai also began coughing as they were jolted awake by the sudden noise. Lifting them up so they were sitting, Kabuto hoped they had the energy to cough because if they inhaled too much of the dust it would make them sicker then they already were.

"You guys still alive down there?" Haku yelled.

"There's always that possibility, but maybe we should wait a few minutes before answering that!" Kabuto yelled up at the pair on the owl.

"He's mad at us." Haku said to Deidara.

"Who cares?" Deidara answered "That kunoichi fell over the edge. I don't think she's getting up any time soon either."

Kabuto got to his feet and looked around. The part of the terrace that Loli had been standing on had disappeared and the woman was now lying underneath a huge section of concrete with only her foot sticking out.

"She's still alive." Kabuto muttered to himself. Suigetsu was staring across the chasm, realizing that he was now cut off from the others.

There was a loud roar as the large cement block was shattered into a hundred pieces. Loli stood up and brushed dirt and cement bit off of her clothes and hair.

"Ha! That was definitely fun! I haven't been tossed around like that since I left the village hidden in the Clouds." she looked around, trying to find a way back up to the terrace. The stairs, however, were one of the first things Deidara had destroyed.

"She can't use chakra to jump." Kabuto explained to the others, "I'm not sure why. Still, I hate to rush you, but we need to get out of here now. If Loli was sent here then the other personal guards must be near by."

Deidara landed his owl on the remaining terrace just as Suigetsu used chakra to leap over the chasm. Pulling out a piece of clay the blond quickly formed it into a second owl and helped Haku drape Sakura and Sai over its back. They were too weak to sit up and Haku quickly fashioned a harness to keep them from falling off.

Meanwhile, Kabuto quickly wrapped Suigetsu's broken arm. He didn't have enough chakra to fix it or even lessen the pain. However, the boy had a collection of soldier pills and he quickly chewed on one to deaden the throbbing.

"Suigetsu can ride with me." Deidara pointed to his owl. "I could make a third owl for you two to share but I might not make it to the top before I run out of chakra. So..."

We're on our own." Haku smiled at Deidara and then turned to Kabuto, "Race you to the top!"

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"Hey Kisame," Zabuza laughed, "Remember when we used to bet on how many ninjas would come back dead, wounded, or untouched?"

"If you're asking me to make a bet with you, forget it. We both know Suigetsu will be wounded, Deidara will be out of chakra and Haku will be running on low." Kisame couldn't resist laughing at his old teammate as memories of their time as Mist ninjas drifted through his head. They did have a few good times together and that was certainly something he hadn't forgotten.

"Can't get one by you. How about you, Kakashi, Fugaku, want to bet?"

Kakashi closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, "With those odds, it's not worth it."

"If you're that hard up for money maybe you should ask for a raise?" Fugaku smiled at the bored ninja.

"Hmm. Can I have a raise, boss?" Zabuza asked the Hokage.

"Ask Tsunade." Fugaku snickered.

"Ha!" The ex-mist nin found that very amusing, but his attention was drawn back to their surroundings as a familiar chakra signal drew near."

"Someone is coming." Kakashi said quietly. "Oh, it's the other team and I think we have a solution to our transportation problem, Lord Fugaku."

The Hokage chuckled, "Assuming Deidara's chakra holds up that is. He looks about ready to collapse."

Haku spoke up as soon as he got close, "Kabuto is in good enough health, but Sakura and Sai need treatment as soon as possible. Deidara used too much chakra and will need to rest before continuing on. Oh, and Suigetsu has a broken arm and a concussion and should be see seen by a doctor. He refuses to admit it, but he keeps getting dizzy."

For some reason Kisame and Zabuza broke out laughing, causing the new arrivals to look at them, and wonder if they had finally gone completely insane.

"Never mind them." Fugaku stood up and took a deep breath as he looked around at the remaining team. "Zabuza, you carry Itachi. Kakashi, Haku, Kabuto and myself will switch off carrying Sai and Sakura."

"I suppose that leaves me with you two." Kisame gave Deidara and Suigetsu a lopsided grin that seemed to have a hint of something evil behind it. The two boys looked warily at each other before nodding. Neither of them had enough chakra left to argue or even escape whatever it was he had planned for them.

"What… what are you going to do?" Suigetsu whispered, pulling his broken arm closer to his body.

"I'm going to call a healer to look at you two."

"But I'm okay. You don't have to call him. I just need to sleep. Suigetsu's the one that's sick!" Deidara's voice sounded paniced, and everyone looked at him curiously.

"Who's he going to call?" Suigetsu asked.

"Kakuzu." Kisame answered, "One of the best healers I've ever met. But he's want paid. In cash. And Deidara, you just got over a major virus and running out of chakra like this will likely make you sick again. Besides, it amuses me to see you panic around Kakuzu, and I could use some amusement about now."

The blue man walked over the Itachi, who was still sleeping fitfully on the ground. It seemed as if he was about to say something, but instead he turned around and walked away with Deidara and Suigetsu following close behind.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Itachi had no idea how long he had been asleep, but the first thing he noticed when he woke up was the sensation of being carried. He could smell the damp forest, feel the light, cool drizzle of rain against he heated skin, and hear the sound of water dripping from the leaves.

But he wasn't able to see any of it. Not even the faintest of light penetrated his now lifeless eyes. A feeling of intense sorrow overwhelmed him as he thought of all the things he would never see. His family, his friends, his home, and his child. It was almost overwhelming and he had to stop himself from shedding the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes.

"Itachi…" Kakashi was at his side, running behind the person carrying him on his back. He guessed it was probably Zabuza, judging by the chakra. "Itachi, we got Shisui's eye from Danzou. You're going to be okay." He reached up and whipped the teen's face off with a cloth. "The rain is getting on your face, I'll see if I can fashion a hat of some kind to protect it. You're running quite a high fever too. Can't have you getting sicker than you already are."

Itachi tried to speak, but his words caught in his throat. Nodding, he let the copy-ninja know he heard what he was saying.

Kakashi continued, "Sakura and Sai are okay, too. They're suffering from malnutrition; it appears Danzou was trying to slowly starve them to death. But they'll recover."

"I'm doing great as well." Kabuto butted in, smiled broadly, "Thanks to you."

"Less talk, more sleep." Fugaku interrupted, but his words held more worry in them than was usual for him. Itachi felt himself drift off again.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The next time Itachi awoke he was lying in a bed with sheets that had a subtle scent of bleach. He could feel a slight breeze from what was surely an open window and to his left was the aroma of roses. He could also smell the floral bouquet of Sheeta's and his mother's respective perfumes.

But he couldn't see them.

Reaching up he placed a hand over his eyes, only to find bandages instead. They completely covered the upper part of his face.

"Itachi." Sheeta's soft voice reached out to him as her warm fingers wrapped around his hands, pulling them away from his eyes. "You're finally awake." Her voice was shaking, as if she had been crying for a long time.

"We were told you would be waking up soon, but it's been so long…"

"How long?" Itachi could barely speak, and his throat was unbearably soar for some reason.

Sheeta spoke next, running her words together in an attempt to get the horrible memory out of her head as soon as possible, "You stopped breathing and they put a tube in your throat and you were on life support for a whole day and then you were in a coma for almost a week and then last night Tsunade finally said you were healed up enough to implant the eye."

"A week?" Itachi tried to clear his throat but it hurt too bad and he gave up.

"Two weeks." Mikoto clarified.

"Sheeta… you're not supposed to leave the house."

The teen gave a nervous laugh, "I still have to keep my medical appointments, Itachi. It's okay."

"He's awake?" Tsunade stuck her head in the door, "Good. I thought I felt his chakra. You're doing very well, Itachi. The eye took root immediately. I've never seen such a thing. Although Kakashi says the same thing happened with him when he received Obito's eye. It must be something unique to the Sharingan. I am going to leave your eyes bandaged for another day, though, just in case."

"My throat." Itachi muttered hoarsely.

"You had a tube in your throat for a little over a day. That usually messes you up for a while, but it's not permanent. Sheeta, it's time for your appointment. Come with me and I'll have you checked out and back with Itachi in no time at all."

Itachi relaxed and a smiled as his mother wrapped her hand around his, "Go back to sleep, Itachi."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The next day Itachi's room was crowded with people. It was confining, and the teen wanted nothing more than to have them all to leave, however he didn't have the heart to ask. He had worried, for the last few hours, about how he would deal with the disappointment if the transplant didn't work. Having his parents, wife, Toshiro and Kisa there as well would make the disappointment even harder.

Besides, the whole scene reminded him of one of the soap operas Sheeta's aunt was addicted too.

"Itachi, you've healed very nicely so quit tensing up." Tsunade's voice sounded both confident and cheerful and she began to cut away the bandages. Itachi sighed. So it wasn't going to be like the TV shows. In the soap operas the doctor would roll the bandages and the patient would see the world grow increasingly lighter through a veil of gauze. The bandages fell away with only three snips of the medical sheers and Itachi blinked at the bright light.

"Why is it so bright?" Itachi asked, his voice still a little hoarse and he knew his words were probably not what one should say after getting ones sight back. However, no one else seemed to think that and began to cheer, laugh, and pat him on the back.

"You've been loosing your vision for years, Itachi." Tsunade's clear voice carried over the noise, "And that meant more than just seeing things become blurry. You were also loosing the light. But you'll have to have some physical therapy. You only have one working eye now, so you'll have to train yourself to see without binocular vision."

Itachi turned his to look at Kisa and Toshiro who were now sitting on the edge of his bed at his feet, holding hands. Tears were streaming out of Kisa's eyes.

'_Mother. Father.'_ The voice was loud and clear, echoing though his head with intense emotion, _'I never thought I would see you again. Itachi… you brought me home.'_

Itachi's eyes opened wide as he stared at the room behind Kisa and Toshiro. There should have been no one behind them, but the shimmer in the air, and the lightness in heart told him that there was more to Shisui than just chakra. His spirit had also been trapped.

"What are you looking at?" Mikoto asked, and everyone turned their head to the other side of the room.

Itachi realized they couldn't see anything and smiled, "Everything."

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, Konoha makes plans for Ki, and we'll check in on Madara and co.**

**I guess that last bit was probably a bit cliché, but I guess there wasn't really any other way to do it. So Itachi has one blind eye and one good eye. The blind eye will still move around and stuff, since the muscles still work, but the vision is gone. It's kind of weird to think of it that way, though.**

**Please review **

**Updates on Fridays**


	66. Chapter 66 The First Move

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs.**

**We're getting near the end of the story, although there are still a lot of chapters left. Madara is getting desperate and Itachi is, well, being Itachi. Does that make sense? Oh well. Anyway, here is the next chapter. **

**You know, I don't think Pein is dead. It's pouring outside. Unless… you don't think he and Konan had kids, do you? That's scary… little mini-Peins running around making it rain and mini-Konans running around giving people paper cuts. Lol, for some reason I like that idea.**

**Naruto is owned by Kishimoto. **

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 66 The First Move**

The bright blue sky was a welcome visitor to the village as families gathered together for a day of picnicking or watching one of three soccer games scheduled at the arena. The carnival-like atmosphere and good spirits were no doubt caused by two big events in the rather complicated life of Konoha. Danzou's death at the hands of Itachi and Fugaku (confirmed by a DNA test), as well as the subsequent appointment of Tsunade as the Sixth Hokage.

The news that Fugaku had stepped down was like closing the door on the worst years of the villager's lives. Many felt that the long civil war was finally over and everything would get back to normal. But Tsunade spread the word that their problems were far from over, that Ki was still out there as well as "other" enemies, but that did little to dampen anyone's spirits.

Returning home from the hospital, Itachi was pleased to learn that he would have a few days off, and planned to spend them with Sheeta. Six months had passed in her pregnancy and she was definitely showing.

She had a whole new wardrobe to accomodate her new size, purchased by practically every female member of both the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans. There were so many outfits that Sheeta doubted she would be able to wear all of them, but she accepted the gifts in good grace anyway.

The men, on the other hand, send Itachi gifts of sake (in spite of his age), toys for the baby, and coupons for restaurants so he and his wife could go out after the baby came. Fugaku confiscated the sake, saying he needed it more than his son. Although Itachi suspected some of it was being funneled to Tsunade.

The toys were placed in the nursery, which had been professionally decorated and still didn't have a crib. Sheeta said it was on special order and would be delivered in July. Mikoto reassured her son that if it was late she still had the crib she had used for him and Sasuke. In fact, it was sitting in a spare room upstairs already.

"Just in case." Mikoto smiled. After all, the baby was due in July.

"Maybe we should cancel the order for the new crib and use mother's." Itachi suggest as he and Sheeta sat on a blanket near the pond in the back yard. The bamboo fountain near them splattered water onto the tip of the blanket every time it fell with a clunk, but neither of the teens felt like moving. The warm sun, the friendly atmosphere of the town, and the wonderful lunch that Sheeta had prepared for them had left them feeling lazy and in a good mood.

"Oh, It's okay." Sheeta replied with a big smile on her face. "It's not like it won't ever be used again."

"I guess we can put it in the living room downstairs. It'll be easier on mother to babysit when you start your new job in the fall."

She's definitely going to need the assistance." Sheeta laughed.

Maybe we should hire a nanny?" Itachi watched as a large gold and white koi swam to the surface of the pond and gulped some air before lazily swimming away. Naruto had purchased the fish on a whim a few days earlier and had been fussing over it ever since.

"Already taken care of."

"Is there anything for me to do? I feel like you guys are overloading yourselves."

"So says the guy who went blind fighting Danzou, killed Orochimaru, and saved me from that poison." Sheeta kissed him shyly on the cheek, "I think I can forgive you for tricking me."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

As Konoha celebrated, Madara fumed. He had called the Uchiha council to his mansion and had placed Sasuke in a chair to his left. Sora sat to his right. Everyone else was sitting on the floor of the large underground meeting room on thin cushions.

"It is a slap in the face!" Madara wasn't yelling, but his loud voice carried the tone of one who was. "For an Uchiha to gain power over the Senju and then hand it back to them on a silver platter! To Hashirama's granddaugghter at that!"

"If you ask me he did it to send us a message." A middle aged man in a long blue robe spoke up, "This requires action!"

"We should wipe those traitors off the face of the earth!" An elderly lady exclaimed in an aged voice.

"What? No way!" Sasuke spoke up without thinking.

"Why is the boy here?" The first man snapped angrily.

"Because he is my son." Madara stated plainly, much to the surprise of those in attendance.

Sora stood up, leaning heavily on his cane, "What we need to do is to assert our position over Konoha. Fugaku has removed any authority we could have gained over them by stepping down. Tactically it was a brilliant move. Instead of staying and finishing the game, he has, instead, jumped his 'king' to a different Shogi board and turned it into a bishop."

"I am surprised he would do such a thing. He is your grandson, is he not?" Another elder observed.

"Yes." Sora sighed, "But I have already decided that he will not get in the way of our plans. The 'Eye of the Moon' plan is too important. The future cannot be delayed by one man's vain folly." He sat back down, setting his cane in front of him.

Sasuke tried to understand what the elders were talking about, but he couldn't wrap his head around it. "Are... are you talking about..." His voice failed him and he looked up helplessly at Madara who was, it turned out, looking down at him with a grim expression on his face.

"Sasuke, Fugaku Uchiha has just been given a death sentence. And until it is enacted, you will stay here under twenty-four hour surveillance. As my son I have big plans for your future. Don't disappoint me. As you have probably guessed, I don't handle such things very well." Madara's stern words carried such power and finality that Sasuke could practically feel the air of death around him.

"What... what about mom and Itachi and..."

Madara interrupted him, "Mikoto and Sheeta are safe as long as they stay out of the way. What happens to Itachi is still up in the air."

"What does that mean?" Sasuke yelled, getting to his feet and turning on the elder Uchiha. "You can't hurt him! He's my brother!"

For some reason several people in the meeting smiled and looked at each other, nodding and mumbling.

Madara was silent for a couple minutes, seemingly lost in thought. "Then perhaps you would like to do something to help Itachi? As his brother, you hold his life in your hands."

The boy clenched his fists and scrunched his face up in anger, "Anything!"

"I'm glad you understand the situation, Sasuke."

x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x x x

"I still can't think of a good name for him." Naruto said as he watched Fugaku approach him. He had come home an hour earlier from a day of training with his friends and had gone straight to the pond.

"No one said you had to name him. Besides, he might get eaten." Fugaku had always enjoyed watching koi swim around in ponds, but the hawks used to deliver messages were known to help themselves to snacks and therefore there were very few remaining out in the open.

"Kiba is going to ask his sister to teach him a jutsu to protect my fish. He thinks there must be one. Although he wasn't sure about that." The boy's voice turned downcast.

"Well, at least you tried."

"Trying isn't good enough if the people you want to protect die in the process." He looked up and watched as a hawk with a message roll tied to it's back fly overhead in a lazy circle before leaving. "I'm sleeping out here tonight."

Fugaku was about to object, after all it was only a stupid fish, but there seemed to be something else behind his sudden stubbornness. Instead, he turned around and went back into the house.

"He misses Sasuke, and he feels useless because he could do anything to protect Sakura and Sai." Fugaku declared as he entered the kitchen and sat down to eat his dinner.

"His time will come." Mikoto added. "Although I would be perfectly happy if he would just stay safe for the rest of his life.

"And that is what his parents would have also wanted. Unfortunately that option was taken away from him at birth. "

x x x x x x x x x x x x

The sound of several people walking across gravel brought Fugaku to the plate glass window that separated the living room from the garden. It was nearly eight 'o clock and the moon had not yet risen to illuminate the star filled sky. Peering out into the dark night he saw several of Naruto's friends, lead of course by Hinata who no doubt met them at the entrance of the compound. Unlike Itachi's friends, the kids Naruto and even Sasuke for that matter, hung out with were rather shy about entering without getting some kind of invite or escort.

"I have a jutsu to hide the pond." Kiba stretched his arms out in front o him and grinned broadly at his success. "Big sister says that hunting birds can't see it but other birds still can."

"Yeah Naruto! It's great! Kiba says you'd still get little songbirds coming to drink and bathe in the pond but the delivery hawks won't see it anymore." Hinata was kneeling by the side of the water running her hand through the cool liquid.

Kiba glanced at the window catching Fugaku's eye. "Mom said to make sure I get permission first since it isn't really your house."

Fugaku smirked at the image of the overbearing dog trainer trying to heel in a boy that was just as out of control as Naruto. In Many ways that woman continued to amuse him. He nodded to give his assent and noticed that Sakura and Sai were also there with Ino. They both seemed a little pale but the fact that they were now mixing with their friends was certainly a good sign.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Naruto watched as Kiba executed his sister's jutsu. There seemed to be no change in the pond itself, and the large fish was swimming around Hinata's fingers as if nothing had happened.

"How do you know it worked?" Naruto asked belligerently, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's why I'm here." Ino stepped forward. "I can move my soul into a bird of prey and look down here."

"But it's nighttime! There aren't any hawks out!" Naruto whined.

Sai hit him upside the head, "I know hitting you is Sakura's job, but I couldn't help myself. You ever hear owls around here? I heard several just walking around tonight."

Naruto gave a short laugh, "Oh yeah. They eat mice though. Do they eat fish too?"

"Whether they do or not this jutsu still applies to them as well." Kiba offered.

Ino was now lying on the ground with her head on Sakura's lap to keep her hair from getting dirt and pebbles in it. Everything was silent for a few minutes until an owl flew down from the nearby woods and landed on the wooden fence.

Ino awoke with a start and sat up.

Sakura spoke quietly, "What did you see?"

"Nothing!" The girl stated cheerfully. "The owl didn't see anything down here except a blurry patch of ground and she didn't smell or here anything either."

"That's great!" Sakura and Hinata said at the same time, then laughed at their synchronization.

"Now you can come with us to the Shogi match. It still has another hour so." Hinata reminded Naruto.

"Do I have to?" Naruto was whining again. "I don't want to watch a bunch of old fogies playing shogi."

"Shikamaru, Ji and Neji aren't old. Besides, Ji is ranked number one in the region for his age group." Sakura smiled, "And the only reason Shikamaru and Neji are competing is because you need five on a team for the match and his club had two kids quit last week."

"Fine. I owe you guys anyway." Naruto cheered up, "Let's go cheer them on! Shikamaru's going to win, and them complain about it for the next two weeks."

"It's a team competition." Hinata replied softly. "Even if he wins the team could still loose."

"With Ji and Shikamaru, it would take a miracle for that team to loose." Sai said happily, "They wanted you to join too, Hinata. You should have."

"I have too much to do with the clan. I don't have time." She smiled, "Anyway, let's run!"

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

With the pet fish taken care of, life went back to (semi) normal. Or what passed for normal in a ninja village. With Tsunade as the Sixth Hokage everyone had pretty much assumed Fugaku would retire and lead a quiet life as the head of the Uchiha clan.

But they were wrong. Fugaku was immediately placed as the commander of a special task force to fight Akatsuki. Or to be more precise, Madara.

He and Tsunade knew what the implications of him stepping down would be and they knew they were running out of time. Fugaku had, essentially given the proud ninja warrior a slap in the face when he handed Konoha over to Hashirama's granddaughter.  
Which was one of the main reasons he had done it. He knew Madara wasn't ready to make his move yet. He still had several more tailed beasts to seal away and his followers were drifting away from him. By making the first move, Fugaku was now poised to force the unprepared Mist leader to step forward.

"We can expect him to show up any day now." Fugaku was speaking on the rooftop parade ground of the Hokage tower to the elite force he had put together. Composed of high level Shinobi, including Itachi, Kakashi, Zabuza and surprisingly, Kabuto it was backed up by two other squads. One composed of medical ninjas (including Haku) and the second made up of the top trackers in the village.

Tsunade, however, having learned from the mistakes of her teacher Sarutobi, had put a deadline on the new organization. Instead of allowing it to exist indefinitely like Root had (which continued to carry on even after Sarutobi had disbanded it) she had given it a drop dead date of one month after Madara's fall.

"His first target will be me and Itachi, believing that our deaths will lessen Konoha's power. But we all know that Konoha is not carried on the backs of just two men. We all shoulder it equally."

He looked over the three groups, a total of fifty men and women. They were nodding their heads in agreement. "Ki is also preparing for an attack, having refused Tsunade's offer to become a satellite outpost of Konoha. However, we will leave that battle to the regular forces and Anbu. Unless called upon for assistance we will maintain our mission."

This was met with stony silence. The trained shinobi understood their duty and knew that confusion during a battle could easily lead to the fall of their village.

"The tracker squads have already been given their assignments and will be leaving immediately. They will watch over the outside of the village and verify the identity of anyone who comes within a ten mile radius of Kona. We also..."

Naruto ran out onto the parade ground, followed closely by Sakura. "Lord Fugaku! He's back!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You have to tell him who is back! Lord Fugaku, Sasuke has come home and is at your house. He said he wants to talk to you and Itachi."

Fugaku saw a momentary look of panic cross Itachi's face. This was not just a visit to see his family. There was no doubt in their minds why he was here and who had sent him.

Looking over the gathered shinobi he closed his eyes in resignation, "Madara has just made the next move."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Sasuke, its' good to see you again, my son." Fugaku stepped forward and placed one hand firmly on top of the boy's head, before sliding his hand along Sasuke's hair and letting it fal back to his side. He watched as Sasuke's face lit up when Itachi entered the room a moment later.

"Hi Itachi." the smile he gave his older brother was real and filled with the happiness that only a reunion after a long separation could give.

"Hello little brother." He poked Sasuke just above his right eye. "Oops. Sorry, my aim was off. I can only see out of one eye now. No binocular vision, you know?"

Sasuke laughed, "You're a bad liar. You did that on purpose. Nice eye patch, by the way. Are you a pirate now?"

"Yeah, why not?" Itachi turned serious and looked up at his father, while speaking to his brother, "But I sense you aren't here to discuss my medical condition."

Sasuke's face fell. "He's really mad. Madara is. He asked me..."

"Ordered you mean?" Fugaku interjected.

Sasuke gave him a dirty look and for a moment it looked like he was going to disagree, but instead he just nodded his head, "Yeah, well, he's not really the kind of guy you say 'no' to. Anyway, he's pissed off because you aren't the lead Hokage anymore. He says he knows what you're up to and he's not going to let it get in the way of his plans for world peace."

"World domination, you mean." Fugaku said.

"No, he wants peace. He took me around Water country and showed me all the bad things war does to people. He even..." he turned his attention to Itachi, "He even took me to _that_ place. To..."

"He wouldn't _dare_ do something that low." Itachi practically hissed the words and it was so unlike him that both Fugaku and Sasuke looked at him in surprise.

Sasuke gulped, "There were only a few bones. And there were even some of a kid like me. The whole valley is grown over. You'd never know there was a village there. And that's why you have to support Madara instead of fighting him."

"Sasuke... do you realize what you are asking?" Itachi spoke up, "Naruto will have to die in order for this to come to pass."

"I know." Sasuke said in a weak voice. "Just like in my dream."

"And still you will support him?" Itachi whispered.

Sasuke nodded, "I said I would protect Sheeta and the baby and I meant it. But how... how can I protect anyone if the world is continuously at war? Naruto will die anyway... he'll be killed as a ninja on a mission. But in a world that doesn't need ninja... Then..." Sasuke gripped his fists tightly and looked up at his father and brother, "You have to believe me! Please, I don't want him to kill you!"

Itachi sighed and looked down at the floor. The folds of skin between his nose and eyes grew deeper as he closed his eyes tightly, giving him the countenance of an old man.

Fugaku was the first to speak, "He really worked you over, didn't he?"

Unsure of what exactly that meant the boy looked to Itachi for clarification, but it was Fugaku's voice that he heard, "When are you returning? I assume he is waiting for you in the forest."

"Ye...yeah."

"Did he ask you to bring a guest with you?" Fugaku pressed.

Once again Sasuke failed to catch on and Fugaku sighed, "You are not to go near Naruto, nor are you to lift a hand against Konoha or its citizens. Just for clarification, Sasuke, you are my son, but that won't stay my hand if the nine-tails goes missing or Konoha is attacked. It has only been through my own goodwill that you have not been branded a runaway and imprisoned. Or worse, executed. You will find that most of the Shinobi do not feel as lenient towards your recent actions as I have been, and with Tsunade in control, my opinion means shit."

"You exaggerate." Sasuke's words cut through Fugaku's bravado like an axe. "Tsunade won't pick her nose without permission. She is about as unlikely to overrule you as she would be to walk past a bottle of sake without drinking it."

That was too much for Fugaku and he raised his fist to punch his son, only to find himself blocked by Itachi, "It's pretty obvious he's been coached in what to say, father. Let's not make things worse by fighting. We'll just regret it later."

"Humph." Fugaku backed off and crossed his arms over his chest. "How dare that man turn my own son against me."

"I'm not your..."

Again Itachi intervened, "Sasuke _never ever_ finish that sentence. The regret that will bring, will last you into your next ten reincarnations."

This time it was Sasuke's turn to back off. He struck a pose so much like Fugaku's that Itachi found himself smiling in spite of the severity of the situation. 'They may not me father and son by blood,' He thought to himself, 'But they are in any other way that matters.'

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Why did you let Sasuke leave again!" Naruto shouted at Fugaku, "He..."

Fugaku shook his head, glancing at his wife who was equally angry but slightly more understanding than their foster son. Naruto fell silent, sensing a problem.

"What's going on?" The boy asked in a small voice.

"Sasuke.... is..." Fugaku was interrupted by a booming voice coming from the direction of the front door. Since very few people ever entered from that location - preferring the door that faced the lake and was near the kitchen - everyone paused to look towards the little-used door leading to the hallway where the entrance lay.

"Pervy sage." Naruto said quielty.

"I'll get him." Mikoto left the room, returning less than two minutes later with the white haired sannin and, surprisingly, his fellow sannin Tsunade.

"News gets around fast." Fugaku muttered. "I was going to come see you after speaking to Naruto."

"Where is Itachi?" Tsunade asked.

"Escorting Sasuke out of the village." Mikoto subconsciously wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Hmm." Jiraiya looked closely at his godson. "Am I correct in my belief that Naruto is no longer safe in this house?"

"Yes." Fugaku's words cut into Mikoto and she quickly left the room, muttering something about getting everyone some tea.

"But... I... I don't want to leave here!" The boy had tears welling up in his eyes and Fugaku found himself wishing fervently that Sasuke was more like the boy in front of him than an Uchiha.

The elder Uchiha closed his eyes and sighed, "Naruto, under no circumstances are you to associate with Sasuke. You must not speak to him, write to him, read any letter from him, or otherwise be with him. Naruto, I do not say this lightly. Sasuke is being used by Madara and will attempt to draw you out of the village. If that happens, you will be killed and the nine-tails released into the hands of the enemy."

The boys face went completely white and for a moment everyone thought he was going to pass out.

"It ... can't be true..." Naruto muttered.

Fugaku turned his attention to the Hokage, "Tsunade... would you be willing to take custody of Minato's son?"

"Of course. I should never have left him alone in the first place. The moment I heard of his death..." She shook her head "I was too caught up in my own sorrow... it was selfish of me."

"Then he'll move in with you tomorrow." Fugaku also felt sad about seeing Naruto leave but the apartment in the Hokage tower would be a safer place for the boy to live. Now, if Madara showed up to get him, Naruto would be safe.

"Why... were you a good friend of my dad's?" Naruto sniffed.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, causing the boy to blink twice, equally surprised, "What? Granny Tsunade?"

"Are you telling me you don't know who I am?" Tsunade's eyes opened wide with amazement. "Minato was my son. I thought you knew that."

"I… What?" If it was possible for a human's eyes to pop out of their head then Naruto's would have been about a foot away from his skull.

"It's not a secret, you know." Jiraiya commented.

"Everyone knows." Fugaku muttered.

"Okay, so I'm a little slow. I think I've already figured that out." Naruto pouted, "Still…"

"Please humor us, my boy." Fugaku replied in a tired voice. "Madara will come for Itachi and me. If you are here when that happens, you would be easy to spirit away in the chaos that would follow. If you are with Tsunade and Jiraiya then we won't have to worry about you while we are dealing with him."

"'My boy.'" Naruto repeated. "So am I still part of the family? I… don't want to leave…"

"I promised Minato to look after you, Naruto. I came very close to breaking that promise a few years ago. Rest assured, that mistake will never be repeated. You are always welcome here."

Mikoto re-entered the living room pushing a tea cart with porcelain cups, teapot and a plate of cookies. Her eyes were puffy and her voice was a little shaky, "Please sit down and have some tea. Naruto, I have your favorite cookies. I'm sorry it took so long, but went up to check on Sheeta to make sure she was asleep and not watching TV." The woman gave a short laugh that sounded a little fake, "She uses a sound jutsu to mask the living room upstairs so we won't hear her."

"Mikoto…" Tsunade said in a small voice, "I'm really sorry about this."

"It's fine, Lady Tsunade." Mikoto smiled, "If he has to leave, it should be to live with you or Jiraiya. But you know, he can drive you up the wall sometimes, so try not to kill him too much."

Tsunade laughed, "Now that may be asking too much of me."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The evening was filled with the sounds of frogs as Itachi escorted his brother through the village. A few people recognized them and stopped to stared, but luckily the roads were pretty deserted. As a small town, most of the shops closed at six.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." Sasuke finally said after several minutes of silence. "I know you must hate me now. But… all that suffering…"

"Do you know anything about his plans?" Itachi interrupted.

"No. But… he's so powerful… and so sure he'll win…" His voice drifted off and the pair fell silent again.

"I don't hate you Sasuke. I could never do that." Itachi's quiet voice echoed in Sasuke's head and for a moment he wasn't sure he even heard the words.

"I want you to be safe." Sasuke muttered as they passed through the tall Konoha gates. "I promised to protect your family. I'm going to do that."

"I know you promised, but if you sell your soul to do it… Sasuke…" Itachi stopped walked and looked straight into his brother's eyes. The trees on either side of the road rose up around them, like walls closing in to crush the two brothers. "Sasuke, even though I could never hate you, if you sell your soul, I could never forgive you either."

"As long as Sheeta and the baby are safe, I will have to accept that." Sasuke replied in a voice that belied his years and Itachi found himself thinking the same thing. That if he could keep his wife and child safe, he would also sell his soul. And he knew, at that point, that there was truly nothing either of them wasn't capable of doing to protect the ones they loved.

"This…" Itachi said clearly, with a smile on his face, "must be what it means to be a family."

"We're pretty screwed up then, aren't we?" Sasuke also smiled.

"Yeah, we are." Itachi wrapped one arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezed, "But who cares? We are who we are."

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, more trouble with Ki and Madara.**

**I decided to go ahead and make Tsunade Naruto's grandma. It's a minor plot point so it's not overly important. It's just some weird theory I have in my head that won't go away, xD. **

**Please review! **

**Updates on Fridays!**


	67. Chapter 67 Confusion Before the Storm

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**I really need to go back over the chapters and fix a bunch of stuff - including those missing section dividers. It still pisses me off that they disappeared, and the way the site is constructed makes editing an already posted chapter time-consuming. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 67 The Confusion Before the Storm**

Morning shifted silently into afternoon as the sun continued to hide behind the ever-present mists of the small village. The late spring rains had finally halted, but the respite was expected to be temporary. Even so, the residents took little notice of the fog or the rain, or the time of day. The people in this town had much more important things on their minds.

Their kage had revealed to them that the allies they had thought they had only a few short months earlier had deserted them. Betrayed them. And now they were preparing for war. A war they were going to start.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Lying on her bed Aya couldn't help but reflect on the past and how she had ended up becoming the wife of Madara Uchiha. It all seemed so hectic, so unlikely and above all, nightmarish.

She had killed a man under the mistaken belief that he had some dirt on Itachi concerning Shisui's death and was going to use it to blackmail him if she refused to marry him.

It had been a mistake, and while it had taken a while, she had come to regret it. A long stream of "what-ifs" floated through her head, the chief one being that she should have just swallowed her pride and married that jerk. So many things would have been different.

She would still be in Konoha.

That jerk would still be alive.

Sasuke, and herself for that matter, wouldn't have been tricked into getting the Mangekyou Sharingan, and...

She sighed as she stared up at the wooded ceiling as she lay one hand over her stomach.

And her child would not have a demon for a father.

Well, perhaps. It was easy to live in a world of "what ifs" where everything turned out rosy if you had walked a different path. She was certainly smart enought to realize that, but that bit of wisdom did little to change her direction of thinking.

Rolling over on her side she stared out through the plate glass windows at the midday fog beyond them. Time and time again she was thankful that Madara had let her keep this room. He only called for her occasionally and lately, since discovering her new condition she had been completely avoiding him.

Sora, who had been the first to notice the growing bundle of joyful chakra in her abdomen, had promised not to say anything, But had also threatened her if anything happened to he child because of her silence.

Truth was, she had no idea how Madara was going to take it. He clearly doted on Sasuke, and there was no doubt the sorrow he felt over is dead children was real, but this was different. Sora had also been unable to predict his nephew's feelings, and given the events of late, nothing at all seemed predictable.

Sitting up she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She had managed to keep her secret for two weeks, but avoiding Madara any longer than that would be impossible. That left only one alternative.

Getting to her feet she threw a white, knitted shawl over shoulders to protect herself from the cool mists and stepped out of her room onto the porch. She had a feeling she knew where to find him.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

The door to Madara's office was shut tight and she paused for a few seconds to stare at it. Reaching up to knock she was interrupted by a harsh voice.

"What is it Aya?" Madara was in a foul mood and she felt her resolve quickly crumbling.

"I... I need to speak with you."

The door slid open and Sasuke looked up at her with an expression that nearly broke her already crumbling heart. The boy was suffering from conflicted emotions and conflicting duties and she knew it was all Madara's doing. In his eyes was written all the sorrow his young life had experience and all the pain he feared he had yet to experience.

"Can... can we speak alone?" Aya pushed forward, knowing if she ran away now it would probably be another two weeks before she could get up the nerve to try again. She tried not to look at the young boy, now standing behind her, feeling much too fragile to deal with him at the moment.

"Aya, I'm busy..." but he was interrupted by Sora, who had rightly guessed why she was there.

"Come on Sasuke. Why don't we get going now? It's about time for your sparring lesson... in fact I think you are late. See you later, Madara."

"He sure left in a hurry." Madara turned his attention to Aya with a suspicious eye.

She took a deep breath, "So... I..."

"If this is about you being pregnant I already know." Madara replied calmly.

"You... already... know?" Anger surface rather quickly, much to her surprise, and she advanced on him with her fists tightly clenched and face wrinkled up into a snarl. "I've been worried all this time about how to tell you and you already know? How?"

"Oh, so that's why you've been so moody." Madara drawled lazily, "Anyway, our clan has this thing called the 'Sharingan'...Ever hear of it?"

"Humph" She was quite positive he had not paid her any attention in about a month, yet apparently she had been very wrong about that.

"If you are considering names I have already decided."

"Izuna, right?" It was Madara's turn to look surprised, but it passed quickly and he laughed at her cleverness.

"I can be quite obvious at times." Madara sighed. "No doubt you would prefer 'Shisui' but I rather think Itachi will be naming his first son that."

Aya nodded, "Sheeta and I spoke about it. True, we both want to use that name, but I know it would cause problems if your son bore that name, given your relationship to Konoha. Although she also said Itachi didn't seem to have any preference for either name or gender."

"Well I guess there's no reason for him to be picky." He looked his wife over, as if sizing her up for something before taking her in his arms, "Our child will grow up in a world without war, Aya. That is my gift to you."

"What if it's a girl?" Aya asked quietly, resting her head on his broad chest.

"Then you get to pick the name. It's only fair, right?"

"Sure." As the woman listened closely to his heartbeat she could feel her own heart rate speed up. Madara's self confidence was not something she was able to take comfort in. Worse, was the fact that he never considered the possibility of failure. To him, the war had already won and all he was doing now was cleaning up a few messes.

"My Lord… Madara… if you fail…"

"That won't happen."

Aya pressed on, "If you fail I won't have anywhere to go. The baby… and Sasuke for that matter… also won't have a home. Konoha won't take us back and Mist won't let us stay."

"True, that would be the result. The happy result. The unhappy result would be that you, the baby and Sasuke would be killed. However, as I have just stated, I will win and the three of you are in no danger."

"So Sasuke…"

"Sasuke has his duties. There is a strong possibility he will survive them, but perhaps you should spend some time with him in case he doesn't."

"So… by 'strong' you mean a small chance instead of no chance?"

"Yeah. That's exactly what I mean." Madara's expression went cold as he released his hold on his wife and strode out of the room without looking back at her.

Aya couldn't help herself as she dropped down onto one of the chairs and began sobbing. "It's all my fault." She muttered between her tears. "I'm so sorry."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Entering Konoha will be easier if we coordinate our attack to match Ki's invasion." Madara explained to the three men in front of him. "Beniha was able to infiltrate Ki village and has been able to work her way, via Sharingan, into the upper levels. We now know when they will attack."

Everyone nodded their approval. The ninjas had been specially chosen for a mission that they knew was nothing short of suicide. Yet their belief in their leader and the plan he was working toward was worth more to them than their lives.

"Everyone believes Fugaku is our target, yet there is someone else I want you to kill first. After that, you may go after Fugaku if you wish, but don't attempt it if you get too depleted with your fist target. You would have no chance of success and your capture could work against us."

"Who are we going after?" One of them, a dark haired Uchiha who had dyed streaks of green in his waist length pony-tail spoke up in a loud, clear voice.

Madara opened a folder on his desk and everyone crowded together to look. Staring back up at them was the image of a middle-aged blonde woman with blue eyes and a blue diamond on her forehead.

"Tsunade of the Senju."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

While Mist was preparing for war, Konoha was also making plans. Teams were recalled from the field, alliances were reviewed and defenses tested. Having gone through a civil war just a few short years earlier, everyone knew what they were getting themselves into.

And no one was looking forward to it.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx

"The name Akatsuki as chosen by Madara." Konan explained in a soft voice in answer to a question posed by Tsunade who was sitting on the couch next to her in the Hokage's office. "It seems to hold some sort of special meaning for him."

"Hmmm. 'Daybreak'. It is very optimistic. I wonder if it could be a clue as to what he is planning."

"Good question." The woman answered. "Pein and I have been brainstorming over that exact supposition. But nothing stands out. It certainly has something to do with the Sharingan. Even Fugaku is at a loss, though."

"Hmm." Tsunade glanced at the door as Fugaku entered, followed closely by Itachi and Jiraiya.

The afternoon sun streamed through the large plate glass windows bathing the room in bright sunshine as everyone situated themselves on one of the two couches. Itachi took the opportunity to look closely at Konan.

The woman was dressed plainly in a pair of brown pants with a white yukata trimmed with more brown. Her heeled boots were black and unadorned. He found himself wondering if she had ever dressed up. The clothes she had worn to the wedding had been very nice, but for some reason Konan's demeanor, despite her orphaned upbringing, was more regal than most noblewomen he had met in his life, and he reluctantly added Mikoto and Sheeta to that list as well.

"Well, to start off," Tsunade got right down to business, looking over those gathered before her; however she stopped in confusion and did a double take of the assembled group, "Where is Kakashi?"

"He's right here!" A woman's voice called out from the hallway, followed closely by a man's protestations of some perceived wrong.

"Ah. Caught again." Fugaku observed. Kakashi was pushed into the room by Shizune, who put her hands on her hips and grinned maliciously at the masked ninja, who proceeded to smile at everyone and scratch the back of his head.

"I guess I'm the last one here." He pulled up a chair and set it next to the end of the couch where Itachi was seated.

"To return to the issue at hand." Fugaku glanced at the Hokage who was silently grinding her teeth at the tardy Kakashi.

"Yes." She continued, "Lady Konan has been working with Jiraiya to come up with some kind of mutual agreement between rain and Konoha that will allow an exchange of resources, including ninja squads in the event... or rather I should say... _when _Madara attacks."

"This what you were doing at Kisame's cabin?" Itachi asked, a little doubtful about the connection. After all, something like that would have been batter settled in Konoha or Rain than a small house in the middle of nowhere.

"No… that was something else entirely. Well, actually, you see, it is based off that alliance Tsunade just mentioned, but we were talking about something else." Jiraiya grinned broadly as everyone looked at him, very thoroughly confused.

"What Jiraiya is trying to say is that I want Kisame to side with Rain." Konan replied, "But he is holding out. He supports Madara, and seems to be quite vested in his plan. In fact, he knows, in full detail, what it's going to be. But all he'll say is that there is no way it won't work. That it is the only way to bring true peace to the world."

Jiraiya continued, "He also told us that a month ago Madara sealed away two more demons, using himself, Zetsu, Kakazu, Sasori, and some new guy named..." He scrunched his face in concentration and looked at Konan.

"Hidan." Konan added.

"Yeah that's it. Anyway, he was also able to retrieve Orochimaru's ring and gave it to another new guy, although Kisame didn't know who he was."

"It wasn't Sasuke was it?" Itachi asked warily.

"I hope to god it wasn't." Tsunade replied, "I'm not sure how we would handle it if it came to that. We can certainly argue that he's being unduly influence by Madara and I personally believe that, but it would be hard for the rest of the village to accept."

Shizune poured tea into several cups that she had placed on the table during the discussion and the room was quiet for a few minutes as everyone sipped the hot beverage lost in their own thoughts.

Itachi was the one to break the silence, setting the white cup carefully on table before leaning back against the couch and sighing, "Akatsuki is growing. Madara has six members that will follow him. Seven if you count Kisame. However, I'm not ready to count him as one of that man's minions."

"How can you say that?" Kakashi asked curiously. "He could have just omitted his involvement."

"Kisame isn't the type to lie. If he doesn't want you to know something he would omit it, of course, but in front of Jiraiya and Konan he would have no reason to do so. He is not afraid of either one of them. Konan would be no match for him, but Jiraiya could take him out easy. He knows this and would never deny it. Therefore, he accepts it."

"So what are you trying to say?" It was Jiraiya's turn to be confused and he frowned at the teen sitting next to him.

"That something is going on between Kisame and Madara. Something holds them together, has instilled a feeling of loyalty between them. However, it was not enough for Madara to call on him when sealing those demons. This leaves me to believe that Kisame has been given a mission different from the rest of Akatsuki."

"He's raising that kid now. Does Madara want Suigetsu for something?" Fugaku speculated.

"It doesn't seem likely." Itachi answered. "Suigetsu has potential but I believe his involvement is purely circumstantial. If he hadn't become a friend of Sasuke's and already had a connection to Kisame he would have been tossed to the curb."

"Of course." It was Fugaku's turn to sigh as he glanced out the window. "We need to find out who the new, unknown member of Akatsuki is."

"Agreed." Tsunade stated plainly. "Itachi, that information is probably only attainable by you. All you need to do is get a name. Don't do anything else at this point. We need you back here as soon as possible."

"Of course." Itachi nodded his understanding and glanced at Fugaku who had closed his eyes, as if concentrating. His father would not want to loose him at such a critical time. If Madara were to attack while he was gone it could be devastating. On the other hand, there was no one else who could get that information, and given the immense power that most of the members of Akatsuki had demonstrated, knowing the unknown man's identity could drastically turn the tide of battle.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The meeting ended a short while later and Itachi went looking for Naruto, finding him on the roof of the building. The boy had been rather depressed since moving out of the Uchiha's house, and was obviously very homesick.

"Sulking doesn't suit you." Itachi said as he sat down on the ground next to the blond.

"Nothing else to do."

"Why aren't you training?"

"Jiraiya is busy."

"That never stopped you before."

"Look, would you leave me alone? You kick me out of the house and then come here to give me orders." Naruto stood up and started to walk away, fists clenched tightly at to his side.

Itachi moved fast, quickly intercepting the boy by placing his hands on his shoulders. "Don't you want to get to know your grandmother?"

"What do you care?"

"If I didn't care, why would I be here? Am I really one to waste time with matters that don't concern me?" Itachi stated truthfully.

Naruto rubbed at his tear filled eyes, causing one to drip rapidly down his cheek. It reflected the bright light, and glistened as it dripped off his chin,"Then I want to go home."

Itachi was surprised when Naruto suddenly flung his arms around him and buried his head in his chest, "I want to go home. Please, let me go…"

"Naruto, has anyone said you can't go back?"

The boy was silent for a minute as he thought hard, "No… so… I can…"

"When this is all over, if you decide you don't want to stay with Tsunade, of course you can come back. But only if you do what you're told. You do understand what is going on here, don't you?"

"Yeah." Naruto backed away and looked at the ground, "They want to kill me and if they do then Konoha will be destroyed and everyone will die. I don't want anyone else to die."

"Okay, then." Itachi smiled, "Let's you and me go get some ramen."

That cheered the boy up immediately and Naruto gave his foster brother a big grin, "All right!"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Itachi left early this morning." Fugaku was at home in his meeting room, talking with Toshiro. "Hopefully he'll find something quick."

"I can't believe that man has been able to get away with all this behind our backs."

"Yeah. He's ambitious all right. He definitely lives up to his reputation."

"But I do have one question." Toshiro leaned back on his hands and stared at the wood paneled ceiling, "Why did Kisame even mention the demon sealing? If he hadn't said anything we would never have found out. Just how loyal is he?"

"I agree." Fugaku replied, "He says he is loyal to Madara, and then turns around and betrays him. Yet Itachi is convinced that isn't what's happening. Frankly I think my head will explode if I think about it any longer."

"You and me both." Toshiro agreed.

A voice called out from the hallway and Mikoto threw back the door and she ran into the room, "Fugaku! The Hokage just sent a messenger! Ki is approaching!"

"Ki? Already?"

"They're about fifty miles away. That's all the messenger said." Mikoto was wringing her hands with worry, "Should we evacuate?"

"Yes. Everyone who isn't fighting should get underground. I'm sure Tsunade has already given that order." Fugaku stated clearly as he stepped out of the room. The sky had clouded over and a light mist had begun to fall from the sky. It had been sunny a mere one hour earlier. "Pein is nearby. I wonder why he didn't come into Konoha with Konan?"

"Probably keeping watch." Toshiro conjectured, "Anyway, I need to verify Hinata's whereabouts and make sure she's safe before I join the battle."

Fugaku watched his old friend run off to find his foster daughter and the head of the Hyuuga clan. An important duty, he had thrown himself into it feet first after promising the girl's father to raise her in the safety of his own home. However, such thoughts were quickly banished as he took a deep breath and started to make his way to the foyer where his gear was stored.

"I can carry that." He heard Sheeta remark in a strained voice. As he entered the small foyer he saw Mikoto bundling up the teen in a coat, hat, and boots; and overloading herself with bags.

"You can't carry anything in your condition. Now get going." The words were uttered with such conviction that Sheeta didn't dare argue, and Fugaku, who had been about to suggest Mikoto leave something behind kept his mouth shut.

The two women opened the door to exit the house, and the sound of the evacuation alarm entered the house. It was the sharp "bang" of a stick being beaten repeatedly against a piece of hardwood. He looked out towards the lake and saw several people who had been hanging around suddenly run off to their collective duties.

"What are your orders, Lord Fugaku?" Kakashi had suddenly appeared behind the clan lord.

"We follow our pre-arranged plan. Spread out in the village and look for spies. They are here… somewhere…"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Of course, the first place Itachi headed when he left Konoha was to find Kisame. And he was probably still at his cabin. Hidden in the woods it had become the big man's not-so-secret hideout over the last year, yet he had made no effort to change his location.

"What's going on with you, Kisame?" Itachi wondered out loud as he raced through the trees.

Arriving at the clearing he approached the front door, only to be met by Suigetsu who bowed formally, "Master requests his visitors state their identity and… um… something else…" The boy scrunched his face up in deep thought, "Oh yeah! Master wants to know who you are and what the hell you're doing here at this time of the day."

Itachi glared at the white-haired boy and clenched his teeth, as he considered thirty different ways to kill him. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud, booming voice, "Suigetsu! What are you doing! I swear, you're more trouble than a two-year-old!"

"Master Itachi's here!" Suigetsu yelled back at him, "He's glaring at me!"

"Yes, I know Itachi is here. He entered the forest about thirty minutes ago. I was asking what _you're_ doing, not _him_!"

"I'm chopping wood." Suigetsu answered morosely. "Just like you told me to do." He wandered off the porch and toward a nearby shed. Itachi realized he was now smiling and moved to enter the house when he saw Kisame sitting at the table with several papers in front of him and cursing "that useless white-haired idiot" that was now living with him under the guise of a student.

"Sit down." Kisame pointed to a chair opposite him. "Things calm down any in Konoha?"

"Yeah, but they're heating up again. I passed several squads from Ki on my way here."

"Any of them still alive?"

"Yeah. I was told to stick to the mission and not bother with anything else."

"And your mission is to get information out of me." Kisame stated plainly. He turned his head toward the shed as the sound of wood being chopped echoed through the woods. The sun had risen almost an hour earlier, but it hadn't yet found it's way through the thick branches of the forest, and wouldn't until a little after noon. Instead, a cold chill permeated the air and the dew clung thickly to any and every surface it could reach. Luckily, because of the cabin's tight construction, the interior was warm and dry.

"How would you like to go about this?" Itachi really didn't like the idea of having to use his Sharingan on Kisame, but this was too important to let one man's pride get in the way.

Kisame sighed, "There would be no point in keeping anything from you."

"I'm glad you are being reasonable about this."

"Humph. Don't patronize me, boy." Kisame replied harshly, and Itachi instantly drew back into himself and stared at the floor. It had been years since he had heard that rebuke come from his partner, and he knew it was given lightly. Kisame never said anything he didn't mean.

"Madara has outdone himself, this time. The people he has hired are bloodthirsty and not very smart. Hidan is a Jashin high priest who maintains his immortality by sacrificing living people to his god. He can be dismembered and put back together with no ill effects. Kakuzu is the one putting him back together. Hidan is stupid, but very powerful, and very blood thirsty."

"So he's a wash, then. Easy to kill." Itachi added.

"For you and me, yeah. No trouble at all."

"And Orochimaru's ring? Who was that given to?"

Kisame closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Lord Sora has taken it for himself. He has always been Madara's biggest supporter, ever since they were children. I believe Sora's investment in the Eye of the Moon plan is bigger than Madara's."

"Sora… my great grandfather." Itachi said quietly.

"And Madara is your cousin. So what?" Kisame's words were rather cutting and Itachi looked closely at the man's face. He was angry, but at what was still unknown. "Sora has the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and is the head of the Mist Uchiha clan. He was once the head of the Konoha Uchiha clan as well before he left to follow Madara. He is immensely powerful. From what I heard, the sealing took about two-thirds the time it took us a few years back."

"Did you help them?"

"No. Wasn't asked to."

"Why not?" The sound of wood chopping had ceased, replaced by the hollow "clopping" sound of logs being stacked up against the house.

"I've been given a different job." Kisame smirked, "To keep you and Deidara out of the way."

"Out of the way? Where is Deidara?" Itachi put out his chakra to search for the blond bomber, and sensed him nearby, running through the forest.

Kisame smirked, "He went jogging. He's quite upset. Sasori hasn't come back for him yet. What he doesn't realize, is that Sasori probably won't be coming back."

"What does that mean?"

No answer was forthcoming, as Suigetsu re-entered the house and went immediately to the fireplace and began to clean up the ashes from the night before. Kisame changed the subject and the pair went on to discuss fishing. Or rather, the blue man talked and Itachi listened.

An hour later a disgruntled Deidara entered the cabin, nodded half-heartedly to Itachi, and shut himself up in the bathroom. "Looks normal to me." Itachi commented.

"Maybe he's gotten over it all then." Kisame added.

"Not likely." Suigetsu joined in. "Has he ever forgiven anyone for anything?"

"Probably not." Itachi agreed.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The visit had been productive after all and a few short hours after arriving; Itachi was back in the forest running home to Konoha. It had started to rain, and the teen could sense the chakra emanating from it. It was Pein's contribution to the battle. Although where exactly the man was located was a definite mystery.

'I'm going to be coming up behind Ki.' Itachi said to himself, 'That puts me behind enemy lines.' He thought back to his training when he had joined Root. Danzou had lectured the trainees on the danger of not protecting one's back. The Shinobi he about to come into contact with had also been taught by Danzou, and therefore would be expecting some kind of a rear assault.

Itachi gave a short laugh as his hand reached up to touch his eyepatch. "The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan does not fade as one uses it. I think it's time I put that supposition to the test."

_Shisui's voice echoed in his mind, "Cousin… I will enjoy watching this."_

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week the battle between Ki and Konoha, and just what is Itachi planning?**

**Yeah, Aya has problems. Most of them of her own making, but she's beginning to realize that now.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	68. Chapter 68 The Deception

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**It's kind of a funny coincidence that someone asked about Naruto, given what's about to happen. I know Naruto is being made to look weak so far. However, he does still have the ability to summon that giant frog (Gamma I think...) and his determination. But there is going to be more of him in future chapters so keep your eyes open.**

**I haven't had time to watch the anime for about a month and Pein is attacking Konoha. I hope I can watch it this weekend. The Rinnegan is amazing!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 68 The Deception**

Twilight slowly gave way to evening as Itachi calmly sat in a large fir tree overlooking several Ki ninja. He hid his chakra with practiced ease and swallowed soldier pills for his dinner. None of the four teams camped below him knew he was there.

He had been listening to them and from what he could gather Konoha was currently under attack and casualties were high on both sides. Itachi wasn't entirely convinced that was actually the case, however, as the information was coming from a group of people stationed two miles outside the gates, well away from the fighting.

An owl flew noiselessly past him, causing a few of the shinobi to glance in his direction. They didn't see him of course, and soon enough their attention drifted back to their comrades. The evening was full of sounds as crickets and frogs cried out into the darkness and bushes rustled as animals made their way through the forest searching for food or mates.

It was this noise that shinobi often mimicked when trampling through a forest or any terrain for that matter. Therefore, when five more teams of ninja suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the twelve Shinobi already present were understandably alarmed.

Itachi smiled as he activated his Sharingan. When he had originally found the group he had heard them mention that five squads were on their way to join them. The teen quickly realized that if he could take out eight teams it would be immensely helpful to Konoha. So he had propped himself up in a tree and waited.

_"Cousin, you can't loose. Don't hold back."_ Shisui's voice echoed in his head and for the first time Itachi realized how young he sounded. To him, his cousin had always been like an older brother. Bigger, wiser, and much more grown up than himself.

But the truth was that Shisui had been a child, only a little older than Sasuke was now when he had died. And he would never age. Now Itachi was the eldest, but he still found himself desiring to follow Shisui's guidance.

The small chakra powered lights that the shinobi below him were using twinkled like small stars dropped down onto the forest floor. It was a cruel fate as they were quickly snuffed out of existence as Itachi dropped to ground.

In less than a second he had gained the upper hand against thirty shinobi as he quickly called forth the eternal form of his Mangekyou Sharingan and summoned Susanoo. The magnificent skeletal form of a monster stood straight and tall, radiating a red glow and holding a long sword in one hand.

The fist thing Itachi felt from the new eye was power. And what a power it was! Chakra flowed through him with such force that he was left with a feeling that bordered on invincibility. He "knew" he would win the fight, he "knew" no one could ever beat him and he "knew" that no one else in the world - no, the whole of creation- could match him.

Smiling malevolently at the cowering shinobi he silently ordered the summoned creature to fell all of the shinobi in front of him. The other-worldly sword was brought down upon the hapless men and women who screeched out horribly as it cut through them. Their souls ripped from their bodies, they continued to scream as the vision of the eternal void they were being drawn into came into sight. They realized, too late, that they would not be going to heaven, or hell for that matter.

As the last of their dying voices finished echoing in the woods, Itachi made one last check for any "strays" then dropped the jutsu. He was pleased to see that he had suffered no ill effects. His vision was unchanged, his chakra was only slightly less than it had been before the jutsu, and his disease didn't seem to be making an appearance.

As his Sharingan faded back into his normal dark colored eye he took in the sight. Thirty men and women lay dead before him. Some were just teenagers. The rest were adults with the oldest appearing to be in his forties. And all had expressions of abject terror permanently carved into their faces.

"What have I done?" Itachi realized the impact of his new-found power and dropped to his knees. The entire battle had taken roughly thirty seconds, and he was feeling no after-effects. Physically, that is.

The mental toll, however, brought tears to his eyes as he remembered the dead in that valley so long ago. Reaching out he touched the face of a boy who had to be nearly his own age and he couldn't help but wonder what that teen had left behind. It had only taken a few seconds to steal everything away from that boy.

"You understand now, it seems."

Itachi looked up into the ringed eyes of a tall red-haired man.

Pein continued to speak, "You know that pain comes not just from those being killed, but from the killers themselves."

"I don't feel like being lectured by you of all people." Itachi spoke without thinking, only to find himself a moment later face down in the dirt when Pein punched him.

"And _I_ don't feel like putting up with spoiled little noblemen and their 'poor me' complexes. Itachi, the Rinnegan is the parent of the Sharingan, never forget that. Frankly, I expected better of you."

Itachi slowly sat back up, and was surprised to see that Pein was now sitting on the ground in front of him. The lecture, as short as it was, had definitely hurt worse than the large bruise that was now forming on the side of his face.

However, he certainly didn't consider himself a "spoiled nobleman", even if Pein did.

"Konoha is coming under heavy attack." Pein explained tonelessly. "Fugaku's squad is keeping itself busy looking for Madara's spies and everyone else is trying to force back the invaders. The civilians have taken refuge underground and should be safe."

Itachi nodded, "Then I need to return as soon as possible to help find the spies."

Pein made no motion to move as Itachi rose to his feet, "Fugaku is staying high profile, trying to make it easier for Madara's people to find him, but so far he's seen no indication of them. He now thinks they have another target. I agree. The question is, who?"

"Might be me. I can't think of who else it could be. Madara's not the type to go after random people. It would have to be someone he has a grudge against or someone he could get a benefit from for killing them."

"Yeah. That is like him, definitely." Pein finally stood up, his tall frame towering over Itachi, "Don't be afraid to use your powers, but as you do, keep one thought in mind: Why does Madara hold back, and never use this jutsu?"

Itachi took off running, Pein's last words echoing over and over in his mind. The Rain leader was right; Madara had never shown him his Eternal Mangekyou. It was an all-powerful jutsu, guaranteed to win, but the elder Uchiha wasn't using it. There was still a secret hidden in the depths of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan that had yet to show itself, and Itachi wondered, as he raced through the forest toward Konoha, if he had perhaps found the one thing Madara was afraid of.

x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x

Approaching the front gate to the village Itachi was horrified to see that the massive structure had not only been blown off its hinges, but was laying about three hundred feet away in the middle of the road, one panel on top of the other.

Strewn around the area were the corpses of both Ki and Konoha shinobi. And there were a lot of them, at least a hundred.

"Itachi, I'm glad you're back." Kabuto jumped down onto the ground in front of him. The white-haired teen's purple tunic and pants were splattered with blood and one sleeve of his shirt was missing.

"What is going on?" Itachi was shocked at what he was seeing. There were fires everywhere, and more corpses could be seen as he and kabuto passed through the gateless hundred-foot fence.

"About three thousand people showed up. Most aren't Shinobi, but came to fight anyway. Apparently..." Kabuto shook is head and took a deep breath before continuing, "Apparently they are here to fight to the death. When they arrived..." Kabuto paused, unable to go on.

Kakashi, however, walked up behind Itachi and finished Kabuto's sentence, "When they showed up it was with the intention to die, and take out as many of us as they could in the process."

"This... Danzou... would never want this..." Itachi was horrified. And the knowledge that the people he had killed were planning to die anyway made him feel very helpless. Like a wheel in a set of cogs he was doomed to turn at the whim of those who had come in before him.

"He would." Kabuto stated sorrowfully. "It is a ninja's duty to live for the mission and die for the mission. Nothing else exists. Remember?"

"Yes... but... this is a mission? Who is left in Ki?" Itachi spoke hesitantly, afraid of what the answer might be.

"Concentrate on finding those spies, Itachi." Kakashi avoided the question, and a bitterly cold chill ran up his spine, forcing him to shiver.

"Fanaticism at it's finest." Itachi whispered after Kabuto and Kakashi had left. "But I still find it hard to believe that this is how Danzou wanted Ki to disappear. He… couldn't have been that insane."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Tsunade hovered over the patient in front of her, assessing his wounds. The thin, brown-haired man had been stabbed through the abdomen with a broadsword and was fading fast. She waved a medic over, told him the patients condition before moving to the next one.

She was looking for patients that needed advanced care, the ones the other medics couldn't save.

However, something was eating away at her mind, an omission that seemed unusually blatant.

Shizune noticed the woman's uncertainty and rushed to her side, "Would you like to take a break? Get some water or something?"

Tsunade nodded, "Some water. And... I want to know why there are no Ki wounded showing up in the hospital."

Shizune nodded and ran off as the Hokage made her way to the water cooler at the end of the large triage station that had been set up in the hospital's lobby. As she was downing her third cup of water a green-clad ninja with a bowler hair cut trotted up to her and saluted.

"You wanted to know where the Ki wounded are Lady Hokage?" he continued when she nodded, "They're dead."

The woman choked on her water and growled, "Gai, Who ordered them to be killed?"

"You misunderstand. They are committing suicide as soon as they are hit. A few have even exploded."

"Oh." Tsunade closed her eyes as a feeling of helplessness washed over her. It only lasted a couple seconds. She focused instead on the sounds of the patients around her, moaning and crying and the reassurances of the medics as they attempted to console them. Then, in quick succession, as if practiced, four voices near her uttered the nightmarish phrase that echoed through the dreams of every healer, "there's nothing more we can do, he's gone."

"Gai, tell Shizune I'll be on the roof. It's time for me to do something about this."

"Yes ma'am", Gai ran off to find the raven haired assistant as Tsunade made her way quickly to the stairwell.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The feelings of helplessness that permeated the underground were rampant. Memories of the collapsed tunnels during the coup only a few short years earlier had never been forgotten and people huddled near the exits, ready to flee at the slightest provocation. Others had forced there way past the guards and were making their way to the very bottom of the underground city, hoping that if the upper layers collapsed, perhaps they would be safe.

Chaos was the only way to describe it as nearly a quarter of those who had been ordered to "hide" were now running around panicking. Mikoto, along with several other women from the Uchiha, Hyuuga and a few other clans had been able to heard their families and several civilians away from the havoc while the Shinobi who had been assigned to guard the underground tried to restore order.

The dead quiet and stale air were rather uncomfortable and Sheeta found it difficult to relax. Lying down on a futon that someone had scrounged up for her she rested her head on a round pillow and closed her eyes. Mikoto was sitting next to her speaking softly to Kisa. Hinata was trying her best to be upbeat as she tried to distract some small children by organizing a game of tag in the middle of the large room. Soon the kids were running around laughing.

"Mother?" Sheeta opened up her eyes and looked at her adoptive mother who had just dropped down onto the floor next to her, looking rather haggard, "What's wrong? I mean… besides just us being here… and all that…"

The woman laughed, "I don't think that question leaves anything for me to choose from."

"Oh." Sheeta smiled back, then winced as a sharp pain hit her abdomen. She point at her stomach and spoke in a stern voice, "You kick me again like that and you're spending the next five years standing in a corner." She looked around as about ten other women began laughing. She quickly replied defensively, "Well, it hurt."

"Sweetie," An elderly woman with the white eyes of the Hyuuga said pleasantly, "wait a couple more months. That's when they really start kicking and moving around. That little kick you just got now will seem like nothing."

Sheeta sighed as she rubbed her swollen abdomen, "It figures."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

After checking in with his squad leader (who also happened to be his father,) Itachi made his way to the rooftops and began to look for anyone that might be a spy. Occasionally taking out an enemy, he left most of the fighting to the regular squads, as per Tsunade's orders. He had yet to see a threat big enough to warrant drawing out his enhanced powers, and for that he was glad. But he knew his good fortune (if that's what it could be called) wouldn't last.

The fighting had already been going on for a few hours when the teen had arrived in the village and was now, for all intents and purposes, winding down. It was obvious Ki had not attacked Konoha with the intent to win, but to do damage. Lots of damage. And they had definitely succeeded.

As Itachi jumped from rooftop to rooftop he found entire neighborhoods were now missing or aflame. Fully a third of the city was decimated. The large amount of damage that had been done in a matter of just a few hours was very difficult for the teen to comprehend. Although he had seen it all before, during the coup, and again in the valley in Water country, he had never been able to wrap his head around the image properly.

Reaching up he patted his sightless left eye. Still covered by a patch he had had a sudden urge to rip it off so he could "see" what was going on better. Perhaps his new eye was deceiving him somehow. But he knew even if he could still see out of that eye, the scene before him would be no different.

Looking towards the Hokage tower he remembered that Naruto would be in the basement guarded by four top Shinobi. He silently hoped the boy wouldn't get too lonely. No doubt he would consider himself imprisoned and misbehave. Itachi found himself considering different ways to make it up to his foster-brother, but the only thing that would probably make him happy again would be ramen.

A sudden blast and a bright flash of light caught Itachi's attention and he quickly turned to face the hospital. On top of the large building was, without a doubt, Tsunade, and she was fighting someone. A sick feeling began to setting in the pit of his stomach as he used a transportation jutsu to get closer to the fighting.

Landing on the top of a light pole near the water tower he watched as four men, all with Sharingan's attacked Tsunade. The woman was pretty beaten up, with both arms broken and her pants ripped up revealing long gashes in her legs.

"She should be able to beat an Uchiha." Jiraiya materialized on the pole next to his and held his hands in front of him, ready to jump in a help. "Except for you, Fugaku and of course Madara, she shouldn't be having this much trouble…" His voice disappeared as his eyes opened wide with shock.

Itachi scowled, "All four of them have the Mangekyou Sharingan, Jiraiya. These are the spies we've been looking for. Tsunade doesn't stand a chance." He jumped down to the rooftop as his own eye formed the Mangekyou Sharingan. The eternal form looked no different from his regular form, and as the powerful chakra flowed once again through his body he felt the same irrepressible magnificence that had overwhelmed him earlier.

"Itachi Uchiha." One of the men grinned widely as he ran a hand through his green dye-streaked pony-tail. "I was hoping I'd get to see you. My name is Kyou."

"Good afternoon Kyou." Itachi replied politely, "I take it your target is Tsunade. Seems rather childish of Madara to target Hashirama's granddaughter."

"True. I can't argue that, but he did want to make a statement and this seemed the best way to get his point across. Personally, I'd rather fight you or Fugaku."

The other three men were forced to halt their attack when Jiraiya jumped down to join his old friend, "Neither of us can go up against multiple Mangekyou Sharingans alone, but maybe if we join forces we can take these guys out."

"And what makes you think I can't handle this?" Even though Tsunade was grinning, there was an evil twinkle in her eyes.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Jiraiya laughed.

"Haven't had a workout like this since you and I fought Orochimaru a few months ago. Besides, these guys were just playing with me. If they wanted me dead, I would have been dead five seconds after they showed up."

"I realize that." Jiraiya remarked. "Even though their orders were to kill you, these guys were just using you draw out the prey they really wanted to hunt."

Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to look at Itachi who was facing off with Kyou. Fugaku, Kakashi and the rest of the squad had shown up and were surrounding the rooftop. The sudden sounds of people below them indicated that the hospital was being quickly evacuated.

"I want to see your ultimate move." Kyou grinned.

"'Ultimate move'? What is this, TV?" Itachi seemed to remember several samurai in the movies his mother and Sheeta would watch making reference to such a thing, but he had never heard anyone use the term in real life. Itachi took the opportunity to look closer at his opponent. He was perhaps only one or two years older than himself, a couple inches taller and had the same folds of skin below his eyes. It was almost like looking at his older brother and a sudden reluctance to fight overcame him.

"_Itachi be careful."_ Shisui's voice warned, "_He's your cousin, just as I am, but he is also here to kill you."_

"Do we really have to fight?" Itachi asked disheartened.

That threw the man off and he looked at the teen, expecting a trap or other bizarre happening to occur. "Why would you ask that? We come here to kill Tsunade and you just want to let us go?"

"Yes." Itachi said firmly, his resolve kicking in full force, "Return to your clan and tell them you failed and I, Itachi Uchiha, let you return alive and well."

"Do you know who I am?" Kyou asked curiously as his gaze wandered from Itachi to Fugaku.

"You look like me… sort of…" Itachi's voice disappeared and he thought hard for a moment, "Are you related to Sora somehow? His grandson or?"

"Sora is my great-grandfather. Fugaku's father had a half-sister who was born in Mist. She had several children, including my mother. Therefore, you and I are cousins."

"That's complicated." Itachi muttered. He had never enjoyed following family trees the way others in the clan did. He found it easier to just call everyone his cousin and not worry about the details. "Family shouldn't hurt each other."

Kyou crossed him arms across his chest and sighed, "You are exactly the way Sasuke described you." He glanced at his companions who were facing Tsunade and Jiraiya, yet not moving.

"We need to back off everyone, including you, Kyou." A man in his mid-twenties, the group leader by the sounds of it, spoke up, "We have failed. Itachi has gained the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and I for one don't want to go up against him."

Kyou scowled, "But…"

"There are lots of other people to fight, Kyou. Now let's get out of here."

The four ninja used transportation jutsus to disappear, leaving the roof of the hospital quiet.

"Gai!" Tsunade yelled, then jumped when the green-clad man appeared two feet away from her. "Cease the evacuation. Tell everyone to get back in the hospital."

"Right away, ma'am!" Gai saluted and disappeared.

Fugaku jumped down to stand next to the two Sannin as Itachi joined them. The rest of the squad dispersed under new orders to assist in the removal of the Ki forces.

"That was too nice, Itachi. I hope we don't regret it." Jiraiya was obviously pissed off, but his grin was full of relief at having to not fight.

"That was… that boy looked a lot like you, Itachi." Fugaku's words were the last thing Itachi expected to hear and he stared at his father in surprise. He had fully expected that he would, at the very least, get yelled at. "The relationship was obvious."

The conversation was interrupted when Gai appeared again, "Lady Tsunade, bad news! I just heard it from one of the shinobi that was guarding Naruto! She's nearly dead!"

"What!" All four shinobi yelled at the same time.

Tsunade pressed on, "What do you mean by 'was guarding'?"

Gai took a step back and began to sweat nervously, "Three men, in black and red cloaks entered the hidden room he was being kept in and kidnapped him. Apparently they were too powerful and the guards weren't able to put up a fight."

"Describe them." Itachi stated firmly. A cold, sick dread was crushing him and he watched helplessly as his father growled menacingly and stalked off, cursing everyone – including himself – for letting this happen.

"Umm… well… she said one was a puppet master, one had ropes woven in and out of his body, and the third one kept talking about sacrifices and Jason or something like that…"

"Jashin." Itachi corrected half-heartedly. "Sasori, Kakuzu, and the new guy Hidan."

"So the hit on Fugaku was a story created so they could kill me, but that was a façade created to draw everyone to the hospital so Akatsuki could sneak in and kidnap my grandson." Tsunade was justifiably angry and she showed it by punching the brick fence that was supposed to keep people from falling off the room. The four-foot high structure collapsed in a pile of rubble, with about three quarters of it falling to the ground several stories below.

"Itachi…" Fugaku finally calmed down enough to address his son, "we have to get Naruto back. There's no time to spare."

"Definitely." Jiraiya continued, "You're the only one who can do it. If you leave now…"

"It will make no difference if I leave now or two months from now." Itachi stated firmly.

"How can you say that?" Tsunade said angrily.

"I say that because it's true. The last demon to be sealed is the nine-tails. Before they can even touch him they have to get the rest of the tailed beasts. Therefore, he must be kept alive and somewhat healthy until that day comes."

Tsunade opened and closed her mouth a couple times before speaking, "So… he's safe… for now."

"Yes. I will go after him, but first I will do some intelligence gathering. The first thing you should do, if I may suggest Lady Tsunade, is to notify the other villages about what has happened here. Your attempted assassination and Naruto's capture."

"Of course." Tsunade agreed. An explosion diverted the group's attention back to the battle below them, "And we still have Ki to deal with here. Fugaku, why don't you go work off some of that frustration."

"Best suggestion I've heard all day." Fugaku replied grumpily and disappeared.

Jiraiya smirked, despite himself, "It should take Fugaku another hour to wipe out the rest of Ki."

Itachi nodded. It was an exaggeration, of course. If Fugaku really did it that way Konoha wouldn't exist afterward. He walked over the edge of the roof and glanced down. "Is that… Konan?"

"Yes." Tsunade sighed, "She was kind enough to stick around and help us. If she's still here, then I guess she must not have had anything to do with Naruto's kidnapping."

"I met Pein in the woods." Itachi added.

"He offered to take down squads outside the village. Something about his techniques being too powerful." Jiraiya watched his old student work her paper jutsu and take down two Ki Shinobi who were targeting the returning medics and patients as they headed back into the building.

"That they are." Itachi whispered. "Once, I saw him destroy an entire village. There was nothing left afterward. Truly, I wonder if anyone on Earth could beat him."

'And I wonder,' Itachi said to himself, 'how many have already tried.'

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, the battle winds down and Naruto finds himself in a lot of trouble.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	69. Chapter 69 Narutos Predicament

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**You know, I had assumed that the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan would hold all the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan and didn't even think about it being split between the left and right eye. So I added an explanation later in this chapter. I may have been assuming too much, but they haven't discussed it yet in the manga so I guess I'll just stick with that. Thanks for pointing it out, xD**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

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**Chapter 69 – Naruto's Predicament **

The last place Naruto expected to wake up after being kidnapped and rendered unconscious by Akatsuki was a small room, comfortably decorated with a red futon, a small table with comfortable red cushions, a bookcase full of books and manga magazines. Finishing off the room was a sink, a microwave for cooking ramen, a cabinet full of food and snacks, and a small refrigerator loaded with fruit juice. Beyond the room was a curtained archway that led to a cramped bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower.

The only door was very solid, and locked so well it didn't even rattle when he tried to shake it. The walls were wood paneling and even sported some posters from an old classic anime. The floor was covered with mats and comfortable to walk on.

The ceiling and lack of windows, however, is what gave the place away. Naruto was locked up inside a room located in a cave. Small stalactites dropped down from the ceiling, none more than a foot long.

Sitting cross legged on a cushion at the table, Naruto slowly shoveled noodles into his mouth as he stared at the stacks of magna he had pulled out of the bookshelf. He had no idea how long he had been there or what time of the day it. Nor had anyone come to see him since he had woken up in his new surroundings.

The gregarious and fun-loving boy was growing increasingly morose and lazy; spending most of his time laying on the futon feeling sorry for himself or trying to get lost in the storylines of the mangas. He knew what was going on. Itachi had described various methods used to control prisoners and isolation was one of the most popular. He was determined not to break, though.

Depression aside, he knew his friends would save him, and he often fantasized about them showing up five seconds after he beat up all of Akatsuki, or of them breaking down the door only to find him luxuriating with a manga in one hand and a cocktail in the other (he didn't stop to think about where the beverage came from) and asking them to join him and relax a bit before leaving.

There was a lot of time to indulge in these flights of fancy. Too much time. And he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that when the door opened he jumped about a foot, startled.

"Some ninja you are." It was a man with large stitches all over his face and arms and his brilliant green eyes and deadly aura of chakra were enough to make Naruto slide backwards until his back hit the wall.

"My name is Kakuzu. I've been assigned to make sure you stay alive until we're ready to extract the Kyuubi."

Naruto gulped, his heart was racing and his body shaking so hard he could barely move, "When will that be?"

"You could be here for years, kid. Get used to it." His grumpy demeanor and stern face spoke volumes for the power that lay just beneath the surface of the powerful ninja.

Kakuzu shut the door behind him and strode over to the small, make-shift kitchen area. "You need to drink more fruit juice. It's fortified with vitamins. Ramen is pretty bad as a food staple, you know."

Kakuzu moved toward the bathroom and pulled the solid red curtain back. Peering in he wrinkled his nose and turned to look at the boy, "You're going to have to clean up after yourself. No one is going to do it for you."

Naruto gazed wide-eyed at the Akatsuki. The tall man wasn't wearing his cloak, but the more he looked at him, the easier it was to remember. He was one of the people who had kidnapped him.

"Everyone was telling me how noisy you are. You seem rather quiet." The man turned around and exited the room without saying anything else.

Sighing loudly, Naruto mentally punched himself for his cowardice. Sliding back to the table he felt something warm slide down his face. Reaching up he absent-mindedly pushed it away, only to pull his hand away in shock.

His cheeks were soaked with tears. Had Kakuzu seen him crying? His fear was quickly replaced by anger, frustration, and above all, shame.

His thoughts turned to his god father who, in his imagination, shook his head and walked away, muttering about how pointless any further training would be.

Next he visualized Itachi, "No brother of mine would be a coward."

Sasuke turned his back, "Why did I ever let you hang out with me. You're cowardice is the real reason I left."

"No it's not!" Naruto stood up and clenched his fists. "No one is leaving me because I am not a coward!" Yelling at the top of his lungs he faced the door and released his frustration, "I am not a coward!"

"That's the spirit, boy." the voice belonged to a man Naruto would never forget a long as he lived. He had been the only one to introduce himself during the kidnapping and had spoken rather fanatically about Jashin and sacrifices. Hidan.

"So you're guarding me?" Naruto spoke loudly, not knowing how well his voice carried through the solid wood door, or the stone walls supporting it.

"Yeah. Something like that."

"How many day have I been here?"

"Two months."

"I don't believe you." It was absurd that much time had passed. Hidan was surely lying.

"I don't care if you believe me."

Naruto returned to the table and stared at the magazines on the table. He had been reading one a day, and putting them away when the stacks got to big. And now there were four stacks of five to six mangas each.

While he had completely lost track of time, he was fairly certain it was nighttime when he slept and morning when he awoke. Even so... he wasn't positive.

His "froggy" coin purse was lying on the counter and for the hundredth time he wished he could summon a frog. Unfortunately every attempt since he had arrived had ended in failure.

At the first hint of frustration, Naruto balled his fists once again and renewed his minutes-long vow to not be a coward.

"This time.." The next word were practically a growl, "I will succeed."

X x x x x x x x x x x

Scooting away from the table Naruto took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Building his chakra up he could feel his strong resolve boosting his confidence. He could also feel something else. Something dark and foreboding.

It was, of course, the +kyuubi trying to escape from its prison and enter Naruto's conscious mind. Sensing its massive form, dark red and oozing with untold quantities of malevolent chakra, the boy pulled power from it and added it to his own chakra stores.

Forming the summoning seals, he slammed his hand on the ground. Smoke filled the immediate are and Naruto coughed as he waved it away, hoping beyond hope that there was a frog there.

"It's about time." The frog stated firmly in a high pitched voice.

"I did it! I thought I had lost my summoning abilities or something."

"I felt you calling me for weeks but it was never strong enough to pull me to you." The frog looked around the small room wide-eyed.

"Yeah." Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his then straightened up in shock, "Weeks? So how long have I been here?"

"No clocks or calendars. They are thorough. Naruto, it's been eleven weeks, and three days."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The village was being rebuilt. Again. Only this time the destruction was on a limited scale, with the public buildings taking the brunt of the attack, there were still about three thousand citizens living in temporary shelters.

Two months had passed and Itachi found himself very busy. Madara had completely cut off contact with him and a trip to Water country by Kakashi, Sai and Sakura had turned up nothing more than the knowledge that Mist village was in complete lockdown.

The team hadn't even been able to get within five mile of the ninja village. When they tried, an advanced security system that utilized Genjutsu, water jutsus and earth jutsus lead them frustratingly in circles and then forced them in the direction of a nearby civilian town.

Returning embarrassed, demoralized and very pissed off they reported to the Hokage, who could do nothing more than thank them for at least trying.

Itachi sat on a bench in the garden next to Sheeta. The June weather had turned warm and sunny, and even Naruto's Koi seemed happy with the late spring weather. Either that or it was his new companions that Tsunade had purchased as a "welcome back" gift for her grandson, who, after all those weeks, was still missing.

A rapping sound diverted his attention and he saw Fugaku with a hammer fixing the training dummy at the other end of the yard. Naruto had been the only to use it lately - after all if anyone else in the family tried it would have been left in splinters instead of suffering a broken arm.

"It's like our lives are all on hold because Naruto is gone." Sheeta finally observed, "He was our last link to Sasuke. It was like..." she was silent for a couple minutes, "It was like Naruto and Sasuke are the same person. And if you have one, then you have the other."

"I'm not sure that makes sense. But I understand what you mean." Itachi replied quietly.

"The heart doesn't have to make sense in order to understand us." Sheeta mile.

"Which soap opera is that from?" Itachi asked sarcastically. He wasn't in the mood for a bunch of canned sentimentalities.

Sheeta's smile grew broader, "No soap opera. It came from me."

That was such a surprise that Itachi couldn't hide the mixture of relief and gratitude that washed over his face.

"We'll get them both back. I promise."

"I know you will."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

As he continued to watch his father, Itachi was reminded of the events immediately after the fighting had ended. The fallen bodies of the enemy had been collected and disposed of, the survivors were in jail cells under twenty-four hour watch in case they tried to kill themselves.

And Tsunade had called a meeting in of several top Shinobi in one of the meeting rooms.

_"I need volunteers to go to Ki and ascertain the situation. I didn't want to order anyone due to the nature of what we may find there. Jiraiya has already volunteered, so two more are needed."_

Itachi raised his hand, more out of habit than any actual desire to go on the mission. However, before he could open his mouth Fugaku stood up and bellowed,

"Under no circumstances is Itachi to go anywhere near Ki."

Again, Itachi opened his mouth, this time to argue, but Tsunade interrupted him this time. "You are correct, Fugaku. In fact, now that I think about it, perhaps the young folk should stay away from this."

"I'll go." Fugaku nodded and sat back down on his cushion.

Three other Shinobi, all middle-aged raised their hands as well. "Might as well send all five of us." One woman, a white-haired grandmother in her fifties who was now a top instructor for Anbu spoke up confidently.

A man in his late forties laughed, "All together we might equal one of these young ones."

"Oh come on!" I'm hardly dead yet" Jiraiya laughed. "But I see no reason why five can't go."

"Well," Tsunade nodded, "You are the team leader for this mission Jiraiya, so it's your call. And I don't think I need to tell you what may be in store for you when you get there."  
  
_The meeting ended soon after that, but Itachi had been called out by Tsunade to remain behind._

"Fugaku has changed a lot over the years. I... asked you to this meeting so I could see how much he has changed."

Itachi was at a loss over what she was talking about and remained silent.

"Before... he would have considered it your duty to volunteer as the Uchiha prodigy for such a high profile mission. I wanted to see what he would do if I turned you down. But he beat me to the punch. It seems he's finally accepted what you are."

This left Itachi even more confused and he couldn't even begin to think of a response. Instead he just shook his slightly, to show his confusion.

Tsunade gave him a bittersweet smile, "I spent a lot of time reviewing your profile, including your mental and physical health. You're a mess, kid. If you were anyone else I would remove you from active duty." She sighed over the look of shock that crossed the teen's face.

"But... Itachi we need you for what's to come. So keep it together for a while longer and I promise you that I will give you an honorable discharge and let you retire."

Itachi looked straight into her blue eyes and frowned, "Retire? I'm not even twenty yet."

"Thank god for that. At least that gives you more time away from this life. Take over the police department, or open a bakery. Do whatever you want."  
  
Itachi had walked away from that meeting confused, shell-shocked and above all surprised. Fugaku had changed. His outburst was something he would never have done a mere two or thee years ago.

But retiring from being a ninja was not in his plans. He had spent his entire life training and planning for the day he would be a top ninja of Konoha. However he couldn't deny that he no longer enjoyed it. It was a weight on his mind, his conscious, and his health.

And for the first time in his life Itachi considered what it would be like to take the position of Police Chief that the clan was holding open for him. And somehow, it no longer seemed stifling or boring or even unimportant.

His family had been very pleased to learn of his change of heart. And Fugaku wasn't disappointed in the least and before he left the next morning on his mission Fugaku handed him his old police badge.

_"It's yours now. I know they'll give you a brand new shiny one when you start in a year or two or three, but..."_

"Thank-you father." Itachi smiled warmly as he watched Fugaku walk away.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x

The group that returned a week later was slightly larger than five. The five Shinobi lead a group of seventeen children into the village. None older than eight-years-old, and the youngest just a few months.

"_In the last few days of Ki… their parents ordered them to hide. Everyone else is dead or run off." Fugaku explained to his family that evening after returning from the briefing with Tsunade. "Just what was going on there… it was beyond imagining. We brought back several documents and a few hard drives from their computers. From the limited perusal we gave them while on the return trip it looks like Danzou had made some alliances with some rather shady organizations. When Danzou died they fought amongst themselves, resulting in a huge loss of life. One group rose to power, but it was… it was a strange cult that believed in victory, and if victory could not be achieved then one should commit ritual suicide. It was fanaticism at the highest level."_

"_And the children?" Mikoto asked, "What will happen to them?"_

_Fugaku sighed, "They have been dropped off at the orphanage. They were all severely traumatized by the incident." He turned to look at Itachi and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but closed it again just as quickly. The teen was staring at the corner of the room, just over his father's shoulder with a far-away look in his eye._

"_Danzou would never have wanted this." Itachi finally said, so faintly that his family barely heard him. "It is a shame that this will be held over his head, and the names of those responsible forgotten."_

"_Hindsight is a powerful thing, son." Fugaku replied quietly, "You have learned something at the age of sixteen that took me nearly forty-five years to figure out." He stood up and left the room, his shoulders drooping rather tiredly and his feet dragging as he walked down the hall._

"_I'm glad you didn't have to see that Itachi." Mikoto's words were heart-felt, but her eyes were clouded, "You've already seen too much. If only there had been a way to prevent it..."_

"_It could happen again." Itachi interrupted. "The Shinobi world is twisted like that." It was his turn to get up and leave, and even though he hadn't seen the dead of Ki, in his mind, he knew exactly what they looked like._

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"You're going to be seventeen in a couple days." Sheeta's soft voice brought Itachi back to reality and he searched her face carefully. Slightly flushed from the sunshine, with dark eyes that sparkled and soft red lips that formed a perfect smile she was everything to him.

"And you'll be seventeen in a few weeks. Right after Sasuke turns twelve."

"And shortly before the baby comes. There are a lot of birthdays coming up."

"Humph." Itachi had never thought it odd that their birthdays were clustered together, It was just one of those things that happened in life sometimes.

Sheeta tried to continue the conversation despite Itachi's pensive mood, "Toshiro should be returning soon."

"Yes, later this afternoon." Itachi sighed as he watched Fugaku gather up his tools and head back into the house, having finished repairing the practice dummy.

Toshiro and seven other Uchihas had been among the team that had volunteered to clean out Ki after Jiraiya's team had returned. There was no doubt a lot of sensitive information that no one in Fire country wanted to see fall into the wrong hands. It needed to be reviewed, and then either destroyed or packaged and shipped off to Konoha.

The corpses needed to be disposed of as well, as the Hokage had decided to keep a couple teems in the area to monitor the now-abandoned village. It was obvious that once the corpses decomposed, thieves - or worse - would move in.

"Let's hope one of the eyes he's bringing back is still in good condition." Sheeta echoed the word that everyone had been saying since the news that Toshiro had found Danzou's stash of Uchiha and Hyuuga eyes.

Once again Itachi muttered a non-committal "yes". He had been having second thoughts about transplanting Shisui's eye ever since he had killed those Ki Shinobi. It had been too easy with no cost on his end.

Would having two eyes make it even easier? It didn't seem possible. Yet, Itachi reflected, the power that had once been split between two eyes with the regular Mangekyou Sharingan had been available to him in just one Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

Was that why Madara refrained from using it? Was that much power too much for even him to bear without conscious? When Itachi had been unable to carry out his mission to wipe out the Uchiha clan Madara could have very easily done it all himself. Why did he refrain?

"Itachi," Sheetas voice broke through his fogged thoughts and he turned to look at her.

"Are you uncomfortable, would you like to go back inside?"

"Yes. I'm getting sleepy. Help me up?" she smiled coyly at her husband as he rose to his feet and pulled up on her forearms to help her off the bench. She was now quite large, and on her small frame it appeared very out of place.

Entering the house he walked with her to the guest room, which had been fixed up for her and Itachi to stay in as it was now difficult for her to navigate the stairs.

She dropped down onto the bed and lay down as Itachi propped her swollen feet on a pillow. "If the baby comes soon it won't be soon enough." She muttered sleepily.

"We shouldn't have killed him," Itachi said morosely.

"Danzou?" Sheeta muttered as her eyes closed.

"Yeah. We should have found a way to work with him. There must have been a better solution."

"You know, oddly enough, I overheard Fugaku saying the same thing to Mikoto after he got back. I was sure I was hearing thing, but now that I hear it from you..."

"I promise, Sheeta, this will never happen again."

Sheeta gave a big sigh and looked straight at Itachi who returned her gaze with a sullen expression, "It will Itachi. As long as people exist things like what happened with Ki will happen over and over."

Itachi's shoulders drooped and he turned to look outside at the garden, "I know... but that doesn't mean I can sit back and let it happen."

The even breathing coming from the teen now lying asleep on the bed was somehow calming, even in his present mood, and he decided to lie down for a while as well. However, shortly after closing his eyes he was awakened by a sudden gasp and moan.

Sitting straight up he looked at Sheeta whose face was twisted with pain.

"Itachi... get Mikoto... I think..."

Itachi didn't hear the rest of the sentence as he was already halfway down the hall by the time she finished. "She still has a few more weeks. It's probably just cramps or something." He muttered to himself. However, as his heart raced and his mind cluttered up with thoughts of his impending fatherhood he realized something that seemed rather transcending.

He was smiling, and he was very happy.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Hidan, you idiot!" Kakuzu skidded to a stop directly in front of his partner who was leaning back in his chair and reading a manga.

"Hey Kakuzu, what's got you so worked up?"

"Didn't you feel that chakra surge a minute ago? Why are you here instead of in there checking on the Jinchuuriki?" Kakuzu was very angry and his green eyes flashed brilliantly, as if emitting light instead of refracting it.

"He's still in there. What's the problem? There was a secondary chakra source for a few seconds but it disappeared pretty quick."

Kakuzu kicked at the back legs of the propped up chair as he made his way to unlock the door. Both Hidan and the chair fell sideways onto the ground. Cursing the older man with several rather colorful and choicely picked out phrases he followed him into the small room.

"See, he's here." Hidan pointed at the blond boy who was sitting on the futon with arms around his legs and reading a manga he had spread out in front of him on the quilt.

"Humph." Kakuzu was now officially in a bad mood. "What were you doing in here?"

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Practicing jutsus."

Hidan laughed, "His signature move is the clone jutsu, Kakuzu. Is that what you felt? We can't seal his chakra because it would weaken him too much and we can't kill him. Really, there's no point in getting all worked up over it. He's just playing."

"No matter how many times I say it; it never sinks in, does it? Hidan you are a first class idiot." Kakuzu swung around on his heal and disappeared with a transportation jutsu.

Hidan turned to Naruto, grinning, "I love making him mad."

After Hidan exited, slamming the door for good measure, Naruto burst out laughing. "Those guys are the strangest people I've ever met. Hidan wouldn't care one bit if I escaped and Kakuzu is just weird."

Reaching under the futon the boy pulled out a scroll that the frog he had summoned had given him. Unrolling it he gazed closely at the words and diagrams that were revealed. It was a beginners guide to Senjutsu, the same techniques that made Jiraiya a Sage.

Lying down on his stomach he began to study the document carefully. He was verygrateful for the study techniques Itachi had taught him and within no time at all he was lost in the words of sage who had written it.

Naruto's growling stomach finally got the best of him and when he pulled out the small watch the frog had given him (after all, a frog's wrist wasn't very big) he realized he had been studying for over three hours.

For Naruto that was unprecedented. He could spend that much time reading mangas or watching TV but he couldn't ever remember spending that much time studying.

But the scroll was very interesting. It as full of techniques, the philosophy behind them and case studies of those who have used them. Of course the case studies were the interesting bit. Some were even documenting Jiraiya.

"The frog said I have one week to read it. I wonder what happens at the end of that week. Maybe I get a new book?" It was possible, he supposed, but while he was enjoying reading the scroll he was also feeling frustrated because he wanted o try out some of the jutsu. Yet if he did Kakuzu would become suspicious.

And there were probably other Akatsuki around as well. After all Sasori had yet to make an appearance even though he had assisted with the kidnapping.

"I wonder where Kisame and Deidara are?" He had come to regard the mad bomber as a friend and was fervently hoping that he wasn't involved in any of this. Perhaps he didn't even know about the kidnapping.

"But he's gotta know by now." Naruto's spirits began to wane again and he yawned widely as he poured water into a ramen cup. Whatever was going on, Naruto decided, it was going to have to wait because right now he was far too sleepy to think about it.

"In the morning," Naruto muttered, "I'll bug Hidan. Maybe he knows where the others are?"

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week: **

**Itachi gets a surprise and Naruto bugs Hidan. And Toshiro arrives in Konoha with a stash of eyes.**

**I hope I didn't Hidan too OOC. I see him as being generally a happy person and fairly carefree, yet with definite anger issues. Kind of bi-polar in a sense. **

**Also, I didn't have Akatsuki seal away Naruto's chakra, but I don't actually think you can seal a Jinchuuriki's chakra. If you did, wouldn't the demon escape? Well, maybe not the demon itself – it is sealed after all – but I figured it would allow some of the chakra to escape in order to fortify the host. This would make the Jinchuuriki powerful again, meaning the chakra seal is useless. Anyway, that's my logic. No chakra seal has ever been used on Naruto in the manga so I'm obviously guessing.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	70. Chapter 70 That Young Mans Family

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**No Madara, Sasuke or Naruto in this chapter. I tried to fit them in, but it just didn't fit. It seemed too disjointed so they will be in next week. Which is why the story is late… I was fussing over it too much… which isn't always a good thing. Hopefully it's okay.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 70 – That Young Man's Family**

After so many years of being a ninja, Itachi found the waiting room of the hospital to be almost as familiar as his own living room at home. There were, however, several distinct differences, and the biggest one was definitely the atmosphere. A heightened sense of awareness as well as fear, depression and longing seemed to cling to the people milling about in the large room. It was almost overwhelming and he began to wish he could just leave.

Sheeta hadn't wanted anyone in the family with her except for her oldest sister Nui, who was now full medic. Tsunade, of course was overseeing the delivery, but that also had Itachi feeling tense. The Sanin level medic didn't usually attend to deliveries, but because of the problems Sheeta had in the past few months there was a high probability that the baby would have problems after he or she was born. Luckily, Sheeta was doing well.

Looking around, Itachi saw that the news of Sheeta's impending delivery had spread pretty fast. Clansmen were trickling in to check for news or parking themselves in empty chairs and staring blankly into space.

Mikoto was sitting next to him and he realized she had his hand firmly clasped in both of her own. She was leaning slightly in his direction on her chair and her eyes were closed in meditation. He assumed she was probably praying, or perhaps reliving the nightmarish events surrounding Sasuke's birth.

His father was over by the main door leaning against the wall and talking with Toshiro and a man from the Hyuuga clan who was an advisor for their underage chief, Hinata.

He wondered if he should join them in case they were discussing village matters, but when he caught Fugaku's eye the older man shook his head once, silently telling him to stay where he was.

The somber mood was not quite what he had expected and Itachi felt his chest clench with fear. He had been in the waiting room before when deliveries were impending and the families always seemed upbeat and happy, and a little bored by the long wait. But not the Uchiha. Given the events of the last twenty-five years and their bad luck with pregnancies, any delivery was seen as stressful and caused great deals of apprehension. And Sheeta's poisoning a few weeks back made it even worse.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Propped up in an odd angle, Sheeta was definitely less than comfortable, but whether that was from the contractions or her position was certainly up for debate. She didn't really care though, as she continued to repeat the same mantra over and over in her head, "This will be over tomorrow."

"One more push Sheeta." A very serious looking Tsunade stated clearly. While Nui was performing the actual delivery the older woman was hovering over her like a mother hen.

Sheeta gathered together her resolve and realized as she was pushing just how immensely exhausted she was. She couldn't even cry out as the pain shot through her like a knife. However it seemed to end quickly and she blinked twice when she heard something not unlike a banshee screaming and then crying.

"Wow. That is one pissed off kid." Tsunade said surprised.

"You have a daughter, Sheeta." Nui said, a little out of breath as she handed the baby to an orderly.

"The contractions have stopped." Sheeta replied, panicked as she watched her daughter receiving her first bath at a basin nearby. The bright lights of the stark white room made it very easy to see the child's short, thin black hair and scrunched up face. Even the little tears were clearly visible. But there was another problem and her attention wasn't diverted for long.

"There's usually a couple minutes before they begin again..." Tsunade was interrupted by a panicked teen.

"Something's wrong! I can't feel his chakra!"

"Sheeta calm down!" Nui said in a strong voice as she watched Tsunade who was already pushing chakra into Sheeta abdomen.

"He's worked himself into a bad position." Tsunade said, "Sheeta, I'm going to stimulate your muscles to create a contraction. When you feel it push as hard as you can."

Steeling her resolve she did as she was told, but as the Sanin repeated the process her energy grew less and less. Finally The baby was released into the world and Sheeta closed her eyes and despite her desire to see her children, fell asleep.

The sound of a trolley and worried voices brought her back to her senses only a few seconds later, "What... what's wrong?" Sheeta mumbled, barely able to speak.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak but Nui beat her to it, "He wouldn't start breathing so we had to resuscitate him. He's breathing now, but his arms and legs aren't moving."

Sheeta turned her head, staining to see the tiny infant, but he was lost in a world of electronics, stuffed into an incubator and quickly being attached to an IV and various monitors. As she closed her eyes again, giving in to the exhaustion, her thoughts became nothing more than a jumble of disjointed images, then blackness.

x x x x x x x xx x x x x x xx

"Congratulations, Itachi. You're a father. Tsunade's smile didn't quite reach her eyes and, of course, everyone held their breath waiting to hear what was going to come next. However, she paused, looking at the new father and the twenty-odd people who were hanging around.

"It's okay Tsunade; they'll hear anyway, just tell me why... what..." Itachi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He truly didn't mind the fact that everyone was there. While he had never seen his clan as anything more than an inconvenience in his younger years, he now saw them as caring people who were no different from anyone else.

Tsunade sighed as the smile disappeared. "Your daughter has some of the poison in her but it is being dealt with and we are hoping it didn't cause any damage. You're son isn't doing as well..."

"Wait..." Itachi interrupted, "Two?"

"Yeah, Twins."

"I never felt two chakra sources inside her..." Itachi was at a loss. How could he have missed something that important?

"Most people don't unless you know what you're looking for. Twins synch their chakra with the mother - we still don't understand that completely- but considering that a baby who has never used chakra emits very little to begin with it's very easy to over look."

"So the..." Itachi licked his lips as his chest clenched tight with apprehension at the realization of what his new status in the world was, "My... my son..."

"Suffered oxygen deprivation and has higher amounts of poison in his body. His limbs weren't moving at all after birth, but they are gaining some movement." Tsunade's tone turned professional. "We'll have to wait to see how the paralysis turns out. It might get better or stay the same. However... you should probably prepare yourself mentally to raise a handicapped child. Maybe even two if the poison that affected your daughter is irreversible."

Itachi tried to take a deep breath, only to have it catch in his throat as a series of hacking coughs forced him to the floor. Tsunade was at his side instantly pumping soothing chakra into him. A moment later he felt his father pull him off the floor and place him in a chair.

Tsunade knelt down in front of his and took his hand, "You're running a fever. And from the looks of you have been for a couple days. That's not good, Itachi. Remember, you're still sick. We may have eased its severity, but it isn't gone and it makes you very prone to lung infections. "

"I've just been tired." Itachi sighed, "How is Sheeta?"

"Asleep. You can go see her, but please don't wake her up. Nui is staying close to the babies, which is where I'm going. By the way... What are the babies' names?"

Itachi paused. He knew what was in his heart and his wife's... but did the names they had each chosen still fit?

Glancing over the faces of his family and clan he realized that neither child could grow up to be a ninja. And the relief that washed over him was almost overwhelming.

Smiling, he glanced out through the plate glass windows of the waiting room into the darkness of late evening. His children would be safe, and despite their handicaps, would live a longer life than most Shinobi.

"I chose 'Shisui' for the boy, and Sheeta chose 'Rumiko' for the girl. She doesn't realize I know that though." he gave Tsunade a conspiratorial smile and she laughed.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The next few days were busy as Mikoto and Sheeta's aunt prepared for the babies' homecoming. While Itachi had been worried about the crib still being on backorder, it turned out they were ready and being held by the decorators until it was time to use them.

Sheeta had been hiding the twins from Itachi so she could surprise him and as the decorator had further explained, "If one or both died, she didn't want to see an empty crib."

It was understandable and as Itachi looked down at the two beautifully handcrafted hardwood cribs he had to agree.

The electronic monitoring equipment was ready and would be used to warn them if Shisui had problems. While Rumiko had responded well to treatment and was now declared "fit" (pending further diagnoses as she aged), the little boy was still rather motionless and slept much more than his sister. Although he was responsive to sound and people, he rarely cried.

"I'm still not sure about Shisui being let out of the hospital so soon." Itachi said, voicing his concern to his father a few minutes later as he joined him in the meeting room where he had been summoned for a meeting.

"You can trust Tsunade." Jiraiya, who was also there, said cheerfully.

"Yeah..." Itachi voiced non-commitally. He had seen his son several times over the last few days and while he was not in any danger, he was still very small and delicate. And Rumiko, for that matter, was only three ounces heavier than him. "Actually both..."

Fugaku laughed, "That boy hasn't given up and that girl let out a wail Sheeta said sounded like a banshee. I think you can worry a little less about them for a while."

"A banshee? I take it she's the heir?" Jiraiya found that amusing and grinned showing all his teeth.

"Uh..." Itachi hadn't actually thought about it."

"Very likely. She was born first. Nothing is ever set in stone though." Fugaku responded, "It's been over two-hundred years since a woman was in charge. The last one though is written in our histories as being quite a hellion."

That made Itachi smile. The stories of that woman's kunoichi abilities were a favorite of Sheetas and he wondered if maybe that woman had somehow returned to the clan to be reincarnated. However, something...

"Hey..." Itachi frowned. "Her name was Rumiko also."

"A little slow on the uptake, kid. The rest of the clan has already figured that one out. Are you sure you're fever is gone?" Fugaku laughed again.

"Well, I've had other things on my mind." Itachi took offense to that. "So why did you want to see me? I have a feeling something is going on here."

"We found Naruto. He's safe, healthy, and extremely bored." Jiraiya was very happy and grinned even bigger than he had been only moments earlier.

"Where is he?" Itachi asked, becoming serious. He glanced at the door as the sound of rain falling in the garden caught his attention. It had been raining off and on for a couple days despite the weather forecast that had called for sun.

Predictably enough, Pein strode into the room. However, the people standing behind him were not expected. At least by Itachi. Fugaku and Jiraiya, on the other hand, seemed happy to see them.

Kisame and Pein sat on either side of Itachi while Deidara and Suigetsu remained standing near the door.

Itachi sighed, and sighed again when he realized how much sighing he was doing lately. "Why are you here?"

"Wanted to see the kids." Kisame answered, grinning.

"I doubt it." Itachi responded.

"Well that was the nice answer." Deidara added. "The real issue is much more complicate, un."

"Anyway... back to Naruto." Jiraiya turned serious. "My frog friends found him. He's being held by Akatsuki in a cave on the coast of Fire country, but... and I know you won't like this and Tsunade nearly smacked me until she heard by reasoning... but I'm going to take control of this situation."

"Where is Tsunade?" Itachi asked, realizing she had come to the meeting.

"Hospital. But I already cleared all this through her and as she put it, it's my head if it doesn't work. So anyway, I am a Sage who studied at Mt. Myouboku with the frogs. I was about Naruto's age when I began, but I could only stay for short periods of time. It took me years to attain sagehood."

He paused, "What I am going to do is send Naruto to stay with the frogs for a while. They will train him and I suspect he's a faster learner than me. In part because of Itachi's excellent mentoring skills."

"So you want me to go get him and take him to the frogs?" It sounded logical to Itachi so he was quite surprised when Jiraiya laughed,

"No. In fact I can have the master toad reverse summon him. Getting Naruto back isn't the problem."

Pein spoke up. "It's what happens after Naruto disappears that is the concern."

"Right you are, Pein. Madara will know immediately that it was me and he might even be able to put two and two together and figure out where he is. Madara against the frogs would result in a massacre." At this Jiraiya looked closely at Itachi, "That Sharingan of his... you also have it."

Itachi nodded, but kept quiet. He wondered how much Pein had told his old master about their meeting in the woods. Probably everything, more than likely.

"He would have to use it to win against so much sage power. It would... the frogs wouldn't stand a chance. So... I came up with this brilliant plan that will completely solve the problem!" The man gave everyone another one of his big grins as well as a thumbs-up.

"Usually when someone says it like that it means you're going to be killed on the mission." Deidara said grumpily.

"So negative." Suigetsu grinned, "You haven't even heard him out yet."

"I'm glad to hear you say that my boy!" Jiraiya laughed, "Because you are going to be very important to the plan."

"You get him killed off before I get my money back from his doctor bills, _you_ will be the one paying _me_." Kisame growled defensively.

"He loves me like a son." Suigetsu pretended to wipe away a tear.

"I feel sorry for his kids then." Deidara muttered. And once again Itachi was left wondering about the big man's personal life. Did he have kids somewhere?

"Fine." Jiraiya turned serious. "I get it Kisame. You don't take orders from me and never will. However, we need a kid for this to work and we need you guys to help. Basically, Suigetsu is going to take Naruto's place in captivity, then you... Itachi, Kisame and Deidara will rescue him and bring him back to Konoha."

"Wow. That's really stupid." Suigetsu replied. "Get one of his friends to do it. I only know Naruto from a while back when Itachi and Sasuke killed Orocimaru."

"It's a great plan, we'll do it. And the fee is double the usual." Kisame said.

Suigetsu shook his head, "He really is trying to get me killed, isn't he? For someone who says he's not into money he's sure trying hard to get mine."

Everyone ignored him and he closed his eyes and sat down on the floor.

Pein shifted his leg and leaned forward so that he could rest his arm on his knee, "Why are you not using one of your own people?"

"Because you know more about Akatsuki. Also, I estimate the possibility of Konoha being attacked after Naruto's escape is discovered to be very high. Having the top Shinobi here in Konoha to protect the village and Naruto after his return is tantamount to our success."

Fugaku spoke up, "So Suigetsu will be staying here for a week in order to learn some of Naruto's mannerisms. He will also be put in contact with Naruto's friends and they will help prepare him."

"Here? Cool." Suigetsu grinned. "I get to eat Lady Mikoto's cooking." Kisame found that amusing and gave a short laugh.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The meeting ended a short time later and Itachi found himself showing Suigetsu to Naruto's old room. It had been made up already and his backpack was placed on the floor next to the bed.

"Looks like I was expected." The boy sighed.

"Wow. Nice room." Deidara stuck his head in. "It's big"

"Compared to Kisame's house, yeah." Itachi commented. "Sasuke's room is twice as big and has a TV if you feel like being alone for a while. You're probably not used to being around a family." Itachi glanced at the alarm clock and noted that Sheeta would be arriving soon.

"Why don't I just sleep in his room then?" Suigetsu asked, stating the obvious.

"Stay away from that subject. Mikoto will hang you." Itachi answered.

"Yeah, I'm staying in Itachi's old room, un." Deidara answered.

"What?" That was unexpected. Itachi didn't mind Suigetsu hanging around for a week but Deidara was certainly a different story and he wondered if Fugaku had finally gone insane.

"I wasn't planning on it either." Deidara frowned, but Kisame said that I'm Suigetsu's backup if anything happens to him."

"Sounds more like he's dumping you on us." Itachi replied grumpily. "Why do you even stick around?"

Deidara was silent for a moment, then sat down on the bed and sighed, "Originally I wanted to beat you in a fight because I lost to you. But then you got that terminal disease and fighting you at less than full strength wouldn't feel like winning. Then Akatsuki started to fall apart and we started to do jobs for Konoha on the sly and that was kind of fun I guess... but now... I liked being with Sasori even though he's really creepy but… he ditched me."

Deidara paused and stared out the rain-streaked window. "Pein said he would give me full citizenship in Rain if I follow him. Fugaku offered me the same thing in Konoha. I guess right now I'm just riding it out to see what happens."

"I think at this point that's what we're all doing." Itachi shook his head, surprised that he got such a detailed answer from a person who actively disliked him. Then again, he didn't seem to be all that hostile anymore.

"Sheeta should be here in a couple minutes. So… relax for a while I guess." Itachi wasn't sure what to say to the two missing nins, but "make yourself at home" was definitely not a good idea. At least in his mind.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Stepping off the porch he made his way to the driveway just as Sheeta's carriage was pulling up. The well-groomed black horse stood motionless as the driver jumped down to help Sheeta down the stairs. Itachi stepped forward to great her and instead had a baby placed in his arms. Mikoto starting snapping pictures and Shisui turned his head around, to see where the noise was coming from. He had quite a lot of hair for a newborn and his big black eyes seemed oddly over-large. Blowing small bubbles he blinked several times when Itachi adjusted the lavender blanket to cover him up.

The rain had continued to fall and as Itachi looked up to see what kind of clouds were over head, an umbrella appeared out of nowhere. Looking behind him he saw Nui standing behind himself and Sheeta, holding a large red and white umbrella in each hand. Fugaku came out a minute later and grabbed one of the umbrellas.

Konan also stepped out of the carriage and Itachi realized that the woman had accompanied Sheeta home from the hospital. Something clicked in his head and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

His father had provided a rather substantial security force to escort Sheeta home. In the middle of a ninja village full of powerful Shinobi. Looking around he noticed the tell-tale chakra signatures of several Anbu and he even saw Kakashi standing near the lake talking with Gai, Kurenai and Asuma.

Something was up and it was not good. "What's going on?" Itachi asked in a low voice as his father moved next to him. The clan photographer had taken over the picture taking and was arranging people in different positions.

"We received word that Sheeta has been placed on a hit list by the Yakuza." Fugaku said under his breath. "They can't get to you, so they're going after her."

"That makes no sense at all. We've always had an unwritten agreement between Yakuza and Shinobi..."

"I agree. It appears this has something to do with Ki. We're still gathering information. Until then, keep Sheeta under constant surveillance."

Shisui began to whimper and Rumiko let loose with one of her signature screeches and began to cry. Itachi couldn't help but smile and the conversation ended as he accompanied Sheeta into the house.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Laying the infant in his crib Itachi was pleasantly surprised to see Shisui moving around a little. His legs were still stiff, but his feet were moving and he was able to lift his arms a couple inches.

"That therapy seems to be working." Itachi remarked.

"They think his arms will get better, but his legs are still iffy. Right now they're doing daily physical therapy with chakra to keep the muscles from atrophying. If they are never used it makes it harder to fix any problems."

"Is Nui going to do it?"

"No. She's leaving for the capital in the morning. She's taking the entrance exam for the university Medical school in a few days. The therapy is going to be done by a couple people whose job is to visit patient's homes and help them, so we're just added to their schedule."

"He won't be a ninja." Itachi said after a long pause.

"You and I are happy about that, but it's his feelings we should think of. I mean, how will he feel being left out?"

Itachi hadn't thought about that and his face grew thoughtful as he watched his son try to reach for the colorful mobile that was now circling his crib and playing a soft tune. And Rumiko could be in the same boat. It was still unknown what extent the damage was with her.

Looking up at the ceiling Itachi closed his eyes, "In a ninja village everyone is important. From the Hokage to the shoe salesmen. Everyone plays a vital role. If they didn't, Konoha wouldn't exist. But... it will be hard for them."

x x x x x x x x x x x

The day ended late and Itachi found he wasn't able to get to bed until almost two A.M. Sheeta was already asleep and he slipped under the blankets carefully so as not to disturb her.

He had been discussing issues pertaining to the Yakuza clan that had threatened Sheeta for several hours in the Hokage's office. It was a touchy situation, but on the whole he suspected that some sort of misunderstanding had occurred.

Shinobi would only go after mobsters if they received a mission, and Yakuza would only go after Shinobi if they received a contract from a specific upper echelon contact. That almost always meant that busting someone of mid or low rank resulted in no consequences for the ninja.

This time something went horribly wrong. The first assumption was that Danzou had been a member o the Yakuza. That would certainly have lead to a hit on a ninja. However, very few people, including Itachi, Fugaku and Tsunade were willing to entertain that notion. It was too ridiculous. While he had maintained some contacts with them, he most certainly was not a member.

The next theory was that Madara had ordered the hit. While it was much more likely, it still seemed unbelievable. After all, with all his resources it would seem rather odd of him to turn to the Yakuza.

The only thing that made any sense was that some upper level mobster had been killed by Itachi during the ruckus with Ki. The question was, who?

As he drifted off to sleep Itachi's mind wandered back to his childhood and the nights he would spend asleep on the floor of Sasuke's bedroom after waking up from a nightmare. Being near his little brother had been comforting for some reason. Things had seemed so complicated back then, but now it seemed they had become a hundred times worse.

Even so, he no longer felt alone. With all the people standing beside him he knew that he and his family and friends would survive this. And with that, Itachi fell asleep in his home with his wife by his side and his daughter and son nearby.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Naruto learns about the plan, Madara and Sasuke learn about the babies, and what exactly is going on with those eyes Toshiro retrieved from Ki?**

**I hope the Yakuza thing isn't too odd. It's a minor subplot and I hinted at it during the Ki attack. By the way, the Yakuza is the Japanese mafia. I once heard that Kakuzu's manner of speaking is similar to the way a Yakuza speaks and it's had me wondering ever since. Perhaps that is where he learned about finance?**

**Updates on Fridays**

**Please review**


	71. Chapter 71 Unlikely Brothers

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Okay, the excuse for posting late this week is: I was writing this on my phone (at work) by sending e-mails to myself and I wrote a lot and ran out of memory. It locked up and I had to turn it off. I ended up loosing about half the chapter. The lesson here is that cell phones can't handle large e-mails. Or at least mine can't, xD. I'm getting a new one in a couple weeks so hopefully I can download a word program of some kind. I didn't want to use the computer because it makes me nervous when people read over my shoulder, lol.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 71 – Unlikely Brothers**

"Well, it looks like you're an uncle." Tama stretched lazily as he dropped down onto the bed next to the photographs Sasuke had carefully laid out. In them Itachi and Sheeta were smiling, and each was holding an infant wrapped carefully in a pastel colored blanket.

"I can't believe they have twins." Sasuke muttered. "No matter how long I stare there are always two."

"I think you've lost it." Tama yawned.

"I mean, the odds of that are…"

"Pretty high." Madara walked into the boy's room without knocking. Sasuke was so used to it by now that he didn't even bother complaining. Of course, it was still annoying and he did look up from the photos long enough to give the elder Uchiha a dirty look.

Madara smirked at the boy's scowl and continued, "You wouldn't really know this, since the birthrate in the clan has been so low in Konoha, but twins are quite common in the Uchiha clan. Rumiko had twins. Remember Arata and Yori?"

"Yeah… it hasn't been _that_ long ago since I saw them."

"I find the names Itachi chose to be rather predictable. Rumiko and Shisui. After all, both fall short of following in their namesakes footsteps."

Sasuke picked up a photo that showed both babies propped up side-by-side and looked closely. They were both wearing diapers and tiny blue t-shirts with the Uchiha crest on them. He remembered seeing similar pictures of himself and Itachi and wondered if every kid got one when he or she was born.

"The letter says nothing is definite." Sasuke replied softly, "They could get better. I mean, even Sora is crippled and he still became a ninja in the medical corp and he's the clan leader."

Madara ground his teeth for a moment before speaking, his voice turning angry, "This is what the ninja lifestyle creates. The poison Danzou was dumping in their water supply did this. War cripples children and takes away their futures, Sasuke." He continued to stare at the photos arranged neatly on the bed, but he wasn't seeing Itachi's children. Instead, he was gazing into the past and remembering the joyful occasions of his own children's births and the sorrow of watching them die one by one.

Why was it that the world was was filled with such dichotomous circumstances? Fortune and misfortune, instead of being on opposite sides of the same coin, lay next to each other like lovers. Even simple things like raising a family, or going to work or being happy were major undertakings in the human world. And even if one did work hard, overcoming obstacles and misfortunes, a life of peace and happiness surrounded by the ones you loved could still be out of reach with death being the only certainly of a life well-lived.

"_But you're wrong…"_ The voice surprised Madara and he took a step back before he remembered where he was and stopped. It was Izuna. His voice loud and clear, as it had been long ago when last he was alive. The remnant of his chakra imbedded in his eyes spoke clearly and firmly. _"Humans accept their lives and are happy anyway. You have never accepted happiness, big brother. You have only ever tried to conquer it. It does not work that way. You can't force people to be happy. You can't force yourself to be happy." _

Madara took another step back and grabbed his head, his eyes closing in a futile attempt to block out the voice, _"I did not give you my eyes so you could do this. Look, big brother, there before you is a child that could give you your happiness. Instead, you will kill him. You are the one killing your own happiness. Not war. Not the ninja world."_

Opening his eyes he saw Sasuke's young face looking up at him, his Sharingan activated and a look of worry etched painfully in his expression. For a second, Madara saw that face replaced with a skeleton. Eyeless, fleshless and without life, laying forgotten in a grave while he looked down on the earth from his perch on the moon where an eternal Genjutsu wrapped the earth in the welcoming embrace of peace.

Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly and spoke out loud to the bewildered boy in front of him and the bodiless chakra of his brother inside, "I have always made sacrifices for the clan. Everything I did was to ensure their power, their existence, and their happiness. I sacrificed my eyes, my life, even my status so they could live. Only to be betrayed in the end. However, I have found a way to bring peace to this world. In that world children won't be crippled by war, or orphaned or abandoned. Sasuke, you will help make that happen."

Sasuke gulped, suddenly wary of the change that had abruptly come over the man standing only six feet away from him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say anything or not, but Madara seemed to be expecting something.

"H…how?" Sasuke stuttered over the words and Madara couldn't help but notice how young the boy sounded. He would be twelve soon, still just a child, but in the world of Shinobi, he was a full warrior.

Glancing to the window Madara observed the afternoon sun beginning to make its way to the west-facing glass door of Sasuke's room. Karin and Juugo were sitting on a bench next to a small pond, each quietly reading a book. It was rare to have good weather in Mist and everyone had learned to enjoy it when it came.

"Would you sacrifice your life to save your family?" Madara asked seriously.

"Yes, of course. Itachi and Sheeta and Rumiko and Shisui and mom… and… I don't know about dad. I… I…" His words faded and he remembered how his brother had forbidden him from speaking any ill of the man. Itachi seemed to think that it was possible to repair their relationship even after everything that had happened. It was something he had been trying to understand ever since he had returned from Konoha. He had even spoken to Aya about it, but she seemed to grow sad and would only say that some things could not be explained with words, only understood with the passage of time.

"Aya is pregnant."

"I know. And I will protect Aya and her baby… Well… I guess it'll be my little brother or sister. But one thing I will not do is protect you, _father_." Sasuke spoke the word with such bitterness that Madara actually recoiled and closed his eyes to shut it out. While the boy had run away to Mist to escape Fugaku, the elder Uchiha knew better than to think he would ever be forgiven for his part in forcing the Mangekyou Sharingan on him.

"I am a failure as a father, Sasuke. That is something I came to terms with decades ago. Fugaku… he was also a failure… but his story is still being written. Don't give up on him." Turning around, Madara walked silently out of the room leaving a very confused boy and one very bored cat behind.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Okay, now I _know_ Pervy Sage is crazy. I always suspected it, of course. But this is definitely proof." Naruto eyed the frog suspiciously after being told he was to be reverse-summoned to Toad Mountain so that Suigetsu could take his place. "Me? Learn Sage stuff? Geeze… seriously what is he thinking?"

The frog closed his eyes and shook his head in resignation, "Well, we can't leave you here. No matter what happens with the training, at least you'll be safe."

"But what about Suigetsu? I mean, I only met him that one time at Orochimaru's hideout but he seemed nice enough. Won't he get killed if he's found out?" Naruto had actually taken a liking to the water-jutsu boy and had spent the hours waiting for Sasuke and Itachi to recover telling jokes and exploring the underground hideout with him. It had only been a couple days, but it was enough for Naruto to decide he didn't want anything bad to happen to his new friend.

The boy leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table so he could rest his chin in his hands. He had read every book the frogs delivered, keeping them hidden from the Akatsuki who, after ignoring him for weeks, had suddenly taken to dropping in to chat.

The frog hopped down from the small table and crossed the dull green tatami mat. Stopping near the bookshelf he gave the room a once-over before returning his attention to the blond boy still leaning on the table and staring wide-eyed and confused at the small amphibian.

"In one week I will return. Until then, don't give anything away. I'm going to leave you with one book. It was Jiraiya's first novel and arguably his best. Although in sales his newer books make more money." The frog's voice disappeared as he pondered the odd habits of human beings and the even odder habits of one Sannin in particular.

Forming his hands into a seal a puff of white smoke appeared, the frog was gone, leaving behind a small paperback book with a picture of a strong ninja on the cover.

Picking it up Naruto turned it over and thumbed through some of the pages before returning to the cover.

"The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja." Naruto quoted. "I hope it's good. But then again, it's not like I have anything else to do."

x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x

"This stuff's pretty good." Suigetsu commented as he downed his third bowl of pork ramen. "I can see how he got addicted to it."

Sakura smiled lightly and watched her new friend as he attempted, without even realizing it, to surpass Naruto's ramen-eating record. "You're doing great Suigetsu. I can't believe how quickly you catch on to this stuff. It's like second nature to you."

"Yeah well, I'm just good that way!" Suigetsu beamed. He turned his attention to the middle-aged proprietor who had stepped outside the small fifty-square-foot wooden food stall to adjust the red and white striped awning. The sun was moving across the sky at its usual late spring pace and threatening to invade the shaded eatery.

"Would you like another one?" Ayami, the proprietor's daughter smiled wistfully at the white-haired boy and quickly dished him up another bowl when he nodded his head.

"And some more water, please." Suigetsu added.

"Hey Suigetsu! Are you going to play with us today?" Konohamaru and his two school friends, Moegi and Udon stood behind him, their eyes brimming with anticipation.

Laughing, the boy picked up his bowl and downed the rest of the ramen in three large gulps, then swallowed his water in one. It was quite a feet and Sakura stared wide-eyed as Suigetsu ran away from Ichiraku Ramen with three nine-year-olds trailing close behind.

"I have no idea how he did that without choking." The girl remarked after a couple minutes had passed.

"Me neither." Ayami replied as she gently dropped the white ceramic dishes in a sink of hot, sudsy water. "But a lot of Shinobi do it. Father thinks it must be a jutsu."

"It's gotta be." The man laughed, "Because I can't think of any other explanation."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Kabuto had gotten into the habit of laying low ever since his return to Konoha. Accepting an invitation to share an apartment from Haku and Zabuza turned out to be a great convenience. They did the shopping and he hid indoors when he wasn't training or on a mission as part of Fugaku's squad.

He still owned the big house he had lived in as a boy with his adoptive father, but the memories the place dredged up were to painful to bear at this time in his life. Therefore the small apartment he shared with the two ex-Mist nin's was perfect. It consisted of one large bedroom where the trio would spread out their futons at night, a bathroom, and a medium-sized room with a kitchenette, small table and cushions, and a TV.

Kabuto's days off were therefore spent reclining on the floor with a bag of chips and a bottle of green tea watching a old movies. Predictably he was surprised when there was a knock on his door that wasn't followed by Haku or Zabuza's chakra.

Standing up cautiously he stepped lightly over to the door in his bare feet and looked through the peep hole. Stepping back once in surprise he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly with great exasperation before allowing his guest enter.

"'Bought time." Deidara sneered, "How long were you planning on leaving me there?"

"Why are you here?" Kabuto asked, highly annoyed.

"Well, I thought I'd come by to say 'hi' since we both used to work with Sasori, un."

"Correction." Kabuto replied bitterly, "You were his partner and I was his slave."

"Yeah, un, that is a big distinction." Deidara's flippant tone did nothing to ease the white-haired man's temperament and he grinned widely, just to annoy him some more.

"Are you here to pick a fight?"

"Yeah, un."

"You're supposed to be learning how to imitate Naruto along with Suigetsu. When I kill you, he won't have a backup anymore."

"Kabuto, I won't be the one dying today, un," Deidara's voice was deadly serious as his aquamarine eyes caught and held Kabuto's gaze. "That misfortune will fall on your shoulders, un."

"Follow me then," Kabuto slipped his sandals on and walked past his house-guest to open the door, "Let's take this outside the village. We don't want any interruptions after all."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

'I wonder where Deidara is?' Itachi realized he could no longer feel the other teen's chakra and it dawned on him that he was probably hiding it.

"Itachi, be careful, you have to support his head." Sheeta said in a low voice. The therapy session had finished a few minutes earlier and baby Shisui was cranky and refusing to drink from his bottle. While he didn't screech or cry like his sister, he was definitely still able to get his point across.

"I give up." Itachi set the bottle down on the table. Standing up he walked across the room and laid the small boy in the crib and smiled as Shisui's face contorted in what could only be described as indecision between crying and sleeping. Choosing the latter he closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Oh well. I guess he'll be hungry when he wakes up." Sheeta watched as Itachi stuck a small monitor wire to the infant's arm and pushed a button on the computer to turn it on. It was designed to notify them if either his breathing or heart rate became irregular.

"Rumiko sure is hungry, though."

"Compared to Shisui. But she's eating the normal amount. But they're both so small still the clothes we got are too big."

Itachi silently wondered what the point of dressing a baby in anything other than a diaper was. They spit up and peed on everything anyway and the amount of laundry they generated was surprising.

Itachi nodded to acknowledge her words, "I'm going to go find Deidara. His chakra is gone. I don't want him blowing anything up."

"He said something earlier about visiting his brother. I didn't know someone here in Konoha shared the same sensei with Deidara." Sheeta replied curiously.

Itachi's eyes opened wide with understanding and he took off at a run, exiting the house at full speed. There was someone Kabuto could "loosely" refer to as a brother, but it wasn't a sensei the two shared. It was a puppet master.

x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x

"This'll work perfectly." Deidara grinned viciously as he stuck his hands into the clay pouches hanging from his belt.

Kabuto had led the mad bomber to a field ten miles outside the village near a small mountain range that few people rarely traversed. There were no roads, just lots of narrow trails used by animals and ninja.

"I had a feeling I would be seeing you when I heard you were in the village, but I didn't think you would be able to get past Itachi."

"He's not my babysitter! I can do whatever I want!" Deidara threw a clay owl into the air and used a jutsu to make it grow. Jumping on top of it he drifted about forty feet up and began to drop small bombs on the ground below.

Kabuto jumped back to evade them then formed some seals and a huge strip of earth ripped itself from the ground and shot up directly in Deidara's path. The twenty foot wide, six foot thick earth wall rose a total of fifty feet up. Rocks, clumps of earth and various other objects began falling from it and Deidara was forced to jump off his owl to avoid hitting it.

Landing on top of the wall he jumped back again when he felt Kabuto appear next to him and hit his shoulder. Jumping into space Deidara tried to reach into his clay pouch with his right hand but it wouldn't move.

Cursing the other teen he instantly pulled another owl out of his left pouch and landed on it a mere ten feet from the ground. However, He had to vacate the owl again when Kabuto landed behind him. This time the blond was able to avoid a hit, but he realized he was going to have to move quickly if he was going to avoid Kabuto.

"You can't move your right arm. I severed several muscles." Kabuto sneered. "We may be inappropriately matched, with you a long range fighter and me short range, but you shouldn't make the mistake that I haven't learned to deal with that."

Deidara's anger grew as he watched Kabuto drop down onto the ground and stretch his legs out in front of him, as if relaxing.

The white haired teen sighed, "Why do you hate me so much? It makes no sense. It was like 'hate at first sight' when Sasori introduced me to you. Is it jealousy? Because there is nothing about my life I would wish on another human being." He stared hard at the blond ninja in front of him who was panting hard and clutching his injured arm tightly with his good hand.

"I'm better than you and I'm going to prove it!" Deidara finally said.

"Fine then. You're better than me. Is this childishness over now?" Kabuto rose to his feet and turned his back on his adversary. "Although, you _are_ the one injured, not me. I don't even have a scratch."

"You little..." Deidara was interupted.

"You know, Instead of cutting your arm up, I could have sliced your heart apart. Simple, really. It's only a few inches from your..." Kabuto used a jutsu to appear behind Deidara, "heart."

Deidara was already in motion by the time Kabuto had reappeared behind him. Dropping to the ground he tangled his legs around Kabuto's and tripped him. In one fluid movement he was on top of the white-haired ninja and shoving a small wad of clay down his shirt. Jumping back he raised his good hand vertically in front of his face and yelled "Katsu!"

As soon as Deidara had leapt away Kabuto began ripping off his purple tunic and the white short-sleeved t-shirt he wore under it. The bomb exploded as the clay, still stuck firmly to the tunic, was thrown into the air.

Unfortunately it was only three feet away from him and Kabuto found himself blown away, landing hard on his back near the earthen wall that was now only half as high as it had been a few minutes ago. Dirt fell on his face as a large chunk dropped next to him.

Jumping to his feet he leapt away as Deidara threw another bomb at the wall, completely destroying it. "Now who's injured the worst?" Deidara laughed.

Kabuto felt a sharp sting and looked down at his chest. He was bleeding from several small cuts and one long gash that stretched from his left side up to his right shoulder. Feeling something in his back he reached behind him and felt a stick poking out of his lower back.

"That stick is in your kidney, isn't it?" Deidara grinned evilly.

Kabuto gritted his teeth as he applied chakra to the area around the stick and yanked it out. Healing chakra continued to flow into his body and his kidney was as good as new in less than a minute.

"Are you two finished?"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Kabuto and Deidara both turned their attention to Itachi who walked calmly into the clearing with his hands in his pockets and his shirt thrown over his shoulder.

Itachi quickly deduced that the pair in front of him were not done trying to kill each other and decided to change his strategy.

"Okay, then how about you put this off until after we take care of Madara then? I promise I won't lift a finger to stop you."

"I don't need your permission to fight." Deidara snapped.

"Nor do I." Kabuto added as he continued to heal his wounds.

"No, of course not." Itachi said, remaining calm. "I was just voicing the observation that we need both of you for a while. And I will intervene to ensure that you are both available for active duty."

Deidara frowned then struggled out of his shirt as he turned sideways, "Fix my arm."

Kabuto bristled at the order, and as he walked across the clearing toward Deidara he contemplated all the ways he could make the injury worse. However, one glance at the red Sharingan from the one-eyed Uchiha was enough of a warning and he carefully reconnected the muscles he had severed a few minutes earlier, as well as the bruising.

"Looks like my shirt's a goner." Kabuto muttered as Itachi used a jutsu to burn the fragments. Even though they were only ten miles from konoha they still knew better than to leave any evidence of their passing.

The trio began walking down the narrow trail toward Konoha at a leisurely pace. Somehow they had subconsciously agreed to walk home even though a jutsu could get them back within an hour.

As the trail widened out into a little-used one lane road Kabuto was the first to speak after an hour-and-a-half of silence. "Are you ever glad that Yota died when he did?"

Itachi wasn't prepared for the question and looked curiously at the older teen. "Well..." Itachi thought about for a couple minutes. "He hated Konoha. Considering that... when I was ready to exterminate the clan I would probably have asked for his help. And he would probably be in Mist now under Madara's wing."

"A very sticky situation. Or it would have been. He's considered a hero, even though the main branch of the Hyuuga refused to recognize him because he was from the side-branch." Kabuto looked around at the sun speckled forest. The trees in the area were mostly deciduous and a small creek ran alongside the road,

He changed the subject slightly, "Yota loved it here."

Itachi nodded, remembering the camping trips he, Shisui, Kabuto and Yota would take into the hills surrounding Konoha to practice jutsus and survival skills.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he thought about his dead friends and Kabuto, who was only alive because of his intervention. However, a chill ran up and down his spine and the cicadas, that had been sparsely chirping only moments earlier began chirping much louder.

_"Itachi you slowpoke! Hurry up!"_

_"There's our camping spot! Come on you guys!"_

The young voices rang out clear and the sound of footsteps running past the trio brought Itachi and Kabuto to a halt. Moving their heads to follow the sound they both shuddered as a cold breeze passed through them.

"What's wrong with you two?" Deidara frowned. "You sick or something?"

"Did you… feel that?" Kabuto whispered.

"Y…yeah." Itachi stuck his hands in his pockets. The warm sun filtered through the trees that lined the road but his arms were full of goose-bumps. He listened carefully to see if he could hear anything else, but the only sounds were cicadas, birds, crickets, and leaves as they brushed up against each other in the light breeze.

"What?" Deidara asked again. He pushed the hair away from his eye scope and looked closely at the surrounding area.

"A ghost?" Kabuto was still whispering.

The blond rolled his eyes and kicked at a rock, sending it splashing into the creek.

"_You keep kicking rocks like that and they'll find you." _A child's sing-song voice called out from somewhere nearby, followed by giggling.

Deidara's eyes opened wider than should have been physically possible. "Okay… this better be a Genjutsu."

"A Genjutsu that affects Itachi?" Kabuto logically stated, much to Deidara's distaste. However, he smiled and turned back to the road, "Chakra is a funny thing. Spiritual energy that exists separate from the soul. Some researchers have postulated the theory that it exists as a separate soul. I had the chance to read about it quite extensively while I was with Orochimaru."

"I wonder…" Itachi said quietly, "That first voice was…"

"Yota." Kabuto replied softly, "And the second voice was definitely Shisui."

"And his chakra is inside me." Itachi explained.

"Which one laughed at me?" Deidara asked, as goose bumps appeared on his arms as well.

Itachi and Kabuto were silent, then looked at each other and spoke at the same time, "Don't know."

"Great." The blond continued walking down the road, followed by Itachi and Kabuto.

Looking back, Itachi decided that if he had to choose a place to spend eternity, then it would surely be a nice camping spot on a late-spring day in the middle of the woods. His thoughts moved into the future and he promised to bring his kids to that same spot when they were old enough. Even if he had to carry Shisui on his back to do it, they would see this small bit of heaven.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Wow, you were for a long time." Mikoto yawned as she greeted Itachi and Deidara at the door. Kabuto had returned to his own apartment as soon as they entered the village.

"It took a while to walk back, Lady Mikoto." Deidara smiled.

She laughed good naturedly, "It's almost midnight. Anyway, I was waiting for you Itachi. Tsunade has good news for you."

"What?" The teen mimicked his mother and yawned as well.

"They finally identified all the eyes Toshiro brought back from Ki a few weeks ago. Shisui's other eye was among them. She has scheduled you for surgery tomorrow afternoon. That way you should be recovered in time for the mission."

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until after?"

"Tsunade and Fugaku said no when I suggested that, so I guess not." Mikoto shrugged

The sound of a baby crying broke the late evening silence and Itachi turned to look at the stairs at the end of the hall. He was afraid of the advanced Sharingan he had gained with Shisui's eye, and getting the second one wouldn't give him any more power than he already had, but there was another reason for going through with it. Two reasons in fact.

"Okay. I'll be ready."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week Operation Reverse Summon Naruto begins. **

**As I was writing the fight scene between Kabuto and Deidara I started to think about Itachi and his friends as little kids, so I added the ghost scene. Sorry if it's too bizarre, but haven't you ever had a weird sensation when thinking of a dead friend? It's probably just caused by being emotional, but anyway… it's still creepy.**

**I bet you thought I forgot about Madara's strange headaches from the first story. Now that his "Eye of the Moon" plan is getting closer, the headaches are back. And it turns out they aren't headaches, they're Izuna, lecturing his older brother.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays**


	72. Chapter 72 The Switch

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**I'm late posting again. I was so busy this week that the days just ran together and last night I realized it was Thursday. I hate weeks like that because it feels like you loose time. I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it. Anyway, here is the chapter. And we are entering the last bit of the story. There's still a few chapters left, but alas, it will be coming to an end.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 72 – The Switch**

The letter that arrived from the capital should have been good news but Sheeta found it hard to smile. Her sister had passed the entrance exam for the University medical school and would be moving with her husband and small daughter to the city for at least four years.

Mikoto tried to cheer her up, reminding her that the capital wasn't that far away and when everything settled down she could visit when ever she wanted. That didn't do much to improve the teen's mood and she dropped disconsolately onto the couch in the first floor living room.

"What a joke." She laughed bitterly, "'When everything settles down we'll do this. When everything settles down we'll do that.' Haven't you figured it out yet, Lady Mikoto? Nothing is ever going to settle down! I'm a prisoner in Konoha and I always will be!"

The mid-morning sun filtered through the bamboo blinds that had been placed over the windows to protect the infants, who lay nearby in two small basinets. A mobile of stars and moons twirled over their heads playing a soft melody and catching their eyes in a near hypnotic state of color, motion and song.

Sighing, Mikoto sat next to her daughter-in-law and pulled her into an embrace. "I know. And I promise I won't say that again."

Sheeta rested her head on the woman's shoulder. "I just feel like a bird in a gilded cage sometimes. But I am glad for her." She pulled away and sat straight up, "She's going to be busy. And this is her dream ever since she came here. She didn't think she would ever get to go because of Danzou."

"Everyone is going to miss her." Mikoto replied softly, "But at least she's closer to us than Aya and Sasuke."

Sheeta swallowed hard and stared at the floor. Things were difficult for everyone; in her heart she knew that. But that didn't lessen her own disappointment.

Rumiko decided at that moment that she'd had enough of watching the mobile and began to make various noises and blow spit bubbles. Shisui followed her a moment later.

"They sound happy." Sheeta stood up and walked to the brown wicker basinets. Peering inside she smiled as Rumiko waved her hand and legs in the air, trying to grab at some unseen object, or perhaps just exercising in the open world outside the cramped confines of her mother's belly.

Shisui raised his arms a couple inches and wiggled his fingers but his legs remained still. The smile faded from her face and she reached down to lift one small leg end gently massage it. When she carefully released it a minute later the small boy lifted both legs a couple inches and flexed his toes.

"It's like he forgets to use his legs." Sheeta muttered. "I'm surprised the clan has been so accepting of him."

"Me too, to tell the truth." Mikoto admitted. "I think Itachi's reputation has everything to do with it. Although it could also have something to do with pity. Everyone knows how difficult things have been for you in the past. I don't expect the same attitude of someone else's kid has similar problems."

"I won't stand for it if that happens." Sheeta stated firmly.

"Good for you. Part of you job as matriarch of the clan is to set an example. It can be hard, especially when you have to work contrary to tradition."

"Things are changing, though." Sheeta smiled "I wonder what things will be like when I'm looking down at my grandkids. You'll still be here!" Sheeta grinned happily.

"God willing. I'm looking forward to it."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The sunny weather carried over to coast as Itachi, Deidara, Suigetsu and Kisame made their way east. A week had passed since they had been given the mission to have Suigetsu take Naruto's place so the Jinchuuriki could be reverse summoned to Toad mountain.

Suigetsu had spent time with all of Naruto's friends, learning as much as he could about him, and Deidara, as his backup was ready in case something went wrong.

Itachi was a little hesitant about leaving Konoha. The Yakuza clan that had threatened Sheeta was still running around and so far all attempts by Tsunade to get in contact with them had failed. To make matters worse three low-level members of the clan had been found by Sakura and Sai during a patrol not five-hundred feet from the massive wall that encircled the village. Following orders the three were taken into custody and placed in a nice underground prison cell.

"How's your new eye doing?" Kisame, was being rather talkative since he had met up with group a few hours earlier and seemed to have fallen back on his old game of "Bug Itachi until he peaks." Something he hadn't done in years.

"Fine." Itaachi responded quietly. "Still a little sensitive to the light." He reached up and adjusted the sunglasses he was wearing. After wearing glasses for so long, the few weeks he had been without them after getting his first transplant had felt rather weird at times. Now that he had the sunglasses he felt somehow "reassured" by their presence.

Kisame looked closely at him, "Kids okay?"

"Yeah." Itachi smirked, "How about yours?"

Kisame blinked his round white eyes twice before grinning wide, showing all his chiseled teeth, "Fine, fine. Haven't killed them yet anyway." He thunked both Deidara and Suigetsu over the head simultaneously and laughed when they scowled at him.

Sighing, Itachi contemplated his blue partner's initial response to the question. However, now was not the time to delve further into it. If Kisame did indeed have a family he was going to great pains to hide them.

A flock of birds twittered restlessly above them. Indicating another animal or human was nearby. Without even discussing it, the four ninja took to the trees and within minutes were a couple miles away.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The sound of the ocean was their first hint that they were drawing close. The dull roar echoed through the green forest as the large thick trees of the inland gave way to a mix of bamboo, maple and cypress. The soil also changed as patches of sand peeked out occasionally from the coating of leaves, branches and shrubs.

Overhead seagulls began to make their presence known as they called out to each other, and glided effortlessly on the streams of air that blew in from the sea. Soon enough the sounds grew louder and a the unique scent of the ocean - a mixture of salt, water, and dead sea life assaulted their senses as they finally stepped onto the pale brown sand.

The deep blue of the ocean opened up before them and it was obvious the tide was out as they stood and gazed at the scene, searching for chakra or other obstructions that could impede the mission. Long strips of seaweed were strewn along the waterline and small birds could be seen running back and forth looking for food in the water logged sand. But there was no indication that any human had been around for a very long time.

Itachi pulled a small frog out of his pocket and held it in his hand. "Tell Jiraiya we're here and are starting the mission."

The frog disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya and Pein had come on their own and were already nearby, but would only step in if the mission failed. Loosing the Jinchuuriki was too dangerous to contemplate so the formation of a powerful backup had been required.

Looking up at the sky, Itachi estimated they had about four hours of daylight left, "Suigetsu and I will head towards Naruto's room. You two" He looked closely at Kisame and Deidara, "keep Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan occupied until I return. Don't fight them unless absolutely necessary, we don't want to make them suspicious."

While he had been talking, Kisame and Deidara had changed their clothes, and were now sporting the black and red cloaks of Akatsuki. Plopping the kasa hats on their heads they nodded once to acknowledge Itachi and gave an un-spoken wish for luck to Suigetsu, who was looking rather pale.

"Let's go." Itachi said to Suigetsu.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The hideout was, in reality, a huge complex that covered about half a mile of land. A network of caves had been carved out of the limestone beneath the beach and lead to an inner courtyard in the forest composed of a handful of tree houses, a small garden and one very massive skeleton belonging to some unknown creature.

It was one of several bases the Akatsuki kept in operation, but as Itachi led Suigetsu through the forest and into the courtyard it seemed as though it was possible it was the only one being used.

"Have you been here before?" Suigetsu finally asked as he stared up at the skeleton.

"No. Although Akatsuki does have a massive cave nearby that I have visited. It may be linked somehow to this complex."

"What is that thing?" The boy pointed up at the skeleton.

"It looks almost like a dead summons. However, it may not be completely dead so be wary. Madara has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and that may actually be a living guardian of some sort."

"Nice. You're sure that Zetsu guy isn't here?"

Itachi smiled, it was obvious the boy was very nervous. "He's in Mist right now according to Kisame. There's the backdoor. I sense a chakra source moving away from it so the others must have gotten their attention."

"Oh good." Suigetsu said dryly.

The pair moved toward the door, guided by a map the frogs had supplied to Jiraiya. As expected, it opened easily and was unguarded. The hallway was a wide limestone cave that narrowed significantly in the back. Kerosene lanterns hung from hooks anchored in the ceiling and the ground, while rocky, was covered in a thin layer of sand, no doubt from the stone being worn down by human occupation.

They walked cautiously forward, stopping every few feet to check for chakra. Itachi had no doubts that Kisame and Deidara would be able to distract Kakuzu, Hidan and Sasori. the problem was, for long would it last? Kakuzu was notoriously cranky and often lashed out at people or isolated himself for long periods of time. Sasori was just as bad, preferring his duty to goofing off. Hidan would be no problem at all.

Of course there was a fourth person to worry about. Itachi hadn't mentioned him to Suigetsu, because he knew almost nothing about the newest member of the organization. He had heard only that he was a loner who didn't socialize and was quite bloodthirsty. And it was likely that he was currently residing in the hideout.

"I'm beginning to think I'm going to end up spending the rest of my life underground in caves." Suigetsu grumbled.

"Well you wanted to be a ninja. Ninja live to hide and what better place than underground?" Itachi rubbed his eyes, having removed his sunglasses as soon as they entered the cave. It was strange to have stereoscopic vision again after so many weeks with just one eye and he couldn't resist the urge to reach up as touch his eyes, subconsciously reassuring himself that he could see.

"Yeah." Suigetsu resigned himself to his fate and wondered if he could get a job as a miner if his ninja job ever fell through. He certainly was racking up a lot of experience.

The passageways wound around corner after corner, always heading down. The fact that there was no water flooding the cavern was surprising, but Itachi figured it was probably due to a jutsu - either from Stone village or Mist village.

After almost ten minutes they were about to turn the last corner when a chakra source stopped them dead in their tracks. It was unfamiliar, strong, and standing five feet behind them.

"That was easy." It was a woman's voice, "I just waltz up behind you and no one notices. And to think I was actually worried about running into the great and powerful Uchiha that Madara fears."

Itachi looked the woman over. She was young, perhaps fifteen, with short blond hair and pale skin that looks almost white. Her deep red eyes marked her as an albino, or perhaps a Kekkei Genkai user. Dressed in a black and red cloak she looked up at her target and smiled.

"Who are you? I thought the new recruit was a man?" Itachi spoke evenly, unfazed by the teen's sudden appearance.

"That would be me." A man, only a couple inches taller than Itachi walked out of the wall. "Rinrin and me are partners. She works her magic in the background while I work up frunt. We make a great team."

"Oh Shintaru, I could have handled these guys by myself." Rinrin said grumpily.

"No, you couldn't." Shintaru added.

"You didn't sneak up behind us you used a transportation jutsu." Suigetsu frowned.

"Whatever." The girl waved her hand in the air to dismiss the event. Her partner stepped closer until he was under the lantern. He appeared to be an older version of Rinrin, complete while light blond hair, red eyes and pale skin. However, it was obvious that his hair was dyed, the eye-color was due to contacts and the skin was dyed.

Itachi's eyes bled into their Sharingan form and he stepped back several paces, pushing Suigetsu behind him. He would have to incapacitate the duo but he felt no animosity towards them. He had never seen their visages in a bingo book or any other document, nor did their names ring a bell.

They were completely unknown. A ninja was taught to retreat when faced with the unknown. He could then research his enemy and return later. However, that was not always possible, and that was certainly the case this time.

Neither of the rooky Akatsuki were looking him in the eye and he smiled bitterly at their over confidence. After all, Itachi had learned many years earlier how to cast Genjutsu with his finger. Lifting his right index finger a couple inches he watched as Rinrin and Shintaru's countenances changed from alert to sleepy. A second later they were on the ground unconscious.

"Can I kill them?" Suigetsu grinned widely, bloodlust radiating from his eyes.

"No, of course not. I'll send them to Jiraiya and let him take them to the village for questioning. If we kill them or erase their memories Madara'll find them. If they disappear they might be seen as spies or deserters. No one would think they were captured."

"Oh." The boy said dejectedly.

x x x x x x x x x x xxxxx x

Naruto was pacing back and forth, nervously awaiting the arrival of his rescuers. A frog had shown up twenty minutes earlier, and told him to get ready to leave. He had known the time was approaching, but now that it was here he was quite nervous.

Many things kept going through his head, all of them bad. It wasn't so much that he distrusted Itachi, it was his overwhelming fear of Akatsuki. He knew what they were planning on doing to him and he wondered how one Itachi could possibly go up against a half dozen of Akatsuki. It seemed impossible.

The blond boy was jolted out of his thoughts a few moments later the door noiselessly slid open. As Itachi and Suigetsu stepped forward he raced the short distance across the small room to great them.

After greeting his foster brother, Itachi pulled a picture out of his pocket and handed it over. "This is Shisui and Rumiko."

"Oh I wish I was going home instead of that toad mountain." Naruto wined.

"No you don't. All they do is eat, cry and poop. No fun at all." Suigetsu complained.

"Really?" Naruto opened his eyes wide and stared at Itachi for confirmation.

"Well," Itachi paused, "They also pee."

Naruto scrunched up his face, deep in thought, but was interrupted by the frog. "Can we take him now?"

"In a few minutes. Suigetsu, get changed. Naruto, fill him in on everything that goes on here so that if they come to talk to you it won't look suspicious." Itachi dropped his back pack to the floor and rummaged around for a few seconds.

"Here's some hair dye. Drink the potion and it'll change your hair to blond. It lasts for one month." Itachi watched as the boy ingested the foul tasting concoction, then swallowed two more classes of juice to wash the flavor out of his mouth.

"These eye drops will change your eye color to blue." Again, he watched as Suigetsu tipped his head back dripped a bluish-green liquid in his eyes. "It'll last a few days, so you need to reapply them. This is a one month supply."

As his hair and eyes slowly changed, Suigetsu changed into an orange jumpsuit and pulled a latex mask over his face. Usually a Genjutsu was used to hide features or disguise one's face, but there was no way Suigetsu would have been able to fool an S-class ninja if he used one. Latex was his only option.

"I can't believe how comfortable this is." Suigetsu poked at his face, and then moved to the bathroom so he could view himself in the small mirror over the sink. "I look just like him now."

"Yeah, it's creepy." Naruto laughed. "So… I can't think of anything else to tell you. They don't come by very often and usually only Hidan talks, like I said, but he just wants to lecture you about his religion so you don't have to nothin' but listen."

"That's easy, I guess." Suigetsu lifted his hand, intending to run it through his now-blond hair but dropped it quickly when he noticed how badly it was shaking.

"Naruto, time to go." Itachi said evenly.

The boy walked to the middle of the room by the frog and smiled at his two friends, "Just one more thing, Suigetsu. Don't die." The room was filled with smoke that dissipated quickly leaving Itachi and Suigetsu alone.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Standing at the edge of the forest Itachi observed with some interest how Kisame and Deidara had chosen to distract Naruto's captors. Kisame had engaged Hidan and Kakuzu and one of Sasori's puppets in a game of Mahjongg complete with large quantities of cash and sake. Deidara on the other hand was sitting on the ground nearby arguing vehemently with Sasori about the nature of art.

Several empty sake bottles lay on the sand nearby and Kakuzu seemed happy about something, meaning Kisame was probably loosing on purpose to keep the cheapskate from getting bored and leaving. Hidan was loosing but seemed to be completely unconcerned, preferring instead to down as much alcohol as possible between turns. Sasori's puppet was playing just well enough to fill the last position in a game that traditionally required four players.

Kisame waved Itachi over and laughed as the teen approached, "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah. I apologize for earlier." Itachi pulled his Akatsuki cloak closer to his body and wrapped his arms around his torso.

Hidan laughed, "Why don't you just drop him Kisame, he's too sick to go on missions. Get someone else. That new girl, Rinrin is worth a try."

Kakuzu shook his head, "Don't let her say that, or you'll find yourself minus your skin, covered in honey and dropped into an ant hill."

"Does she really do that?" Kisame asked expecting to hear that it was a joke.

"Oh yeah. She sure does. She's a master of torture. She left Sand village five months ago after they brought up charges of aggravated manslaughter against her for torturing a prisoner. Seventy-three counts of aggravated manslaughter to be exact." Kakuzu shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow. Remind me not to get on _her_ bad side." Kisame muttered.

Itachi was even more curious now about why he hadn't heard anything about the woman. Something like that would have been shared with Konoha as soon as she ran away. After all, Sand was a close ally of Konoha. Nevertheless, Jiraiya had her now and would be returning her to Konoha to wait in a jail cell until Sand retrieved her.

Turning his attention to Deidara he tried to listen to him and Sasori discuss art, but gave up after thirty seconds. The pair were dropping so many names, terms and acronyms that it literally sounded like a foreign language. He did notice that the mad bomber was very happy.

'He really looks up to Sasori.' Itachi said to himself. Of course, Sasori had probably been the closest thing to a parent figure the teen had ever had so it probably wasn't all that unexpected. As independent as he tried to make himself out to be, Deidara's bragging, desire for attention, and need for recognition of his art painted a completely different picture. He was really nothing more than a sixteen-year-old teenager with an inferiority complex and an almost uncontrollable desire to surround himself with people.

"What are you looking at?" Deidara squinted his eyes and looked sideways at Itachi.

"You're beautiful eyes and lustrous blond hair." Hidan answered.

"As if." Itachi and Deidara said at the same time.

"Are you going to stay with Sasori for a while?" Itachi quickly changed the subject before the desire to kill Hidan became overwhelming.

"Yeah!" Deidara grinned, "He said I could go on a mission with him to steal some scrolls from a nobleman. I get to blow up a palace."

Itachi found that he was pleased Deidara was reunited with his partner, even if it did turn out to be for a short time. However, Kakuzu next words were chilling.

"I heard your wife has been targeted by the Red Water clan."

The silence was chilling and Itachi slowly turned to his head to meet the luminescent green eyes of the S-class ninja. "Where did you hear that?"

"I was a member of that clan until I joined Akatsuki. They keep a low profile, so everyone thinks that in terms of the Yakuza they're just a go-nowhere, looser clan that sits on the sidelines and dreams big." Kakuzu explained as he pulled his cash out from the center of the mahjongg board, having won another round, "But in reality they control just about the entirety of the entire Yakuza world."

That was bad news and Itachi had to fight hard not to react. He remained silent and waited for Kakuzu to speak again. However, it wasn't until the next round was over that the man opened his mouth again.

"You killed their leader's son, Itachi. About a year ago. He was filtering money from the Yakuzu into Danzou's bank account against his father's orders. You caught him for a different reason while on a low ranked mission for Konoha. He was the one that was killing those civilian women in that outpost town by Rice country."

"Oh, him." Itachi nearly shuddered. The man had been one of the creepiest people he had ever met. And after knowing Sasori for so many years that was saying something. "Are you telling me that the Yakuza actually wants revenge for his death?" He remembered that the murderer would dress up as a horror movie demon and kill his victims by skinning them.

"I find it hard to believe as well." Kakuzu admitted.

"Wait…" Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, "Didn't Akatsuki pick up a new guy?"

"Yeah. Have you met him?" Sasori had joined the conversation. "A rather interesting person."

"So…" The teen cursed, then walked away about six feet before turning around and coming back. "The skinning thing Rinrin does… where did she learn it? Or did she teach it to someone?"

Sasori shook his head, "I think you've got it figured out. Almost."

"Am I being punished because I… I… _failed_ to kill him?" It seemed unbelievable. He had even retrieved the man's head. It had been a low level mission he had taken because he was bored. He couldn't remember the last time he had messed up on a mission and it really bothered him. And Sheeta was the one being targeted for his failure.

Kakuzu nodded appreciatively, "Ah. Now I think he's got it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Itachi said in a small voice.

"Because the hit was put out the clan can't pull it back easily. The internal politics of the Yakuza aren't that easy to navigate, even for the leader. However, they knew you and I are in contact and had instructed me to pass on, indirectly, any information I already knew."

Deidara shook his head, "I don't think that makes any sense."

"Welcome to the world of the Yakuzu!" Kakuzu laughed, the sound was slightly ominous and Hidan, who had been sitting near his partner slid back a foot on the sand.

Itachi sighed, "So if I kill this man the debt is settled."

"You got it." Kakuzu said calmly.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later." Itachi turned and looked out at the ocean for a moment before walking calmly back into the forest.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Killing people in cold blood was something Itachi was as expert in. However, he rarely took pleasure in the act. However, as he stared at the two Shinobi laying prone on the ground in front of him he knew this would definitely be one of those rare occasions.

He had summoned one of his father's cats and sent him to intercept Jiraiya who was still nearby. Jiraiya and the cat, popped up next to him an hour later. The "party" was still going on at the beach, leaving the hideout empty except for Suigetsu who was comfortably perched in his room. The courtyard was the perfect place and the two Konoha ninja's moved the prisoners onto the cobblestones. It was important that it look like he entered the hideout and searched out his victims.

"Should they be awake?" Jiraiya asked quietly.

Itachi shook his head, "No point." A moment later the elder ninja used a transportation jutsu and disappeared. The cat followed a moment later, leaving Itachi alone.

He stood and stared at the pair for several minutes. He wondered if the man, Shintaru, had survived by using some jutsu to replace his body with another person. If he did, then killing him a second time would be risky. He might not actually die.

"Why so hesitant?" The voice came from Kakuzu, who was leaning up against the doorjamb of a nearby cave entrance.

"Just trying to think about the best way to make sure he's actually dead. Unless you know something about how he escaped before?" Itachi admitted.

Kakuzu grunted under his breath, "He had Orochimaru's help. But that guy is dead. I'm pretty sure cutting off his head now will work."

"Not much else I can do. You're old clan has to be able to identify the body so I can't burn it." He pulled out his katana and quickly decapitated the two shinobi. Pulled out a jutsu sealed bag he took both heads and threw them in his pack. "They can have the body, I get the head."

"Fair enough."

Itachi glanced back at the tall man. The sun had set over the hill, leaving the sky white with streaks of pink and the ground in the beginning throws of darkness. Kakuzu was nothing more than a silhouette. Almost ghostlike.

A memory from a long time ago returned. A hotel room in Waterfall country where a young Itachi was burning up with fever. Kakuzu had healed him them, simply because he admired anyone who stood up against the Senju clan. And that included the Uchiha.

Nodding once to acknowledge the older man's assistance, Itachi used a transportation jutsu to disappear.

"Bastards didn't stand a chance against a Sharingan user. There isn't a single bruise on them. Probably took him all of five minutes to find them, too." Kakuzu turned around and re-entered the hideout, a big smile on his face.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Naruto studies with frogs and gets some tasty grubs to eat. We'll also see what Madara is up to.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	73. Chapter 73 That Desperate Man's Plan

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**This chapter is transitional and begins to set up the last part of the story. Itachi has a small roll, because of that, but next week he'll have more action.**

**No manga this week... I'm getting impatient to see more Kisame xD **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. **

**Chapter 73 – That Desperate Man's Plan**

The small mist-enshrouded village nestled at the bottom of the thousand foot high cliff seemed peaceful enough. A forest of mixed deciduous and evergreens spread out to the horizon, and the distant villages that lay beyond were nothing more than small holes in a canopy of green.

It was this view that Madara contemplated as he sat on that high cliff in the mid-morning hours of July. His son was now twelve, an age that once brought great honor to young boys in the Uchiha clan; especially in the main branch.

His thoughts drifted further and further into the past and he remembered stories of his owns father's exploits as a twelve-year-old captain of his own squad. His missions always ended with success, and four years later when Madara was born his winning streak was still in force. Six years after that, at the age of twenty-two the young man had become the chief when his grandfather died of old age.

That was the life of an Uchiha ninja. That was how Madara had always seen his own life playing out. That was how it was supposed to be.

But his father had died. Killed in battle a few short years after becoming chief he left behind his clan, his wife and his children to fend for themselves. Young Izuna was placed in command, but he was still a child and an advisor was assigned to assist him.

The boy, while a good match for Madara on the training field, was born with none of his elder half-brother's charisma. As the years passed Izuna began relying more and more on Madara's guidance and eventually when the time came for the advisor to step aside and give full reign to the now-fifteen-year-old heir, no one was surprised when his first announcement was a resignation speech.

Izuna stepped aside and gave the position to his elder, illegitimate, charismatic and highly skilled brother. Madara remembered how honored he had been at the time. While he had been running a lot of the functions of clan governance already, he had never imagined the clan elders would allow someone of his birth rank to lead the clan.

Such was the reputation of the eighteen-year-old teenager. They no longer saw him as his parent's little mistake but as a powerful ninja that always led them to victory.

Madara lay back in the green mist laden grass and sighed loudly. After becoming chief he had discovered his great-grandfathers writings and learned of the possible existence of the Rinnegan. He had also run into a rival in the form of the Senju.

The Senju clan had never been a concern to the Uchiha until Hashirama became its leader. The day he faced him in battle for the first time he somehow knew that their fates would be intertwined until the day they died.

And that feeling had never gone away.

"You seem pensive today. " Sora limped into view, finding his nephew's favorite perch easily.

"Just rehashing the past. Sasuke's life - well all of the kids lives- are so different from ours. Sometimes it feels like I've stepped into a different world."

"You sound like an old man."

"I am an old man, Sora." Madara sat up and watched the mists swirl around the lonely village as if trying to find a way in - or out.

Sora couldn't think of anything to say and changed the subject, "What's on your mind?"

"Hmmm... a lot. For one, I've decided to give up on killing Fugaku. His days are numbered as it is."

"You know something we don't?"

"Sasori wants an Uchiha body, I'm sure he'll get Fugaku's, unless Itachi gets Sasori first. Either way, I just flat out can't see him surviving this."

"You've been wrong before."

"And I'll be wrong again. It goes without saying. But I understand your position; he is your grandson, after all." Madara stood up and faced Sora, a serious look on his face, "But enough of that. Our plans will fall apart completely if we wait any longer. All the Jinchuuriki must be captured and their demons sealed in the statue by January. No matter what, that must happen."

Sora grinned happily, "The Eye of the Moon plan will finally come to pass."

x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x

"Twelve" didn't seem that different from "eleven" and Sasuke really didn't see what the big deal was. Aya had insisted on having a large cake decorated with clan symbols, shuriken and candles and she had invited about twenty other kids over to celebrate.

He did have good time, though. It was a break from training and he was determined to make the most of it. He even let his three "girlfriends" kiss him on the cheek after a dare from an older teenage boy.

But that was yesterday. Today, at seven A.M. he was back on the training ground and facing off with his instructor who had decided to work some more on perfecting the boys Chidori jutsu.

The heavy mist hid the edges of the field from view, something the instructor had done on purpose to keep the jutsu a secret. However it had the unintended affect of weighing heavily on Sasuke's mind. Just minutes earlier he had been informed that he would be training for fifteen hours a day until further notice and that there would be no more days off. That meant he would no longer see his friends, or goof off in the garden or spend a lazy afternoon playing soccer. He was being pushed hard and he didn't like it.

"Why has the schedule changed?" Sasuke asked.

"That information will be made known to you in due time." The answer wasn't unexpected and Sasuke dropped it. Things were changing in the village and anyone who complained was quickly silenced by his or her companions.

"Grin and bear it young Sasuke." Sora had told him a week earlier. "Time is not on our side and some things in life we just have to accept."

"Easy for him to say." Sasuke thought to himself as he launched a lightly bolt at a training dummy and watched it burn, "He knows what's going on."

The other concern he had of late was Madara. While he had been fairly easy going and approachable at first, he was now focused, close lipped and serious.

The previous day he had congratulated Sasuke on turning twelve with an air that bordered on the solemn. It reminded him a little of how some of the people in the clan would speak to Itachi after his illness became public. Reserved, respectful, and a little bit sad.

'Does he think I'm going to die?' Sasuke asked himself. 'Am I being trained for a mission that will kill me?'

Madara's hints that he could bring peace to the world through a final battle had drawn the boy in easily. He wanted peace. A world where his brother would no longer have to fight and could live out his shortened life in comfort with his wife and kids.

That was Sasuke's dream. Everything was for Itachi. Surely Madara's plan would see to that, but if he died how would he know for sure that Itachi was alive and happy? What was once clear and defined was now murky and vague.

Several days of long hours spent traiing left Sasuke feeling like he was missing out on something. While he was allowed to get enough sleep (his trainers would even suggest the occasional nap) his mind began to feel dull and the days were washing together. Progress was measured by some invisible and unknown standard that he was not privy to. And he had stopped inquiring into his own progress in order to avoid the disappointment of not getting any real answers.

It was with all these thoughts and hesitations and hours of mindless repetition that Sasuke finally allowed himself to doubt Madara's methods. Helped in no small way by an overheard conversation on his way home one evening.

A father was standing in a nearby training field with his son. A boy Sasuke recognized immediately as being a year younger than himself.

"Son, you are just a kid. Kids are not used for important S-class missions because, while they may have skill, they lack experience that one only gets through the passage of time."

"But I want to help the clan!" The boy's young voice sounded much more mature than it really was, thus demonstrating the hard life of a child in a Shinobi clan.

"Yes, I know." The father sighed, "But first, I want you to grow up some more.

What kind of father would I be if I threw my own son into a loosing battle? Now let's go home, and no more late night training sessions, okay?"

As Sasuke passed he caught the boy's eye for a second before forcing himself to look away. The kid was grinning happily, reassured by the words of a loving parent.

However, the blatant hypocrisy of the man's words made Sasuke's blood boil. He knew that boy was at the age for the "ceremony" and would be facing off against another child his own age in a battle to the death. It would be soon, too.

Madara's peaceful world would end all wars, but would it end the decades old rite of passage that killed half their children? Would people really stop that easily? And how exactly could you convince people to stop fighting anyway?

Before he knew it he was back in his room, but he didn't stay their long. With a determined step he turned right around and entered the two neighboring rooms, waking up Juugo and Karin.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"I've decided to return to Konoha. Do you guys want to come with me?"

"I was wondering when you would say that." Juugo shook his head and leaned back on wood floor, holding himself up with his arms. "Madara seems different lately. And you train for so long. It can't be good."

"I'm really worried about you." Karin added softly. "Of course I'll go."

"And so will I." Juugo added, "Of course you do realize that saying you want to leave and actually doing it are two different things. At this point they aren't going to let you walk out of here just because you want to."

"I know. It's a problem." Sasuke suddenly stopped talking as a particular person crossed his mind. "I want to take Aya with us."

"What? Are you crazy?" Karin cried out in shock, "Assuming she would even agree to go, loosing both you and Aya might put Madara over the edge."

"But she's pregnant with my little brother or sister. I can't leave them behind. We don't know what's going to happen here. If they die I could never forgive myself."

"Well," Juugo contemplated, "let's just work out a plan and then deal with Aya. The less she knows the better."

Sasuke yawned, now that he had someone to talk to his anxiety had lessened somewhat and he was getting sleepy.

"Maybe you could send Tama to Itachi and tell him what you want to do. If we have backup we can get out of here easier. Water country is an island you know." Karin yawned as well and stretched her arms high over her head.

"Good idea."

x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x

Drifting awake the first thing that crossed Itachi's mind was how soft and warm his blanket was.

The next thought was how hot he was.

And upon fully awakening...

"Tama what are you doing in my bed?" Pulling back the blanket, he found the large marmalade cat curled up comfortably against his side, purring loudly and contentedly. Opening one eye he stretched his neck in the direction of his back to draw attention to the scroll secured via two leather straps around his midsection.

"I hope Sasuke's okay." Itachi fully expected to see a standard "I'm fine how are you?" type of message, like the ones he gotten three or four times before from his brother, so when he actually saw what was written on the paper he jumped out of bed and turned to Sheeta - who wasn't there.

"Where'd she go?" He said impatiently before turning his eyes in the direction of the baby monitor.

_"Yes, Shisui likes that, doesn't he? Nice clean diapers and a new shirt you're all ready to play today, aren't you? Oh Rumiko you're so cute! You want a hug don't you?"_ Sheeta's voice was loud and clear above the gurgling and laughing of the two happy infants, and she was certainly happy.

Staring at the message again he wondered what had brought about Sasuke's change of heart. It occurred to him that getting his brother away from Madara would likely be a monumental effort. And he might fail.

"Everyone will be broken hearted if I return empty handed." He decided to keep the whole thing a secret and deal with it himself. Well, he would ask Kisame for help.

Ever since the news that the hit on Sheeta was dropped everyone had breathed a sigh of relief and the girl was feeling less like a prisoner and had even gone to the park with the babies a few times. Her new found freedom had worked wonders on her attitude and her smile and cheerful attitude reminded Itachi of how she was years ago when he had first met her. If he failed to bring back Sasuke, that smile might disappear again.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The light brown sandy coast of Tea Country was warm, crowded, and delightfully relaxing. A small country on the south-eat coast of Fire count it was a well known summer vacation spot that hosted thousands of people from all over the continent who flocked their for sun and surf.

Hotels, hostels and vacation rentals dotted the long narrow isthmus and over the years, tourism had grown to become almost as profitable as tea and fishing. With the nations small population many people moved from job to job as the seasons dictated.

It was on this sun-kissed golden beach, surrounded by tourists that Kisame had decided to relax. Dressed in a pair of black swim trunks, and nothing else he lay flat on his back right at the tide line and meditated on the feel of the cool water on his warm skin. It was nearly ninety degrees after all, and he had spent the entire morning swimming and fending off questions about his odd colored skin from curious kids.

He was feeling rather pensive lately and had hoped that being in a large crowd would force his thoughts to stray over the meaning of half-heard conversations and delightfully skimpy bikinis.

It wasn't working though. Too many things had gone wrong in the preceding years. Too much sorrow, too much pain. And the solution that Madara had proposed, the one Kisame had whole-heartedly supported...

His finger grew unnaturally warm and he lifted his hand to gaze at the glowing ring. It was Madara calling. Sitting up he used a jutsu to disappear and reappear in the nearby forest. Broadcasting his chakra he verified that he was alone before sitting down to meditate.

Madara's voice was, as always, loud and clear and Kisame found it grated on his already frazzled nerves.

"Kisame, let me get right down to the point." Gone was good humor and laid back personality the man usually exhibited. This Madara was all business.

"Please do." Kisame responded equally serious.

"I am requesting, strongly, that you no longer have any contact with Itachi or Konoha."

Kisame was silent for a moment as he thought that through. It was expected that the request would come forward eventually, but instead of answering Madara, his thoughts strayed over the many years he had spent with Itachi.

Itachi had been a small child when they had first met, but his skill as a ninja rivaled that of many of his elders. As the years passed he got to know him better and his respect grew exponentially. As well as something else.

Somewhere along the line Kisame had started to look out for the young Itachi. Making sure he ate enough, reminding him to take better care of himself, and lecturing him when he did something wrong or questionable. And Itachi had never complained.

Somewhere along the line Itachi had ceased to be a partner and was now a sort of little brother, or perhaps... even a friend.

The "Eye of the moon" plan crossed his mind and Kisame had to shake his head with disgust. He knew what he had to do, and he knew it was possible he might not survive.

"Madara, your plan has no chance of succeeding. Konoha, Itachi, are too powerful. If you back off now you loose nothing."

"I would loose everything!" Madara countered angrily. "Years of planning, the peace of the world, the hope for tomorrow."

"Itachi would give his life to stop you. That _has _to be why you made that request of me. Yet you must realize that when all is said and done, it is you and Itachi that will face off. Whatever I do between now and then is of little to no consequence."

"Yes, I realize Itachi is no longer an ally. Nor are you. It pains me to see you leave, just as it did all those years ago when I asked you to leave Mist and join Akatsuki. Your strength will be missed, but you are correct to say that your absence, at this point is of little concern"

Kisame sighed, "Point taken."

The conversation ended and Kisame stood up and walked the half-mile back to the beach. He had only been in the water a few minutes when a medium-sized black cat with a white patch on his left eye ran across the beach and stopped two feet from the edge of the water.

Standing up in the water, Kisame sighed. He knew who had sent the cat.

The cat called out, "You get me wet and I'll make you regret it."

For some reason that made Kisame laugh. Some teenagers who were sunbathing nearby sat up and pointed at the animal in curiosity. Animal summons weren't exactly common outside of the few ninja villages and it was drawing a lot of attention.

Feeling slightly devilish, Kisame picked the small animal up in his wet hands and draped it over his wet shoulder before disappearing back into the forest. The cat jumped down and shook his damp fur.

Feeling a sting, Kisame turned his head and saw several thin streams of dark red blood running down his shoulder. "Is that the best you can do?" He grinned, showing his pointed teeth.

"Humph. That was salt water, too. Tastes terrible." The cat was trying to lick his fur clean and shaking his head in disgust.

Dropping down onto the grassy ground Kisame pulled out a back pack he had hidden before leaning against a tree and smirking, "So what's young Itachi up to this week?"

"Rescuing his brother from Madara. Apparently Sasuke wants to come home and Itachi doesn't want to use Konoha to do it."

"He'd be stupid if he did ask them for help. The only one who can take down an Uchiha is another Uchiha."

"Are you available to help?" The cat began to roll around in the grass trying to get the "salt water" smell out of his fur.

"Sure. Nothing else to do. Tell Itachi to meet me at the fire-country port, pier Thirty-two. I'm assuming this means we're going to Mist."

"Correct." The cat disappeared in a cloud of smoke just as Kisame winced in pain. Apparently that little twelve-pound monster's scratch _was_ a little bit more harmful than he first thought.

Laughing, he pulled a first aid kit out of his pack and dumped some ointment over the cuts then wrapped a bandage around it before pulling on his clothes. "Someday I'll learn to stop teasing cats. They may not have a sense of humor, but they are masters of irony."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The toads seemed adamant about the basics and Naruto felt like he was relearning everything he had ever been taught. It was grueling, tiresome, and above all boring.

More than anything the young boy had looked forward to learning a new jutsu, something to rival anything he had ever seen before. But the small amphibians had just laughed when he voiced his disappointment, telling him that in due time he would learn more than he ever wanted to know.

Jiraiya, of course, who had shown up a couple days after Naruto, sat around gossiping and teasing. For the most part, anyway. But he would also regale the boy with stories of his exploits - some of which actually involved dangerous missions instead of peeping.

It was almost three weeks before the sage training began and by then Naruto was very frustrated with the basics. The toads found his level of progress up to then to be above average and complimented Itachi and Jiraiya on their hard work, recognizing that despite Naruto's eagerness to learn his attention span was quite limited.

However, five days into the training Naruto had made no progress. He kept transforming into a toad when he used toad oil and he couldn't focus well enough to meditate on a board placed over a pointed spire-shaped rock without falling. It was as if everything he had learned up to that point was useless, and the boy was very frustrated. Jiraiya tried to make him feel better by telling him that it was years before he could master the sage skills, but Naruto wasn't that patient.

"And the food is awful!" Naruto whispered to his godfather so he wouldn't be overheard. "I don't know how long I'll be able to put up with it."

"Ha!" Jiriaya jumped down from his perch on top of a six foot tall toadstool and motioned for Naruto to follow. The pair walked through the small village, followed by the sounds of soft croaking carried on the summer wind and bright stars twinkling brightly overhead.

It was idyllic, really, and more than just a little surreal with small houses shaped out of mounds of earth, toadstools rising two to twenty feet off the ground and small rivers and waterfalls interspersed with ponds dotted in amongst the jumble.

In a way it reminded Naruto of home as he gazed at the yellow light emanating from the homes and listened to the muffled voices of those inside. He even heard TV's and radio's.

"This, my boy, is my house. Given to me by the head toad." Jiraiya bent over and crawled inside a small house. It spread out over three rooms, consisting of a combined kitchen/living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom designed for human use. In spite of the fact that one had to crawl in through the round door front door, the inside was designed for a human to stand up in.

"Please tell me you have a stash of ramen in here." Naruto was grinning ear to ear at the possibilities of eating a real meal consisting of human food.

"That there is, my boy!" Jiraiya laughed, "But first, I got a letter from Kakashi Why don't you read it while I boil some water. I think you'll find it quite fascinating. That man is quite a genius, you know."

Naruto picked up the scroll as he dropped down onto a cushion at the small kotetsu table. His sensei's handwriting was very bad, but as it turned out he had injured his right hand during a mission and was writing with his left.

_"…which brings me to my revelation. While imprisoned in the hospital for two days (which was completely unnecessary given that it was just my hand that was broken and the bump on my head was absolutely not nearly as dangerous as the medics made it our to be)…"_

"Is Kakashi okay?" Naruto interrupted his reading to ask, growing worried.

"He is. He got hit on the head pretty bad and needed surgery but he was being stubborn about it so Shizune secured him to the bed to keep him from leaving. Kakashi has always been a stubborn one. Don't let his easy going manner fool you!" Jiraiya was laughing as he poured water into two prepackaged cups of pork ramen.

Naruto continued to read, _"I believe that if you create multiple clones of yourself and each clone trains for five hours, then when they disappear and meld back with you, you will absorb all their experience. Try it out."_

"I don't get it." Naruto admitted as he began to shovel ramen into his mouth.

"You see, ten clones training for ten hours each equates to one hundred hours of training. That's Twelve-and-half days of training you get when they disappear."

"Oh!" It was like a light bulb lit up and the boy beamed with delight. "I can make a hundred clones! I'll learn this sage jutsu in no time!"

"That's my boy!" Jiraiya laughed, but his face turned to one of worry as he watched his godson scarf down his ramen and then help himself to seconds. The upcoming battle would likely be unlike anything the world had ever seen and he couldn't help but wonder who amongst his friends would still be alive when it ended.

"I'm getting too old for this." Jiraiya mumbled helplessly to himself.

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Itachi and Kisame head out to Mist, but Madara has a little surprise planned for them.**

**I hope I explained Sasuke's change of heart okay. Remember, Madara was using powerful Genjutsu ont he boy to get him to support his plan, but being an Uchiha with Mangekyou Sharingan it would wear off eventually, no matter how powerful Madara was. And Sasuke is very much his own person, with his own ideas and certainly not hesitant about acting on them. Someone like that is going to be difficult to control.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	74. Chapter 74 A Sense of Urgency

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**This weeks manga chapter was very surprising. That Madara really gets around, doesn't he? And I was surprised to see that Kushina and Mikoto were friends. I had them as friends in the first story, but that was just for plot. Who knew it would be true?**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 74 A Sense of Urgency**

Time seemed to pass slowly as Itachi relaxed on the bench next to the calm, deep blue lake. Shisui was nestled comfortably in the crook of his arm as Sheeta dangled Rumiko's legs gingerly in the cool water. The warm morning was promising to get even warmer and there were already a few other people nearby enjoying the weather.

Itachi had received word the previous afternoon that Kisame was willing to assist him in rescuing Sasuke - if that's what it could be called. And unfortunately at this point he suspected his little brother probably was nothing more than a prisoner.

The problem, though, and the reason he had not already set out to meet up with Kisame, was how exactly was the best way to approach the problem. If a fight erupted between himself and Madara Sasuke would end up getting injured or even killed. Or... Itachi shuddered involuntarily. What if Madara decided to kill Sasuke to keep him away from Konoha?

Itachi shook his head to clear it. That was the dumbest thing he had thought of in a long time. There would be no benefit gained from killing him and Madara rarely acted without cause.

The baby yawned and smacked his lips as he gazed up with small dark eyes at his father. Itachi smoothed the short black hair over his small forehead and smiled as he caught his son's eye. The boy smiled back and began to gurgle and blow spit bubbles. His hand and feet moved but his arms and legs, except for a slight upward motion, remained still.

He was improving though. Itachi could see the limbs were moving a little more than they had a month ago. And he was getting bigger. Both he and Rumiko had graduated from preemie clothes to newborn size, much to the joy of Sheeta who couldn't wait to dress them in all the cute outfits she had received as gifts.

Itachi blinked in surprise when the click of a shutter going off surprised him. Looking up he saw Sheeta standing about six feet away holding a camera.

"You looked so thoughtful," She grinned as she placed the camera back in her bag. Rumiko was now propped up in a baby carrier on a large red and white blanket and gazing sleepily at her parents.

"Yeah. Thinking about Sasuke. We missed his birthday. I didn't even get him anything." Itachi decided a half-truth was better than telling her about the message.

"Mikoto sent him a new watch. Hopefully he got it."

"Hmm." Itachi realized that Shisui was now asleep and placed him gently in a carrier next to his sister.

"Fugaku is meeting with Pein again this morning. It's weird, i thought after Tsunade took over he would have more free time."

"Not until Madara is gone." Itachi furrowed his brow and stared up at the sky, "I've got to leave on a mission for a few days, Sheeta."

"Again?" the teen sounded disappointed and Itachi suddenly found himself wishing he never had to leave Konoha again. But he did, and it had to be soon.

"I'll be back as soon as I can"

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The young woman lay half asleep in her bed; the lights were off, the curtains drawn and an IV drip solution attached to her arm. Sighing with annoyance Madara quietly exited the room and made his way to the living room where he found Sora sitting in a chair and gazing outside at the thick mid-day fog.

"She's probably a mistake." He said as he leaned up against the highly polished wood wall.

"Huh?" Sora wasn't sure he knew what the Mizukage was talking about.

"Princess Aya. I shouldn't have married her. Or gotten her pregnant. She's been sick for a couple weeks now."

"It happens. Usually not this severe but she's being closely monitored and the dehydration is being treated. Don't overreact. Morning sickness usually passes after a few weeks." Sora kept his voice neutral and Madara looked at him curiously.

"Times are different is that what you're trying to say?"

Sora was quiet for a couple minutes, "The medicine that could have saved them... during that epidemic so long ago was destroyed in a battle. A few months later the Senju asked us to join them in Konoha. They had also suffered from the same virus and had a lot of casualties."

Madara remembered the helplessness he had felt upon receiving word that the precious medications, obtained at great expense, had been destroyed and the ninjas carrying them tortured and killed. A lot of people of all ages died over the following weeks, including his last child.

Sora continued, "If that epidemic had not happened I wonder if the clan would have been so eager to join the Senju."

"It would be naive to assume only one cause, but it may have been the deciding factor. However, if you are asking me , once again, to forgive them, the answer is no. They abandoned me, not the other way way around."

"I'm not asking anything. In a roundabout way I am reminding you that your child will grow up in a world free of war. Do not worry yourself so much over his or her condition right now."

"Hmmm." His attention was diverted as a housekeeper entered the room and bowed slightly,

"Young Sasuke has been returned to his room by his sensei. He said the boy is suffering mental strain and needs to rest."

"Mental strain?" Madara was livid. "That lazy little brat! I'll teach him a thing or two about lazy!" He stomped off, ignoring Sora's plea to calm down.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Reaching Sasuke's room Madara reached out to grip the door and slid it back an inch before stopping, shocked at what he was hearing.

"He's crying." Sora replied softly, coming up behind his nephew quietly.

"Why are you here?" Madara asked angrily in a low voice.

"To keep you from doing something you'll regret."

Madara didn't understand the meaning behind the words, and instead turned his attention back to Sasuke. The boy had quieted down and through the small crack in the door he could see he was lying on his stomach on the couch staring at an open box wrapped with red and black festive paper.

"I shouldn't have let him have that." Madara looked at the red and white wrappings and the silver colored watch with its black band that was lying haphazardly nearby. He had allowed the present to pass through to Sasuke because of his feelings for Mikoto. It hadn't even occurred to him that the boy might get upset, or even homesick.

"I think it has more to do with his schedule. He's being worked too hard." Sora stepped back and leaned against the opposite wall, resting his cane against his hip. "You had a hard time of it as well at first, if I remember right."

Pursing his lips Madara quietly slid the door shut and turned to face his uncle, "I was six years old. Sasuke is twice that age."

"It's not about age, so much, as it is about environment. This isn't something Sasuke is used to, or has even witnessed. He knows very little about what his older brother's training consisted of and he knows even less about you."

"I… we don't have a choice. If we don't act soon we will lose our opportunity. Konoha is forming alliances that can't be ignored. They will stop us. Remember, Pein is now on their side. Itachi is useless to me now. Sasuke is the only one I can use to jumpstart the 'Eye of the Moon'."

"Madara…" Sora whispered.

"It is my fault I brought the clan to this point. I should have gone ahead and killed the Konoha Uchihas after Itachi was found out and imprisoned. But I hesitated and then refused. I thought I would be able to control the situation better but somewhere along the line everything fell apart and Konoha is now back in the hands of the Senju." Madara clenched his fists in determination, "Sasuke's training must be speeded up. He must be ready!"

Sora watched as Madara stalked off and stepped forward to peek in through the door one more time. The boy's eyes were closed and he was now holding the watch in his hand. 'He reminds me so much of Madara it's scary.' He thought. And for the first time since he and Madara had come up with the 'Eye of the Moon' plan he began to doubt their intended path.

'My father… Madara's grandfather would work the poor boy relentlessly to the point where he would be so exhausted that all he could do was drop down onto the field and sleep where he fell.' Sora remembered how worried he had been to find the young child collapsed in the mud asleep, with tears in his eyes and bruises on his body. He would heal him, carry him back to his room and place him in bed. His mother would clean him up and then the next morning everything would start over.

But there were several important differences that Madara was overlooking. The first was that the young Madara had agreed to the training and was pushing himself just as hard as his grandfather was. The second was that he had people to support him. Sora was there to heal him and his mother was there to comfort him and Izuna was his companion and best friend. Sasuke, however, was alone.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Waking up was not something the boy looked forward to anymore. All it meant was another long, grueling day of training with no end in sight. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes and stretched as he looked towards the window to see if the sun was out, fully expecting to see a white mist swirling around outside. He was surprised, therefore, when instead he saw four rock walls, a rock floor and a rock ceiling. And a very sturdy looking wooden door with steel bolts attaching it to the wall.

"I'm… in jail?" He looked around and saw he was laying on a futon while a small table next to him. A single kerosene lamp lit the small space and the yellow light danced around the shadows as a small breeze from a tiny ventilation shaft blew air into the room. Rubbing his temples he realized he had a slight headache and felt very groggy, as well as hungry and thirsty.

Standing up he was surprised to see himself dressed in a simple pair of black pants with a black yukata tied loosely around his body. It was definitely not what he had fallen asleep wearing. And his watch was gone. He gulped as a feeling of sorrow washed over him and he guessed that Madara had probably taken it away from him.

When he had seen the watch it reminded him so much of home that it was all he could do to hold back his tears while he was training. He had failed of course. Thoughts of his mother, brother, Sheeta, Naruto, his friends…. Faces just kept popping up in his head and he even saw Fugaku as less of a monster. He had collapsed at that point, too tired and too pained to continue training. He was homesick and all he could do was hope that somehow he could escape this mess.

His stomach growled as the scent of food wafted over to him. There were rice balls and a jug of water on another small table near the door and Sasuke held back his tears as he pulled out the chair and sat down to eat. He greedily stuffed the food into his mouth as he wondered why he was so hungry. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days and as he downed his third glass of water he conjectured that perhaps he had been knocked unconscious somehow.

As the last rice ball disappeared Sasuke heard a rattle of keys and the door opened revealing none other than Madara, who stepped in confidently and closed the door firmly behind him. He was silent as he surveyed the room, the empty plate and the half empty jug of water.

"That could have been poisoned, you know." Madara laughed, surprising the boy.

"Not likely. Then again, I might have eaten it faster if I knew it was poison." Sasuke was definitely feeling rebellious and his mood was quickly drifting downhill. "Where am I?"

"Getting right to the point, huh? Well, there were too many distractions in Mist. Too many bad influences. So I brought you to one of the Akatsuki hideouts. Here, you can train with a variety of Shinobi all of whom have different affinities and skill levels than what you are used to. It should make your training go faster and be much more relevant."

"So I'm not in Mist anymore." He suddenly panicked, "What about Juugo and Karin?"

"They are safe for the moment."

"For the moment… does that mean…"

"Sasuke, if you have figured it out that far then there is no need for me to say it,."

The boy nodded his head. He got the message. If he cooperated his friends would be safe. He gazed carefully at the man in front of him and he couldn't help but feel hesitant about Madara's desire to hurt the two young refugees from Orochimaru's lair. However, he also knew the man's incredible power was rivaled only by Itachi, and after seeing what his brother was capable of he decided that messing with Madara was probably a bad idea. And besides, he had sent Tama to speak with Itachi. With any luck he was on his way to get him right now.

Except he was no longer in Mist. Tama hadn't returned yet either so the cat wouldn't be able to show him where he was. And it was unlikely that Juugo and Karin knew anything either.

"Sasuke, you said once you wanted everyone to live in peace. I don't doubt your conviction, but I do believe you are getting cold feet. I assure you that this plan will work. The 'Eye of the Moon' will give the world the peace it so desires and no one will raise arms against another again. There will be no more war. No more Shinobi. The 'coming-of-age' ceremony practiced by the Uchiha will disappear as will all desire to engage in violence. But in order for all this to happen you must help."

"How do I know you can do this? It sounded okay at first, but the more I think about it… it's just not possible!" Sasuke was surprised to find himself pleading with the powerful ninja.

"I can do it, Sasuke. We are gathering up the last of the Jinchuuriki now. Soon they will be sealed away. In fact, they are to be kept here in this very facility until we are ready to seal them."

Surprised, Sasuke rose to his feet, "So they're here? Now? Does that mean Naruto is here?"

"Yeah, he's been here for weeks. Nice and safe and waiting patiently for us to extract the Kyuubi. Well, maybe not 'patiently' but he's safe anyway." Madara chuckled slightly.

Sasuke was about to ask if he could see him, but clamped his mouth shut instead. He knew that request would be denied. And he knew that if Naruto was nearby he was in great danger.

"All the demons must be sealed away for the plan to work. It's unfortunate that they were sealed away in people first. Very unfortunate. But Sasuke, their sacrifice, giving their bodies to the demons and then to my plan, will ensure the safety of an entire planet. Hundreds of millions of people live here, Sasuke. Not just on our continent, but others as well. And war exists in places you have never visited. You saw the faces of war, son, skulls with empty eyes staring up at a silent blue sky."

The boy's eyes turned downcast and his shoulders slumped, "Yeah. I remember." It was something that still haunted his nightmares and probably would for the rest of his life.

"Good to hear." Madara patted the boy on the back, "Now come with me and I'll show you around."

x x x x x x x x x x x x

As Madara pulled open a heavy wooden door he was surprised to see Hidan and Kakuzu standing outside talking while a woman lay unconscious at their feet. They looked like they were just goofing off and he found the image rather humorous, especially considering Kakuzu's temperament and workaholic tendencies.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Madara greeted them. "I take it this is the two-tails?"

"Yep." Hidan grinned widely, but his eyes narrowed malevolently. "Zetsu went to make sure her cell was ready."

Kakuzu remained silent, but his green eyes locked onto Sasuke, who met his gaze unflinchingly. A gust of wind blew over them and the boy was surprised to smell the sea. Turning his head he looked carefully through the close stand of trees by the cave entrance and saw a glimpse of sand and the wide blue ocean.

"Sasuke," Madara turned his attention back to the boy, "you will be training with Hidan and Kakuzu starting tomorrow. For the rest of today, rest and eat. You have been unconscious for a week and the drug is likely making you feel weak. And you two," He looked at the Akatsuki pair who were now frowning their disapproval, "This is a training session. Remember that."

Hidan and Kakuzu both knew that the warning, while given lightly, was meant to be taken seriously and nodded to show their understanding, after which Madara directed Hidan to return Sasuke to his room and stand guard.

As they were entering the cave they heard Madara tell Kakuzu that Sasori and Deidara were in Sand and would be returning with the One-tail in a couple days. A chill ran down Sasuke's spine as he thought of Gaara, whom he had met briefly after the Chuunin exams. He had seemed rather broken and downcast, but also strong and determined. Naruto had declared the boy to be his new best friend and that was enough to get Sasuke to trust in him as well. But now… he was also going to die.

"This sucks." Hidan complained as he kicked the chair that was sitting outside the boy's room. "Why do I have to play babysitter?"

"Why indeed?" Sasuke answered as he leaned against the wall. He had no intention of entering the room until he was told to and besides, he wanted to get to Naruto to see how he was doing.

"Yeah! You're his son after all, why lock you up, if it were me I would…" Hidan wasn't able to continue talking as he locked eyes with his young charge's Sharingan.

Sasuke smirked, "That's better. Now, whenever I tell you to do something you will follow my orders without question."

Hidan didn't even seem to be able to fight the Genjutsu and Sasuke worried that perhaps it wasn't working. Then again, it was possible that the white-haired Akatsuki had never developed any resistance to Genjutsu. Itachi had told him at one point that some Shinobi were so arrogant that they believed studying anything that didn't involve fighting was a waste of their time. They were prime targets for Genjutsu and the easiest to kill.

But Sasuke wasn't looking to kill anyone. "Take me to Naruto and don't tell anyone you did it."

The Genjutsu faded, but the effect of the "suggestion" was permanent. Hidan smiled as if nothing had happened and pointed down the hall, "This way, kid. And hurry up or I'll leave you behind."

x x x x x x x x x x x

The hallway turned from a natural stone cave into one cut out of the hard sandstone. After a few minutes the pair stopped in front of a door and Hidan raised his hands to perform a jutsu to open it. Surprisingly the room was very normal looking. Not like Sasuke's at all. In fact, by comparison it was luxurious. Tatami mats softened the cold stone floor, the walls had wood on them and there were cabinets, a book case, a kitchenette and some furniture. And sitting at the kotetsu table with a manga opened and a half-eaten container of ramen was a blond haired boy in an orange jumpsuit. But what Sasuke saw when he activated his Sharingan was frightening.

"H…Hidan… wait for me outside." The man shrugged and exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

Sasuke reached down and grabbed the front of the boy's shirt and hauled him to his feet before shoving him up against the nearest wall, "Are you an idiot Suigetsu? What are you doing here? I knew it was you a second after seeing you, if Madara comes here you're dead!"

"Hey, it's not my idea!" The boy raised his hands in surrender to show his innocence.

"Of course it isn't!" Sasuke released him and dropped down onto a cushion. Running his hands through his black hair he sighed loudly, "Where is Naruto? Safe, I presume."

"Yeah. I won't tell you where he is though."

"Ah. Good idea. I don't need to know anyway." The relief he felt over that news was real and before he realized it he was smiling, "I'm glad to see you though."

"Yeah! Can't keep us apart, huh?" Suigetsu grabbed a couple sodas out of the refrigerator and gave one to Sasuke, "How are Juugo and Karin?"

"I don't know. I was… well, I remember falling asleep on the couch and then the next thing I remember is waking up here. And Madara said that I was unconscious for a week."

"Not good." He watched as Sasuke pulled a half empty package of cookies closer to him and began stuffing them in his mouth.

"Well, I better not stay long. I'll try to come back occasionally, but… they're bringing in the two-tail now and the one-tail has is on his way. I don't know if there are any others around here."

"Okay…" Suigetsu frowned, "Well, see you later."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The large port town never seemed to change and as Itachi made his way along the boardwalk toward the pier Kisame had instructed to meet him at he found himself walking slowly so he could watch the scene. Early morning seemed almost as busy as afternoon, with vendors selling fish to restaurants, spice merchants setting up shops and souvenir stands restocking their inventory. Fishing boats were coming and going to match the migration routes of the particular fish they were after while others were unloading catches for the fish vendors.

A few locals and tourists were also up and either taking walks or jogging. It was a comfortable scene and Itachi found himself wishing Sheeta and the twins were there to enjoy it. He saw some kids run up to a candy stand that wasn't open yet and the vendor laughingly gave them some free "samples", asking them to come back later to buy more if they like it. They ran with big grins on their faces, promising to return at lunch time.

'Shisui won't be able to run like them.' Itachi felt his smile fade and he stopped walking to stare after the youngsters who melded into the rows of fish vendors with practiced ease. However, his eyes opened wide at the sound of something rolling quickly over the wooden planking of the boardwalk. A small wheelchair with an even smaller child rode comfortably as she ordered her "chauffeur" – another girl perhaps a year or two older – to hurry up or they would miss the boat. He watched as a small forty-foot fishing ship began to come alongside the dock and the girls waved to a rather muscular woman who waved back before tying up the ship. The older girl pulled out some crutches that the younger one used to stand up and walk haltingly to the edge of the dock. Within seconds the first group of kids had returned and were happily waving at the woman as well.

Itachi's smile returned and he figured the woman either had ten kids or she owned a candy shop. Either way she seemed quite popular with the younger crowd. "I'll build a wooden boardwalk around the lake for Shisui." He said under his breath.

"Talking to yourself, I see. You finally went round the bend, huh?" Kisame slapped him on the back and grinned widely, his sharp teeth prominently displayed."

"I think I've earned a stay in the loony bin." Itachi responded lightly. He noted that Kisame was not wearing his Akatsuki attire and his ring was missing. "What happened?"

The large man noticed Itachi's gaze and smirked, "Told Madara I quit."

"Hmmm… and your still alive. Or are you one of those sea ghosts that haunt the shore?"

"Might be a ghost. Not sure at times, really. But it really just comes down to you. You are the threat. Not me. Therefore, I am expendable. As long as I keep my mouth shut, that is."

"There is nothing you could tell me about Madara that I don't already know."

"Exactly." Kisame extended his hand, "My ship is this way."

"Hey Captain!" A man, a little taller than Kisame wearing ragged brown pants, a white t-shirt and no shoes waved as Kisame and extended a gangplank so they could board the ship. Which it turned out was a medium sized steamer.

"Captain?" Itachi queried curiously.

"Yeah, well, I own it. And a few others."

"We need to get going. I heard the navy is nearby." The shoeless man called out as he started to climb up a steel ladder to an open hatch, which he slammed shut and padlocked. About a couple dozen other sailors were also tying things down or picking up trash or otherwise getting ready to set out.

"Then let's go." Kisame yelled happily. "This'll be fun, Itachi. These guys really know how to party!"

"Oh… yeah… fun." Itachi was not in a partying mood and couldn't really remember ever having even desired to "party." But he couldn't deny the atmosphere on the ship was very relaxing and as he found a spot on the deck to sit so he could watch the city disappear into the horizon as they entered the bay he even found himself nodding off.

"Raise the colors!" Kisame's voice rang out, waking him instantly. Looking up he saw the blue man staring at a tripod structure with a flagpole on top. Two young teenagers were pulling at a rope as an older man timed them with his watch.

"Hah! Eight seconds! Fastest time yet!" The man laughed as the two boys high-fived each other and ran off to do something else. Itachi shielded his eyes with his hand and followed the heavy steel flagpole up into the sky, He had a suspicion what Kisame was referring to and when he saw the flag his suspicions were confirmed.

"Kisame…" Itachi asked slowly, "Are you a pirate?" The black flag bore the usual skull and crossbones with the addition of a set of pointed teeth and a set of sharp pointed horns.

"Why Itachi, of course I am." Kisame laughed. "Gotta get my kicks somehow."

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, Gaara? And Deidara? Yep, they'll be here. But not in the way you think.**

**I totally see Kisame as a pirate. We still don't have his backstory, but I like him as a pirate xD**

**Please review**


	75. Chapter 75 Sand and Sea

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Manga: OMG! Itachi holding baby Sasuke is the cutest thing I've ever seen in the Naruto manga.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto**

**Chapter 75 – Sand and Sea**

Taking a deep breath Deidara stepped into the small living room and took a brief look around. A brown leather couch and two overstuffed leather chairs were arranged a mere four feet from a small television leaving very little room for the two tall bookcases that flanked the round window on the adjoining wall. The door to the room was only about three feet behind the couch. Carpeting the stone floor was an array of scrolls and notebooks that were stacked in piles leaving a narrow pathway for one to walk. And on the couch, studiously reading was a small twelve-year-old red-head with the kanji for "love" tattooed to his forehead.

"You'd think the son of the ex-Kazekage could afford a bigger living room." Deidara smirked when the boy jumped slightly before turning his head and gazing petulantly at the intruder leaning arrogantly against the closed door.

"At least I know how to read." Gaara turned his attention back to his scroll.

Deidara pretended to wince, "Ow, that hurt."

"Don't Akatsuki usually show up, wreak all kinds of havoc and then run away with their tails between their legs?"

"Maybe Itachi does… But not me, un! I show up, wreak all kinds of havoc and then stick around to watch the show, un."

Gaara set the scroll down and stood up, careful not to knock over any of the stacks already on the floor. "Why are you here?"

Deidara ignored him and adjusted his scope, looking closely at the room, "Why are you reading books about government?"

"I put in my candidacy for the Kazekage position and the council is considering it. Why am I telling you this? Why are you here?" Gaara was getting annoyed and the sand around the gourd that was out of view on the other side of the couch began to swirl around his feet.

"Yeah, good for you, un." Deidara was unimpressed. "Anyway, I have a proposition for you. A mission if you want to call it that, un."

"A mission? I'm not working for Akatsuki and I'm not letting you get your mitts on my village again."

"Again?"

"Orochimaru was in your organization and he's the one who tricked my father into attacking Konoha."

"Ah. Of course." Since Orochimaru had left before Deidara had joined he had never really considered him part of Akatsuki, yet obviously many others did. "Then let's get right down to the point, un. I have been tasked with retrieving you so your demon can be sucked out by Akatsuki. Will you come along quietly, un?"

Gaara blinked twice, not knowing whether to rip the blond teen to shreds, crush him using his "sand coffin" technique, or laugh.

"Seriously, though, I have an idea and since you're already involved, no thanks to your demon, I think you may be willing to go along with it." Deidara paused for a second, "We already have Naruto."

"You what!" That got Gaara's attention and his balled his fists as his eyes flashed with anger and surprise. "So what are you getting at?"

"You and I will put up a show of fighting and you will lose, un. We have to do that because Sasori is here and you also don't want your village involved in any complicity, un. I will then capture you and take you to where Naruto is. The two of you can then go crazy and bust the place up."

"And why are you all of sudden so willing to break out of Akatsuki?"

"I found out what Madara's plan is and if he goes through with it then I won't be able to practice my art anymore, un." Deidara shuddered involuntarily at the thought of a planet of peace where there would be no need for bombs. Or art.

Gaara folded his arms across his chest and looked out of the small window and sighed, "You know, this isn't the living room, it's my bedroom. I never sleep much because my demon takes control when I do." He glanced at a futon that was rolled up on the floor under the window. "I'm so tired all the time."

Confused at the sudden change of subject Deidara shifted uneasily on his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I'll do it. I'm not happy about the situation and I don't trust you, but I'll grab at any chance to get at Madara and Akatsuki. I disliked my father immensely, but I can't forgive Orochimaru for what he did. This is probably the only way to get back at him for it."

Nodding his agreement Deidara turned around to leave, "I'll be back in the morning, un. We have to make it believable. Sasori is impatient and not above taking control of the situation himself if he suspects something."

"I'll be ready."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Gaara cringed inwardly as he watched Deidara explode several small pure-white clay owls over the village. "This guy is far too flashy for his own good. He's the one who said 'make it believable' but really, there has to be a limit to this."

The mid-morning sun shone brightly over the clay colored village, promising another hot day in the desert town. The fight had begun mere moments ago, yet already nearly the entire village had relocated to the streets so they could watch. Gaara was perched on a hovering disk of sand while Deidara stood confidently on the back of a large white clay owl.

Several bombs were thrown in Gaara's direction, forcing the boy to enclose himself in a cocoon of sand. Unsure of what to do next, Deidara hung back and surveyed the sphere carefully with his eye scope. He was worried about Sasori and what would happen to him if his partner found out the fight was staged. He wasn't at all sure he could beat Sasori in a fight and had no particular desire to find out.

As he flew around the sand sphere he looked down at the mounded wall that surrounding the village, easily picking out the large beetle-shaped puppet that was Sasori's favorite. He was watching the fight very carefully, but as always, his puppet face showed no emotion.

Deidara sighed as he brought his hands up to his face to form a sign. He wanted to extend the fight out longer, to give everyone a good showing of his art, but with Sasori watching he realized he wouldn't be able to do so convincingly unless he killed Gaara. And that would ruin his plans and Madara would probably kill him. Assuming there was something left to kill after Sasori finished with him.

Centering his will he concentrated all his chakra on one final explosion. Gaara, feeling a change in his opponents focus dropped his sand jutsu and held his hands out, directly in front of him ready to react at a seconds notice. However, what happened next was beyond his imagination.

A small clay figurine expanded quickly until it was about four stories tall and about as wide as a city block. Deidara caught Gaara's eye and smirked at the wide-eyed, obviously frightened child before him.

Gaara's fear was only momentary though. He was too good of a ninja. As the figure exploded outward in a burst of white, yellow and red the boy released his own chakra in a jutsu he had been practicing ever since the fated Chuunin exams several months earlier.

Sand rushed up into the sky, forming a seal between the explosion and the village. As the bright sun was hidden by a shadow of sand the citizens below, who had been cringing in fear and hopeless resignation of their impending deaths suddenly burst into cheers. But it was short lived.

Gaara had used up too much chakra. He had just enough to send the accumulation of sand back into the desert, and, as consciousness faded he cursed Deidara for going too far and himself for agreeing to such a stupid plan.

"There's no way this is going to work…" Everything went black and Deidara easily caught and wrapped the boy in the tail feathers of his owl. Waving to the villagers below the teen flew off towards the north.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The days of training were long and hard, but Sasuke was nevertheless thankful that Suigetsu was there. He would visit him every evening, with the help of Hidan who was still oblivious to the jutsu he was under.

The two-tail was also incarcerated in the hideout and Sasuke had visited with her as well, assuring her that help was on the way and not to ruin things by acting on her own. She didn't believe him at first, of course, but when she found out his relationship to Itachi she relaxed. The older teen was a friend of her village's kage and as such, a friend of hers.

"She 's probably still groggy from the fight." Suigetsu conjectured a few days after her arrival.

"Possibly. She was pretty bloody and they didn't even bother to clean her up." Sasuke leaned back on his hands and looked around at the small room his friend was being kept in. The boy had managed to get it pretty cluttered up and Sasuke had to remind him that Naruto, while not the neatest person in the world, wasn't nearly as bad as Suigetsu, thus forcing the white-haired purple-eyed ninja to clean up. "When she woke up the blood had dried on her skin and clothes and she said it hurt to wash it off even though her demon had healed her already."

"Well, considering the fact that she's a girl it's probably a good idea they didn't clean her off. If you get my drift."

Sasuke blinked a couple times then nodded his head, "Good point." He yawned wide and rubbed his eyes, "When are the frogs coming? You told them I was here."

"They don't tell me in case I get found out."

"I'm only waiting a couple more minutes. I'm really tired and I want to take a bath before…" Sasuke and Suigetsu jumped to their feet as a large white cloud engulfed the room. As it cleared a frog with white beard and eyebrows and wearing a striped blue shirt appeared on the table.

"Looking for me?" The frogs high-pitched, masculine voice shook with age as he leaned heavily on a short wooden cane.

"Uh… yeah…" While Sasuke was used to seeing summoned animals, having grown up in a Shinobi village, the sight of a talking frog was still a little shocking.

"Well? Get on with it. I haven't all day, you know."

"Yeah. Well, here." Sasuke pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed to the amphibian. "It's a letter for Itachi. I assume you can get it to him one way or another."

"Can't you reverse summon Sasuke like you did with Naruto?" Suigetsu asked hopefully.

"No. It would raise to many red flags. Madara would react badly if Sasuke suddenly disappeared at this point. If he finds out we were able to remove Naruto so easily he might advance his schedule and ruin all out preparations."

"What are you up to?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Better if you don't know. All I can say for now is if you manage to escape, it's best it you do it the regular ninja way instead of our way. But I will see to it your letter is delivered." The frog disappeared in a white cloud twice as thick as the one he created during his first appearance.

"I think he does that to annoy me." Suigetsu coughed.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"So how are they doing?" Jiraiya sat down heavily on a fallen log near where the elderly frog had appeared. The night sky was filled with stars and the sounds of a boy trying (unsuccessfully) to be quiet while he trained filled the air. Nearby Naruto had created two hundred clones who were attempting to balance precariously on a sharp peak while sitting on a two-foot square wooden board.

"Fine, fine. Suigetsu is going stir-crazy and Sasuke is very scared, although he is trying his best to hide it. Such a pity those nice kids got mixed up in this, simply because of…"

Jiraiya interrupted him, "Whether a farmer, merchant, nobleman or ninja we all have our problems and none are worse or better than the other." The Sannin's voice softened, "But it doesn't make it right either."

The frog handed over a letter, "Give this to Itachi."

"Fine." Jiraiya stood up and gazed longingly at his pupil. "I'm jealous of him, you know. It took me years to get where he is now. And it only took him a few days."

"Power without the maturity to wield it can backfire, Jiraiya. We are doing this only because you have asked and vouched for him. You started training young because we knew it would take years for you to learn and you would mature during that time."

"I realize that. I pray I made the correct decision."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Two days later found Jiraiya standing in front of Fugaku in his garden where he had been sitting with Mikoto enjoying the warm afternoon. Tsunade had come with him and was looking around, admiring the simple landscaping that seemed to convey a sense of tranquility in the tumultuous sea of uncertainty that surrounded them all.

Fugaku handed the letter to a worried Mikoto after reading it and stood up. "So he's been moved. On one hand it surprises me, but on the other… it might mean Madara is close to his goal. He has the two-tails, he got the one-tails the other day, and he'll have the others any day now at this rate."

"We must move now." Tsunade replied calmly. "Contact Itachi…"

"I don't know where he is." Fugaku admitted angrily. "He said he was leaving on a mission. It was only after he left that I realized he had lied to me. This letter explains part of that. He obviously left to rescue his little brother."

"Unfortunately, 'little-brother' is no longer in Water country." Tsunade shook her head with frustration. "Itachi is too much of a loose canon. He needs to be reigned in."

"Good luck with that." Fugaku admitted reluctantly. "I've let him run wild too often in the last few years. And while it has given the village an opportunity to gain information it would otherwise have missed, it has also given the boy a sense of empowerment that he does not deserve."

"This time, his side-trip may prove disastrous." Jiraiya admitted, also reluctantly.

"Damn it!" Tsunade cursed and bit her lip, deep in thought, "Suigetsu could be in a danger if Madara is around. There's no way he could fool him. Which means any day now Naruto's absence will be discovered. It's only a matter of time. I'd stick Itachi in the brig for going AWOL but we need him too much. Fugaku, Jiraiya, send out your summons and find him! And tell him to get back here ASAP! No wait…" She paused again, "Tell him to go to the hideout where Sasuke is and wait for instructions. Since we don't know where he is, it's the best chance we have of using him for the upcoming battle."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The boat rocked slightly as it moved steadily though the waters that separated Water country from Fire country. The summer weather kept the sea calm and the blue sky made Itachi wish he was on a pleasure cruise instead of a rescue mission. But of course it wasn't.

"I guess I'm just unlucky." Itachi admitted to himself quietly.

Laughter cut through his depression and he turned to see a group of Kisame's pirate friends hauling fish out of the sea. The four men and two women had been involved in a contest to see who could catch the biggest fish for the last two hours and so far it seemed that the only thing they were catching were hangovers.

"They never tire of that game." Kisame dropped down on the deck next to the teen and leaned back on his hands. "They're married, you know. Surprised the hell out of me when I found out. Thought they just joined up for kicks, but those four," he pointed to two couple who were sitting close together and comparing empty fishhooks with the two single men flanking them on either side, "are actually the children of refugees from Whirlpool country. Water country hunted them down pretty mercilessly after their village was destroyed. Many came to Mist to become ninja, but not _their_ parents. _They_ became pirates and passed their 'skills' down to their kids."

"Hmm." Itachi was surprised to learn that bit of trivia and wondered what it would be like to grow up on a pirate ship instead of a Shinobi village.

His musing were interrupted, however, by a "pop" and then a small cloud of smoke, "Thought you could run away from home, eh kitten?"

Itachi's eyes bled instantly into their Sharingan from as Kisame fell back and laughed loudly, diverting everyone's attention to the strange trio.

"Forget the fish, Kisame. We're having cat steak tonight." Itachi found he was rather angry at the small feline and flexed his fingers in preparation of strangling him.

"Ha! As if." The cat sat on it's haunches and sniffed the air, "There's a letter for you attached to my back and a word of advice from your father: 'Go AWOL again and Tsunade will lock you up and throw away the key.'"

"What… what happened?" Itachi was suddenly serious, guessing that something terrible had happened. And as he read the letter he discovered that he was right.

"Sasuke has been moved to the hideout on the coast of Fire Country. The one Suigetsu is in."

"What?" Kisame stopped smirked and turned serious. "That means Suigetsu…"

"Worried about him?" Itachi realized instantly he shouldn't have said that as the blue man's face twisted with fury, "Sorry. Didn't mean…"

"Don't apologize. He's my apprentice and my responsibility." Standing up Kisame bellowed out orders to turn the ship around at once and head back to Fire country. The crew, despite their inebriated conditions, jumped up and ran to their positions, expertly turning the steam-powered ship in a matter of minutes.

The sun was now shining down from the opposite side of the ship as Itachi watched them work, but something was eating away at his mind and soon he knew what it was. "Kisame! There are several ships heading this way from either direction."

"What?" Kisame pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked just as a woman called down from the crows nest with the same information.

"The Water Country Navy has us surrounded!"

Kisame grabbed Samehada from its resting place against a nearby wall and with one flick of the wrist the white bandages that enshrouded it were cast off. Jumping up onto the metal railing he pointed the sword at the ships to the east and shouted, "I'll take them out, you guys get the others!"

In a second Kisame had leapt from the railing into the water, but not before his upper body morphed, molding itself into the image of a shark. It was surprising and Itachi ran to the side of the ship to get another glimpse. Kisame was riding the top of the waves at record speeds wile Samehada, held in one hand, trailed behind.

The ship rocked precariously and Itachi grabbed at the rail to keep his balance as he sent chakra into his feet to hold him up. His eyes widened in surprise as the ship rose out of the sea. Bending over the rail he could a huge wave growing under them. Nearby about five pirates were concentrating on whatever jutsu it was that was accomplishing that astounding feat while on the other side of the deck several more pirates were preparing other jutsus.

The water around the giant wave grew stormy and whirlpools sprang up all over then sped their way across the waters towards the western ships. They were countered with more whirlpools as well as a giant wall of water.

Meanwhile, Kisame had come close to the eastern ships and had already sank two of them by splitting the hulls open with his demon sword and spitting water into the ships, thus hastening their demise. A large wall of water was also protecting several of the remaining ships but Kisame was able to cut through that without a second thought. Several sailors began throwing kunai and various jutsus at him, but he used a jutsu to capture them in a bubble of water then throw them into the depths of the sea.

Rescue rafts from the sunken ships were busy pulling their comrades to safety as Kisame used Samehada again to sink another ship. He pushed chakra into the water and lifted the two remaining ships into the air, then crashed them back down, cracking the hulls.

A full retreat was ordered at that point and Kisame swam back to his own ship, which was now back at sea level and swaying roughly as the water continued to settle down from the earlier turbulence.

"No canons?" Itachi smirked as watched Kisame wind the bandages around his sword.

That made the big man laugh, "I don't think we even have one."

X x x x x x x x x x x x

Three days later the pirate ship dropped anchor near the Akatsuki hideout and as Itachi and Kisame stood at the railing observing the base, hidden in the trees just out of view they both wondered how far Madara had gotten in his plans.

The answer came a few minutes later when Samehada began to vibrate. Kisame reached back and touched the handle, "There's a lot of chakra here."

"Naruto isn't here. So that means…" Itachi closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. He concentrated hard and through the distance and the chakra shields he could sense it. "There are other Jinchuuriki here. And a lot of Uchiha's."

"A lot?" Kisame asked, fishing for a number.

"As in, perhaps all the active duty shinobi."

"Itachi…"

"I know." The teen closed his eyes and turned his back to the coast, "It's too late. We can't rescue him. Sasuke is on his own." He looked at the summoned cat who was perched nearby on a barrel, "Return to Fugaku and relay everything you see here. I will remain nearby and await further instruction. Kisame, I'll be getting off now."

Kisame grabbed Itachi's arm just as he was about to climb over the railing and jump down into the water, "No, kid. You're not doing this alone."

"But…"

Turning around Kisame gestured for a young teen, about thirteen or fourteen to come forward, "Tell the radioman to call the other ships. I want the entire fleet to gather six leagues south at Deadman's Point."

"Yes sir!" The teen ran off toward the stairway leading to the radio room as Kisame returned his attention to Itachi.

"How many ships do you have?"

Kisame smirked, "Let's just say I have enough crewmen under my command to found a small village."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"I'm bored." Deidara complained as he watched Sasuke sparring with Kakuzu. "Madara won't let us out of his sight!"

"It is rather annoying at that." Sasori agreed. His raspy voice conveyed annoyance at their forced "imprisonment." "We haven't been able to leave since we brought Gaara here. And we aren't even sealing the demons. We're just sitting around playing with Sasuke."

"Soon enough, friends." Madara joined them, his voice growing ominous. "We will seal them when we have collected them all. Then we will do them back to back, with the nine-tails being the last."

"There's no way we can do that!" Deidara said shocked. "We'd get too tired."

"Don't worry, you'll have time to rest. I have it all worked out. I'm not going to kill off my loyal followers with a simple demon sealing ceremony. That would certainly not be a good way for a ninja to die."

"You're right about that!" Deidara scrunched up his face, "What's this stuff about dying?"

Sasori interrupted, "So Kisame and Itachi have left."

"Yes. I am pleased to see that you two have stayed." Madara eyed the pair carefully then walked away, re-entering the hideout a moment later but a he was troubled, 'I just wish I knew more about Deidara's intentions. Why is he still here? I'll have to keep my eye on him.'

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week: Naruto masters Sage mode, and Konoha prepares for war.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	76. Chapter 76 Madara's Warning

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**I'm sorry this chapter is short. My department at work got laid off rather suddenly and I spent the week looking for a new job. Luckily I found one. So, I kind of had other things on my mind. Next week may be short too since I'll be starting my new job… but after the bad chapter I did last week I think a good short chapter is better than a longer bad one.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

**Chapter 76 – Madara's Warning**

The technology wasn't perfect and the pictures kept flickering on and off, but the Kage's of four of the five great nations (Water country was, of course, conspicuously absent) all sat in front of cameras while their images were beamed to each other in an unprecedented show of solidarity. They had all realized Akatsuki was moving swiftly and the ninja villages were not moving at all. It scared them.

The teleconference was a grim affair. There were no smiles, no joking around, and no bickering. Tsunade sat with her hands folded in front of her face and leaned forward on her elbows as she looked at those assembled behind the camera while she listened to the Sand village representative who was standing in for the as-yet-to-be-chosen Kage relate the details of Gaara's capture. Fugaku was there, of course, as were the members of the elder council and the representative of Rain, Rice and Tea. The new Fire country Daimyou (a distant relative of the previous Daimyou) was also present.

"My brother was captured early this morning!" The Raikage interrupted as he pounded on his table viciously. "He was the last one! Do you realize what this means?"

The Stone village Kage, a small man of advanced age closed his eyes and shook his head, "They have them all."

Everyone began speaking at once, calling for "mobilization" and "action", but as Fugaku continued to watch the proceedings he became increasingly pessimistic. It wasn't that he didn't have any faith in their abilities and it was obvious they were willing to work together, but their opponent was too powerful. Madara had gone up against the First and not only survived, but cheated death long enough to live up to the present.

The clan lord began to wonder if involving anyone outside of the Uchiha clan was even a good idea. The amount of blood that had pooled beneath the Uchiha had grown quite deep and was threatening to not only drown the clan but the rest of the world.

Distantly in the background Fugaku heard the Kage's making arrangements to move their Shinobi forces to the location of the Akatsuki hideout. He had an overwhelming urge to tell them stay home, where they would be safe. It was surprising, and his eyes opened wide as he wondered where that thought could have come from. He had never been an advocate of keeping ninja safe. They were tools, after all, to be used for missions.

'But there is such a thing as the right tool for the job, " He thought to himself, 'and clearly they are not the right tool.' But he kept those thoughts to himself and as Pein shifted on his feet next to him he glanced up at the tall red-haired man and wondered if he was thinking the same thing. The stoned-face leader of Rain country very rarely showed any emotion, but his fidgeting was definitely a sign of discomfort.

"I take it you feel the same as I about this?" Pein finally asked.

"That they are making a big mistake? Yeah…" Fugaku said quietly.

"Yet this is something born of an age old disagreement between brothers. The founders of the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Does it not make sense that both should work together to fix it?" He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Fugaku.

Fugaku sighed, "No. The Senju have never been as powerful as the Uchiha. Even Hashirama was nothing more than a fluke and his power has never appeared in any of the children born since."

"There is Naruto." Tsunade moved closer, joining the conversation now that the teleconference was over. The other leaders stood behind her, attentively listening.

Both men were silent as they considered this information. They had heard about the boy's progress at Toad Mountain, and the prospect of him becoming more powerful than Jiraiya, but all things considered he was still just a boy and in the end all either one of them could do was shake their heads in disagreement.

"He's too young." Pein offered, "If this had happened a few years from now when he was older…" His words trailed off and he closed his eyes, " I just don't think that, even with all his new-found abilities, he will be able to properly use them at his age. And the problem is he will no doubt believe otherwise and try them out anyway. I fear Jiraiya will allow this to happen."

Tsunade frowned, "I guess you do have a point. Let's just play it by ear for now and see what happens. We've got the Konoha Uchiha on our side, Pein and his Rinnegan, and of course the ninja villages of the major and minor countries. I believe the best strategy would be for Fugaku and Pein to go in first with everyone else hanging back to take out the lesser threats." She smirked, "It sounds pathetic when you call S-class ninja 'lesser threats'."

Fugaku smiled, "We need a new classification for Madara, don't we. But I'd be just as happy if we just leave things as they are and don't classify him. Someone might desire to fill his empty slot if we do."

"Lord Fugaku!" The trio were interrupted by a cat who materialized in a puff of white smoke. "I have a letter from Itachi."

"Good, you found him." Fugaku bent over and picked up the small animal, who promptly began to purr as he removed a scroll that was tied around his middle.

"What's it say?" Tsunade was still angry with Itachi for running off without permission, but she was also very anxious about his welfare.

"He's with Kisame and they are in location near the Akatsuki hideout. He was on his way to Mist to get Sasuke because he wanted to come home but the news that he's been moved cancelled that plan. The hideout is heavily guarded with Uchiha's from the Mist branch and there is obviously a number of Jinchuurikis being held there."

"That's that then." Pein offered. "I'll get a hold of Konan and start heading out that way. It'll take all of us a few days to travel since I have some other concerns to address on the way."

Tsunade and Fugaku nodded their understanding. After all, the man Nagato was, in reality, an invalid and even utilizing jutsus, moving him was tricky at the best of times. His corpse incarnations were extensions of his consciousness that utilized a specific elemental type. Working in tandem they were, as yet, unbeatable.

X x x x x x x x x x

He was quite pleased with himself for accomplishing Sage mode in record time, thanks to about a hundred or so clones, but for some reason Naruto could feel something in his chest that burned and pulsated with anxiety. He had felt it before – when Sasuke had run off – and Mikoto had told him it was his body pumping adrenaline into his system. She had mixed up an herbal tea and he had fallen asleep for several hours but the feeling had returned upon awakening. He had never asked for another serving. What good was a good nights' sleep if you knew your friends were suffering?

"There's just too much going on." Naruto mumbled to himself. He had been walking around aimlessly for the better part of four hours, not really paying attention to where he was going or who passed by. He had heard that Sasuke had been brought to the Akatsuki hideout after trying to escape from Madara and the thought that his friend and foster brother might be forced to use his powers against Konoha twisted his insides into knots.

At one point Sasuke had said he was willing to sacrifice the Jinchuurikis to obtain a peaceful world but something over the months had changed that. Whatever it was, Naruto need to know. He needed to find out why his friend had been so eager to suddenly leave Madara. And why was Madara so determined to keep the boy by his side.

Just as the first twinkling stars appeared above the peaceful toad village, Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his god father's voice. Serious and subdued, the white-haired Sanin was deep in conversation with several of the elder toads and a medium-sized grey striped tabby cat.

They all turned as the boy approached and the expressions on their faces told him that they were most likely discussing him. "So…" Naruto's voice matched his downcast expression and he stuck his hands in the pockets of his orange pants, "what did I do this time?"

Jiraiya gave him a sad smile and shook his head, "We were trying to figure out what to do with you now that you have sage mode. I want to return you to the hideout, but the others want to keep you here safely hidden."

"What?" Naruto raised his voice in outrage, "I'm going back! That was why I came here! So I could train and then return to defend Konoha. Also Suigetsu is in danger, you said it yourself, it's only a matter of time before he's found out. They could kill him! I won't let that happen to my friend."

"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement and gazed sharply at the toads. "His father gave his life to protect Konoha and his son from Madara. But asking that Naruto be kept in Konoha was with the full knowledge that, eventually, he would be put in mortal danger and possibly even killed. Minato knew and accepted this. And he also knew that one day Madara would return for another chance to collect the nine-tails and that his son would have to be able to defend himself."

A large frog with a white beard and wearing black rimmed reading glasses sighed, "You make it sound like he was planning on using his son."

"Elder, of course he was. In their basic form, ninja are nothing but tools. Minato was not only Naruto's father, but the Kage of the village and therefore Naruto's superior officer. How painful it must have been for him to condemn his son with the sealed demon I will never know. It is a pain beyond my understanding, but it was also done with the hope that Naruto would grow up, grow powerful, and one day protect the village. That, as a sensei, I do understand and that is why I will not allow Naruto to be sidelined."

Naruto's eyes opened wide with wonder and new-found respect over the words of his godfather. The pain that had been stabbing at his heart all day disappeared to be replaced with eager determination.

"That's right!" Naruto's cheerful demeanor returned and he raised his hand in the air and cheered, "Let's get me back to the hideout!"

"This is on your shoulders if it fails, Jiraiya." The frog muttered, resigning himself to losing the argument.

The cat remained silent as she disappeared in a puff of smoke, no doubt returning to Fugaku's side to pass on the news.

X x x x x x x x x

Suigetsu jumped about three feet landing solidly up against the wall and hitting his head. He had been sitting at the table reading through a rather boring manga (having read all the good ones already) when a large orange blob suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision.

"Ow! That hurt!" The boy rubbed his head gingerly as he stepped forward and approached Naruto who was laughing, "Couldn't you have warned me first?"

"Sorry, didn't expect you to react that way."

"That okay." Suigetsu sighed with relief, "So are you coming back? Can I leave now?"

"Yes." The two foot tall frog that had accompanied Naruto spoke in a deep voice. "I will be returning you to Konoha directly so…"

The frog and the two boys were gripped with an overwhelming sense of fear and panic as they turned to look in the direction of the wooden door. The heavy feeling was impossible to overcome and Suigetsu fell to his knees, panting.

"Who… what…" Naruto could barely get the words out as he stared at the tall man who had appeared in the small room via a transportation jutsu. He was dressed completely in black and accessorized with a katana and fingerless gloves.

"Good evening, Naruto Uzumaki. Nice of you to return. It was certainly pleasant having Suigetsu here in your place, but I did miss you." Madara folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, "Sasuke was right, Suigetsu. It was a stupid plan. I knew you were here the moment you arrived. There is nothing going on in this base that I don't know about. Including the rather pathetic attempt by the Jinchuuriki to work together to kill me."

Naruto licked his lips nervously and glanced at the frog who was still sitting three feet away from him and gazing intently at the Uchiha. "I've learned sage jutsu so you need to watch out!" Naruto's words were stronger than he felt and he stepped back a couple paces when Madara laughed at him.

"Yes, I know. But how exactly does that affect me?"

The frog raised his hands, intending to do a transportation that would remove Naruto from the hideout when he was suddenly thrown back against the bookcase by a strong kick. Madara had moved so fast he hadn't even suspected he was that close. As two shelf-loads of mangas fell on top of him he opened his eyes for a couple second before dropping off in unconsciousness – helped in no small way by an additional sleep jutsu.

"I am sorry, Naruto, but you will be receiving no more visits from Sasuke. I will not allow it. Also… Suigetsu will have to be detained… although I really don't feel like keeping prisoners." He pulled out his katana and with lightning speed shoved it through the boy's stomach and pulled it out. "I'll have someone drop him off on the beach somewhere. I suppose, if he's lucky, Itachi or Kisame will find him before he dies. Stomach wounds are notoriously painful and sometimes can even take days to die from."

"How dare you?" Naruto dropped down next to his friend and began stuffing a towel that had been laying on the floor nearby into the blood soaked hole. Suigetsu's Genjutsu had dropped and he was now in his real form, minus the white hair which was still dyed blond.

"I am being merciful, Naruto, as I just said. Itachi and Kisame are offshore in one of Kisame's pirate ships. It is possible they will find him." He bent down and picked the boy up in his arms and disappeared, only to reappear a second later. "There, he's safe and sound and out of our hair."

There was a "pop" and a swirl of white as the frog's chakra was depleted and he was forced to return to the mountain. Naruto was now alone with the one man he had never wanted to see again. Concentrating he began to shift into sage mode. His eyes were rimmed with red and his pupils narrowed to slits. Fisting his hands he growled under his breath.

"Can't have this, can we?" Again, Madara moved faster than Naruto could sense and the boy inexplicably found himself on the ground unable to move.

"Hmm… I wasn't sure that seal would work on you. I'm sure it's only temporary, though." Pulling out a syringe he pushed it roughly into Naruto's arm and squeezed the bright green liquid into his body. "This is a more permanent solution. You should sleep for approximately three days."

Picking the boy up he placed him on the futon and sat down on the floor. Concentrating he pushed his consciousness past Minato's seal and into a large, dimly lit room in front of a massive red fox-shaped chakra. With only a set of steel bars between them both were eager to tear them down but for entirely different reasons.

Even though he had stood next to the fox demon several times before it never ceased to amaze him just how powerful and massive the beasts chakra was. It was said to have been born from the ill-will of the people over many centuries and while Madara had seen a lot of hate, war, and poverty it had never seemed enough to create such a massive evil. He had conjectured at one point that it must have taken tens of thousands of years for the beasts to grow. But in spite of all his guessing he knew there was one irrevocable fact: the beasts had never gone hungry. And he also wondered, when the world ended, how much bigger they would be.

"Madara." The fox's husky voice overwhelmed the chamber, and the entire place vibrated with malice, "Let me out of here so I can kill you."

"Aren't you full of blood-lust today?" Madara teased, "But be patient. I will let you out in a few days. However, you will not get the chance to kill me. You missed that opportunity years ago and you will never get another one."

"That's what you think. As soon as this boy dies…"

"You will be released. I am counting on that, Kyuubi. I have big plans for you, and the other demons. I will be returning you to your original ten tailed form."

"You… why would you do that? Your forefather sealed us away because he couldn't kill us."

"I will use your power to seal you inside of myself. I will then have the power of the ultimate Sharingan form. The final form. I can cast a Genjutsu upon the world that will bathe all in the comforting embrace of peace."

"In my ten-tailed form you will be unable to control me. Only the Rinnegan could do that."

Madara laughed, "I have my ways."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The summer sun rose early and so did the crew of the medium-sized pirate ship. Even the late night party that surely should have had many of them moaning with painful hangovers seemed like nothing more than an evening past. There were chores to do, and, on the horizon, comrades to greet.

"Thirteen…" Itachi looked up at the tall blue man standing next to him at the rail. Shielding his eyes from the sun which was still low on the horizon he counted a second and then a third time.

"Yes, Itachi. I have fourteen ships in my fleet. As I said before, they are mostly displaced ninja without a village or even a country to return to. The fleet seemed to grow of its own accord once word got out."

"You might as well find an island, settle down, and found your own ninja village." Itachi shook his head in disbelief.

"It's… crossed my mind a few times." Kisame said thoughtfully. "I've still got some other matters to deal with though."

"So this isn't the 'business' you keep hiding from everyone? From me?" Itachi asked boldly.

"No, Itachi. That… will remain a secret for a while longer. Some things are best left that way."

"Well, I hope you know what you're doing. Because it sounds to me like you have a family hidden somewhere."

"Yeah, right." Kisame smirked. "As if. Don't quite know everything, do you kid?"

Itachi turned around and leaned against the metal rail, "Nope. And I don't want to either. My life is complicated enough as it is." He suddenly stood up straight and faced the beach, about an eighth of mile from where the ship had anchored. "Suigetsu…"

"Yeah, I feel him too… he's injured…" In a second the big man had hopped off the ship and was using his chakra to run across the waves to the beach, with Itachi close at his heals. They reached the shore in short order and discovered the boy, still dressed in Naruto's clothes, soaked in dried blood and unconscious.

"He's been stabbed through the stomach." Itachi quickly pulled the boy's jacket and shirt off and began to pump healing chakra into the wound. He wasn't a healer, but as an ANBU he had been taught some basic first-aid techniques. The blood had already started clotting, but he had lost way too much to survive without medical assistance.

"Infection has already set in." The teen pulled his hands away and watched as Kisame picked Suigetsu up in his arms and, without uttering a sound, run back to the ship. Itachi dropped back down onto the warm light brown sand to think. The wide, broad expanse of the beach was littered with shells and driftwood and nearby a small creek made its way out of the evergreen forest and down to the ocean. It was delightfully deserted and he wished the circumstances that had brought him there were different. It would be a great place to rest for a few days. And that was what he wanted to do more than anything. But he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen for a long time yet.

Obviously this was the work of Madara, and leaving Suigetsu here of all places was nothing more than a warning. "Madara knows everything we're doing. He's known we were here all along."

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and called out to his childhood friend, "Shisui, if only you were here to fight beside me."

"_If only…"_ Was the lonely response from the long-dead boy.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Suigetsu regains consciousness and the ninja villages move closer to the Akatsuki hideout.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays**


	77. Chapter 77 The Forgotten Gods

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**The chapter is late today, but since it is technically still Friday where I live… okay I'm just making excuses. I'm so sorry! xD I was fussing too much over this chapter. There's a lot going on in the story and I was trying to write all of it at once and the chapters just seemed disjointed because of that. So with this chapter I slowed things down. Hopefully its better.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Chapter 77 – The Forgotten Gods**

"Damn it!" Kisame slammed his forearm heavily against the steel wall of the make-shift hospital, inflicting a long dent in its surface. "How does Madara know what we're up to? How can he be so knowledgeable about everything? He doesn't even have any spies!"

Itachi was just as angry as Kisame about that one little fact and ground his teeth in frustration as he watched the healer concentrate over the red, swollen wound in Suigetsu's stomach. It had become infected as he had lain on the beach and the boy's fever had been steadily increasing for the last few hours.

Moaning in his sleep, Suigetsu mumbled something unintelligible then grimaced as a wave a pain passed over him. The healer, a big woman with arms covered in tattoos and fingers that looked like they would be more comfortable around a throat than healing, growled under her breath and touched his forehead once with her index finger. Immediately the boy quieted down, falling into a deep sleep.

"I can't stand that hair anymore." Kisame picked up a pair of surgical scissors from a drawer and bent over Suigetsu's head. The blond hair, a perfect match for Naruto's blond locks, fell mercilessly to the floor leaving less than an inch.

"There's a razor in the far left drawer." The woman's strong voice ordered.

Kisame looked at the drawer and shook his head, "This is good enough." He dropped down onto a nearby chair and watched as Itachi cleaned up the mess. "So, Uchiha, how is it that your great-great-uncle or whatever he is knows so much about us."

"Teleportation perhaps?" Itachi conjectured. "However… that has its problems. How would he know where to teleport? And if he stayed for too long it would eat away at his chakra and make hiding it impossible."

"So if he was popping in and out amongst my crew we would eventually know it. But the problem is how does he know where my crew is to spy on them to begin with? Sounds the old 'which came first – the chicken or the egg' argument."

"Yeah." Itachi sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. The bright fluorescent lights of the room and the clean antiseptic feel of the furnishings reminded him so much of the hospital in Konoha that he suddenly wished he could just open the door and find himself back home. Rubbing his eyes he yawned widely then yawned two more times.

"You haven't slept much." Kisame commented. "I'm positive there are no spies in the crew. Madara would know how easy it would be for me and others on the ships to find them. They would be useless. He could be using Zetsu on land, he's got spores all over the place so it makes sense he could see us when we were next to his hideout, but out here… could Zetsu really be that powerful?" He gave a half-hearted laugh, "I always thought of him as just an annoying, schizophrenic spy. I never took him seriously."

Itachi nodded, "Yeah, it would make sense if it was him. I have to admit I never researched his abilities and I have no idea what his potential is."

It was quiet for several minutes as the healer continued her attempt to stop the spreading infection in Suigetsu's abdomen and Itachi and Kisame attempted to solve the riddle that was promising to the be start of the next Ninja world war.

Finally Kisame stood up and took a deep breath. Retrieving Samehada from where it was leaning against the wall he threw it over his shoulder and grinned, revealing his sharp, pointed teeth.

"I'm moving the fleet back to the Hideout. He knows we're here and I'm tired of hiding." He turned and looked at Itachi, "Take Suigetsu and get out of here."

Itachi blinked once in surprise, "Are you telling a ninja to run away?"

"No. I'm telling _you_ to run away. Itachi, you stopped being a ninja a long time ago."

Nothing Itachi had ever been told had ever shocked him more than his former Akatsuki partner's words. He wasn't a ninja? When… how could that have happened? "Th…then what am I?" Itachi hadn't meant to stutter, but the words seemed to stumble over his tongue of their own volition.

Kisame smirked, "You are that Samurai who, after an earthquake, dies holding up the last beam of a crumbled house while the residents run out to safety." He paused for just a moment before turning his back on the teen and gripping the doorknob, "And I am the ninja who caused the earthquake with a jutsu and waits, hidden, to kill them as they run out of the building, knowing that you will not be able to protect them."

"Killing both the protector and protected in one fell sweep. That is a ninja, perhaps." Itachi wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about the man's revelation. After the initial shock died away he felt neither insulted, happy, nor sad. Just noncommittal or perhaps un-phased. However, something had always bothered him about the world they lived in and he couldn't help but voice his concern, "But not all ninja act like spies and not all Samurai are filled with noble deeds. That said, I will be staying. And so will Suigetsu."

Kisame nodded once and left the room without speaking.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Twenty-four hours later found the entire fleet of pirate ships in a half-moon formation around the beach where Madara's hideout lay hidden. The shark-man himself was standing at the bow of his own ship in front of the formation as if challenging Madara to do something. Anything.

He didn't have long to wait.

An hour after the ships' arrival Madara, dressed in a black, formfitting ninja outfit. Sasuke, dressed in a similar outfit was following him. Flanking the pair were Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori and Deidara. Zetsu was no where to be seen.

The bloodlust being broadcast by the assembled ninja was overwhelming, but unnecessary. Experienced, high-level ninja rarely, if ever, reacted to such shows of force.

Madara placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and frowned slightly when he realized the boy was trembling. After all that training he was still just a child. Using a jutsu the elder Uchiha magnified his voice and smiled when he saw Itachi join Kisame on the deck.

"I asked Sasuke if he wanted to return to Konoha. I promised him he could leave, but he refused."

Itachi huffed and he crossed his arms over his chest and answered back, using the same jutsu, "Of course he refused, he's afraid of leaving Naruto behind."

Laughing, Madara nodded, "Of course that's the reason. He knows he is a key part of my plan but even so, he can't bring himself to run away."

Itachi is watching the assembled ninja and focuses in on Deidara, who was nervously keeping an eye on Sasuke.

"You see it too, huh?" Kisame muttered under his breath, "Sasuke has a guardian angel over there."

"That only applies if he can keep from blowing my brother up." Itachi said drily, although he found he actually felt a little better. Ever since Deidara had saved Sasuke's life all those years ago he had, somehow, taken an interest in the boy's welfare. He wondered what it must be like for the otherwise solitary orphan to suddenly realize he cares for someone. Probably confused, was all Itachi could come up with.

"You're sword is sure loud." Itachi observed, changing the subject.

"Yeah. The chakra from all the gathered Jinchuuriki's is like a finely aged sake. He's drinking it up. That means, of course, that they are still alive. If they had been sealed in that statue Samehada wouldn't feel this much chakra."

"What is he waiting for then?" Itachi wondered out loud. Madara was still standing and staring at them, as if waiting for something to happen. "He has all the Jinchuuriki yet the presence of the Akatsuki here means they aren't sealing them away."

Madara turned around and, keeping his hand on Sasuke's back, returned to the hideout without saying anything else. The rest of the Akatsuki followed behind with Deidara taking up the rear. He caught Itachi's eye for a second before turning away.

"He's probably worried about Suigetsu." Kisame finally said.

Itachi nodded absent-mindedly, "Perhaps Madara feels his chances of victory have dropped and is holding off."

"Huh?" Kisame wasn't sure that made sense.

"Would you rather be trapped in a room with nine wolves or one lion?" Itachi asked.

"Well… hmm… I can keep an eye on the lion and outrun him for a while but he would get me in the end, of course. If it was the nine wolves, I would use up my chakra pretty quick trying to avoid nine different animals and they would probably take me out pretty quick. But what is the point you're trying to make?"

Itachi leaned against the railing as the ship rocked gently over the blue waves. Large lazy clouds cast a brief shadow over them, only to be replaced by sunlight a moment later. "Madara wants to extract the nine demons and then force them back into their original ten-tailed form. If he can't get the nine demons extracted and under his control inside that statue then he will have nine demons running rampant over the countryside. And every single last one of them wants him dead."

"So if he isn't absolutely positive of success he'll hold off. Makes sense. So as long as we can feel the Jinchuurikis then we know there's still a chance we can beat him."

The teen nodded with certainty, "It may only be a two percent chance, but it is there."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x

Even though the journey was a little slower than he would have liked, Fugaku decided to travel with Pein. The wheelchair ridden Nagato was carried along via a simple transportation jutsu while his many animated corpse bodies, along with Konan and Fugaku ran through the trees. Given the Rain leader's vast stores of chakra the repeated use of the jutsu had little effect on his crippled body.

Fugaku had spent many hours discussing strategy with Pein and found his knowledge of battle and assassination to be the most impressive he had ever seen. There seemed to be very little, if anything, he didn't know about the ninja arts.

The thick tree-cover protected them from the hot summer sun and the clan lord was momentarily reminded of the forest where Ki was located. The memories of that village still haunted his nightmares as he remembered the corpses that littered the ground of Danzou's one and only attempt at running a ninja village. His thoughts turned to regret as he considered, over and over, what he could have done differently to prevent the mass suicide that had decimated them.

His only target had been Danzou. That was why he hadn't attacked. At that point, most of that man's followers weren't even from Konoha, or Fire country for that matter. Suddenly through the bloody haze of memories Fugaku heard Pein mutter something rather alarming.

"I am sorry the Eye of the Moon plan has no chance of success."

Fugaku stopped jumping and landed on a branch next to the tall, orange haired man whose words came from Nagato, several miles ahead. Pein looked down at Fugaku with emotionless, multi-ringed eyes, "It was the only chance this world had to obtain peace."

"I disagree." He wondered if Pein was going to back out of their deal and as Konan joined them, he glanced at her eyes which were opened wide with alarm.

"I know you do." Pein looked up at the roof of the forest and sighed. "As you know, Madara got a hold of the statue with the demons in it before I could pull them out. While he does have the remaining Jinchuuriki alive he is no doubt strengthened by the knowledge that he already has some of them ready to do his bidding. He could release them and force them to fight for him."

"Three?" Fugaku wasn't sure he remembered how many demons had already been sealed over the years. But the number didn't matter. A rampage of Madara-controlled demons was not something he wanted to experience. Seeing the Kyuubi twelve years ago was definitely enough for one lifetime.

"He would use them as a last resort."

"Or not at all." The clan chief surmised, "If he does he would have to track them down again and capture them. Meanwhile, he has the current Jinchuuriki to keep an eye on and, if he does defeat us, he will have localized groups of rebels attacking him until he is ready to go through with his plan. However you look at it…"

Pein interrupted him, "It will take many years to regain the ground he has lost. He will have to keep those Jinchuuriki prisoner until he is ready to use them. You know, Fugaku, every seal leaks chakra. There is no way to create a seal that doesn't. Which means the statue we sealed the demons in will eventually be weakened enough for them to escape. That time frame is ten years. Perhaps less. The demons could possibly find a way to escape on their own if the chakra wore down enough."

"So they could, theoretically, escape tonight."

"That's about the gist of it. And that was one of the reasons Madara and I had a falling out. I knew he was taking too long and I knew Konoha would get in the way and could even stop him. The arrogant bastard refused to even consider the possibility. Humph. He says this is about peace. He feels sorrow over the passing of his children and the wars that decimated the world and killed the rest of his family. He feels remorse for those he has had to kill. Yet, Fugaku, there is one immutable fact about that man I want you to keep in mind."

Fugaku nodded to indicate he was listening.

"Madara is power-hungry. It is only a coincidence that the ten tails can be used to place the world under a controlling Genjutsu that he can use to bring a forced peace to the world. Because no matter what power the ten tails turned out to have in its place, if that Genjutsu didn't exist and instead it was a weapon of mass destruction, he would have used it anyway just to become the most powerful man in the world."

"Yeah, I figured that much out."

Pein closed his eyes and shook his head as he stared back at the shade-enshrouded ground twenty feel below them. Birds and insects were chirping and buzzing, giving a rather optimistic view of the world despite the pessimism that those in their attendance felt.

"Even so…" Pein paused, then continued as Konan moved closer and wrapped one delicate hand around his calloused fingers, "even so… a peaceful world wrapped in Genjutsu… to me… to a child who has lost everything and was faced with no future… it was a dream come true."

This was quite a shock and Fugaku blinked a few times as he tried to digest this new revelation.

"You have no idea how it pains me that the Eye of the Moon can never come to pass."

"You're right I don't." Fugaku admitted, "Trading freedom for peace… to me the only freedom is that which comes from peace of mind. Peace doesn't necessarily equate to an absence of war. It's also a state of mind."

"Spoken like a true ninja." Pein gave a short laugh and shook his head to clear it.

"Ten years ago I would have taken that as a compliment."

"And now?"

Fugaku didn't answer. Instead he took off through the forest, leaving Pein and Konan behind. He could feel Nagato's chakra ahead and he knew the sacrifice that man had made for his friends, his country, and the world. And now, he more than likely was feeling like he had wasted his time and his life as the goal he had worked so hard to achieve fell apart before him. Stopping he looked back and saw that the red-haired man was holding Konan against his chest in a tight embrace. He looked up and caught the clan leaders eye, then nodded, a bittersweet smile on his lips.

"As long as you don't give up…" Fugaku muttered to himself, "perhaps one day you can find your own peace of mind."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The day passed quickly, and Itachi was certainly glad it did. For some reason the cheerfulness of the summer sun started to get on his nerves. Of course, the fact that he chose to lay out on a reclining chair on the deck of a steel ship in the middle of a bay in full view of the radiant orb while dressed in full ninja gear probably had a lot to do with it.

Nevertheless, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't meditate, and he couldn't get Madara out of his thoughts. Standing up he gazed at the stars and figured that it was probably around midnight, or shortly after. The cool breeze off the ocean probably foreshadowed a morning fog and he found himself looking forward to it when he felt a presence behind him.

Turning quickly he was further startled by the presence of a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders,

"Hello young Itachi." Madara drawled lazily, "Been a while, hasn't it? You know, if I wanted you dead, you would already be dead by now."

Itachi thought that was an odd way to begin a conversation. It was almost as if he was continuing a discussion started many hours or day ago. However, it didn't scare the teen, or even bother him. He knew the truth. "You're observation is pointless. Killing a four-year-old Itachi as he lay huddled and in pain beneath a bush would have been too easy and no challenge. If you had wanted me dead, as you say, you would have done exactly what you did. Train me to be a worthy opponent, create a conflict, and then fight me."

Madara dropped his arm back to his side and stepped back several paces. "Your powers of observation are scary, Itachi, and normally right on. But not in this case. The point I was trying to make is that I don't want to kill you. I have never wanted to kill you. Yet, you have forced me into a corner, where, if I get the opportunity, I should kill you."

Itachi's powers of observation began calculating again and he realized he felt the same way. He had gone through a gamut of emotions when it came to Madara. He had loved him as a teacher and a surrogate father, as a friend and then hated him as a rival and the tormentor of his little brother. Yet did that really equalize out somewhere along the line? Did any of that even make sense?

"Izuna…" Madara muttered and Itachi looked up at the dark clad man with the red Sharingan eyes. "Perhaps it was Izuna who stayed my hand. I realized on several occasions just how powerful you were. I knew that letting you grow up would cause problems. Yet I could never kill you. Was it Izuna…" His voice drifted away and he a time-space jutsu to disappear.

Itachi's face went pale as he realized how easy it had been for Madara to sneak up on him. He could definitely escape but the rest of the crew couldn't. The elder Uchiha could have easily appeared on any ship and killed the entire crew before the other ships even realized anything was amiss. Yet he had stayed his hand. This time.

"Was that Madara?" Kisame came running to the deck, skidding to a halt a few feet from the teen, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Look, Kisame, you need to pull the fleet back. Staying here is too dangerous. I'll go up on the beach and wait for Fugaku and Pein…"

"Not in a million years!" Kisame waved his hand in a cutting motion in front of him. Meanwhile the crew, having been drawn out of their cabins or the engine room came wandering up to the deck upon hearing the shouts of their captain. "I… we… have no intention of backing off!"

The crew, realizing what was going on shouted their support to Kisame, causing Itachi to close his eyes in pain and he imagined their bloodied corpses falling into the watery, lonely depths of the sea. Shivering, he suddenly wished the sun were out again to chase away to pervading feeling of death and dread that had suddenly overcome him.

"These people," He waved his arm over those assembled, "come from many different islands in the Water country. Most of those islands were independent nations at one time but were crushed by the anti-Shinobi mass-murder the Daimyous of that country have followed for the last couple of decades. Most want to go home and that can't happen because Water country, which is now controlled by a puppet government manipulated by Madara, has labeled them criminals and ordered their execution. To them, taking out Madara is just one step closer to home."

"That's right!" One man called out, followed by cries of support by several more men and women.

Itachi nodded once, knowing in his heart that there was nothing he could do to stop them. 'If only I had set out to rescue Sasuke alone… then Kisame wouldn't be in this mess.' He thought to himself.

"Hey! A kitty cat!" A woman, dark skinned with short, pale blond hair picked up a purring silver tabby and gave her a hug.

"That's…" Itachi and Kisame said at the same time.

The cat purred for a few seconds before speaking, "Fugaku, Pein and Konan are in position. Konoha, Stone, Lightning, and Wind are forming a secondary defense as we speak and several lesser villages are assembling at key points to form a tertiary defense."

Kisame laughed joyfully as he slapped Itachi on the back, "We're going to win this easy! Just you wait and see!"

The crew raised their arms up in unabated excitement as they cheered their impending victory.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Itachi turned his back on them and made his way to his room. Weighed down by dread he dropped heavily onto his bed and closed his eyes. But still, sleep would not come.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"I had a feeling you weren't sleeping." Kisame stepped into the small cabin with knocked and dropped down into a folding metal chair. The early morning sun was streaming through the small round porthole emphasizing the absence of the expected fog.

"No." Itachi muttered. His brain was in overdrive, thinking stray thoughts, contemplating lost opportunities and regretting perceived wrongs. One, of course, was the age of his children. If only they were older they would at least have a memory of him after he died. As it was now, he would only exist as a photograph and perhaps a collection of half-remembered stories of valor for them to grieve.

He barely noticed Kisame's silence as he went on to consider his own mortality. Survival would be a miracle. There was no one else to fight Madara. And as for Sasuke… the brother he loved and cherished would also die. His heart clenched with fear at the realization. There was literally no way to get him away from Madara. Fugaku would also die. He would consider it shameful to walk off the field alive if his children were dead.

His father had changed so much in the last few years… but the change had been ten-fold in the preceding months. 'At least we won't be alone…' Itachi tried to console himself, but he knew that in the afterlife, there were no guarantees they would see each other. All he could do was hope.

"Itachi…" The teen was suddenly reminded that Kisame was still in the room. The sun was shining on him, creating a bright halo as it refracted off the dust in the air.

'Akatsuki means sunrise.' Itachi thought, 'And sunrise is just a metaphor for a new beginning.'

"I… wanted to keep this a secret and was prepared to go to the grave with it but… I guess I trust you after all." It was a big admission for a man such as Kisame and Itachi sat up so he could give him his full attention.

"I need to keep their existence a secret, especially from the major ninja villages and ninja in general. I…have two daughters and a niece in my care, so to speak. They are quite young and don't even know who I am. As you already know, my girlfriend… well we married in secret so I guess I should call her my wife… was killed. She had hidden the three girls and gave her life to keep them hidden. And… I…" He stopped talking and clenched his jaw tightly, as if trying to keep the memories from escaping, to keep them locked up inside his heart.

"Where are they?" Itachi asked softly.

"They are students at a Shinto shrine in Waterfall. I pay all their expenses and the girls study and work there as Shrine maidens."

Suddenly, the reason for the location of Kisame's cabin made complete sense. He had located himself near enough to his children to come when needed, yet far enough so it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"Shinto, huh?" Itachi commented. He remembered that the Uchiha clan had originally been followers of the Shinto belief but had converted to Buddhism upon moving to Konoha. Although a few were still Shinto. Sheeta was even following the Buddhist beliefs, in deference to her new position as his wife, but he knew she was one of the few who had been raised Shinto.

Many of his advanced jutsus called upon the gods worshipped by the Shinto, yet he never paid homage to them for using their likenesses. Perhaps that was cursing the clan. Perhaps, upon abandoning their beliefs, they were being punished.

Kisame gave Itachi a curious look before continuing, "There are many orphans at the shrine and it is well hidden. It has existed for years, raising many generations of children who needed to grow up anonymously, free of their parents lineages and their own cursed conception."

Itachi suddenly looked hard at Kisame, understanding where the conversation was going. He was about to disagree, to tell him that his interference wasn't necessary, when he realized what would happen if he did die. What the situation for Rumiko and Shisui would be as they grew up. If they grew up. It was possible that even if the Uchiha of Konoha won the battle, their relationship to Madara would condemn them. And without Itachi or Fugaku to defend them…

"I understand." Itachi muttered softly. "Thank-you."

It was quiet for a while as both men sat in their own thoughts, listening the sounds of the men and women above them running about and shouting orders to each other or laughing.

"I have to admit," Itachi said hesitantly, "I find it surprising they aren't being raised as Kunoichi. You're motto is 'survival of the fittest' after all."

"Yeah, surprised me too. But… the oldest was only two-and-a-half at the time and didn't even recognize me when I dug them out of their hidey-hole. I guess… I felt I didn't have any right to be their father at that point." He cheered up and laughed, "But you should see them! They're definitely not weak little girls, I'll tell you that! They haul water, chop wood, and fix machinery better than the boys!"

Itachi had to smile at the thought of the three little girls balancing a water bucket on their index fingers as they skip to the bathhouse. It was silly image and he actually laughed. Kisame cheered up completely at that point and clapped his hands together.

"Time to go back to work!" He exited the room and began to bellow orders and the first crewman he saw.

"A new beginning." Itachi stood up and looked at the morning sun on the horizon. "First, I will make an offering to the gods, then I will prepare for whatever tomorrow brings. I'm not going to die that easy."

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Coming up in future chapters: the rookies (Sakura, Sai, etc.) will join the fight as will Zabuza and Haku. The Jinchuuriki aren't waiting around patiently and Deidara and Sasuke work together.**

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	78. Chapter 78 Waves of Time

**Why is it I can never keep the words "steal" and "steel" straight? I should have made Kisame's ship wood instead. I can spell "wood." xD**

**Wow, I got a long review about Madara. That was pretty cool. But I have to agree that seriously, how is Madara planning on controlling the demons long enough to form the ten tails and then control that? It's… unbelievable. I mean, it took me forever to figure out a way for Madara to stand up against Itachi (you'll see it next week) but the only way I can think of him controlling the 10 tails is plot-no-jutsu. Kishimoto probably has something in store though. I'm pretty sure it will take both Naruto and Sasuke working together to take down Madara (that's probably how he'll have them renew their friendship too. After all, Shonen manga always have friends re-uniting and I hope this one is no different.)**

**This chapter starts out a little slow, but I think the end is pretty good. More Kisame xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Chapter 78 – Waves of Time**

Shadows danced across the stone wall of the cave as the single solitary flame of an old brass kerosene lamp fought a loosing battle against the breezes that blew steadily through the mazelike corridors of the cave. Cold, dark and alone the cave had lain empty and forgotten for millions of years, letting nature take its course whether it be carving new tunnels or collapsing old ones.

But that was all in the past.

The present was filled with men and women who dug new tunnels in days and collapsed old ones in minutes. They also heated the chilly pathways and brought light to dispel the darkness. And in places where once the only sound consisted of the occasional falling rock or drip of water from the limestone roof were now voices of those invaders. Confident, worried, spiteful and full of regret.

Surely, if the cave had any kind of consciousness it would have wondered greatly over the motives of its new tenants. Certainly it would have considered one man in particular to be the most curious of all and perhaps even considered him a threat.

Of course, caves do not have consciousness, so it lay where it had always lain and let the ages pass without care or worry. Unlike that one person.

Madara Uchiha sat in a small room carved out of the limestone cave staring at the brass lantern, his breaths mixing with the faint cave wind that blew against the flame. The events of the last few hours had been unexpected and he knew he had made a mistake, and, unfortunately for him, it was not one he could take back.

"I should have waited to take Naruto. I should have waited until Itachi died of his disease. I should have kidnapped Itachi as a child and raised him myself." Madara kept going over the different paths he could have taken in his life and contemplating their resolutions and comparing them to his current predicament.

Outside the hideout several thousand ninjas were waiting to pounce on him, but that did not concern him because nearby was perhaps the only man who could best him in a fight. And even if he did win, there were two others… no three others… who would be able to jump in to fight the weakened Madara and win.

"Itachi… even now I can't quite bring myself to hate you. Even though you may have completely done in everything I have worked for. Why is that?" There was no answer forthcoming and he yawned broadly before shaking his head to clear it. "I'm not the type to back down, though. There is still a possibility I will win. Itachi has never seen my true power. He has no idea what he's up against. Yet I know everything about him. I have the advantage, as little as it is. And as for Pein… I mean Nagato… and Fugaku… when I take down Itachi I'll have to make sure I retreat before they can engage me in battle."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Father." Itachi stated simply as he approached the clan lord. He noticed his father looked older than he had only two weeks earlier. The lines on his face were deeper, his shoulders slightly slumped and in his right hand he was nervously twirling a shuriken. Yet, despite this, the expression on his face was stone cold and his eyes full of fire. The teen knew that he himself mirrored the countenance of his father exactly as he stood before him and looked up to meet those blazing eyes.

"Have you grown, Itachi?" Fugaku queried absent-mindedly.

"Perhaps." The man who had once seemed like a tall, solid, immovable pillar was now only four inches taller than him and probably only thirty pounds heavier.

"You almost made it to an adult. I guess… that's…" Fugaku's voice drifted off and his face broke for a few seconds revealing something close to sorrow, or perhaps regret.

Itachi spoke up, "That's yet to be seen."

"No one came here expecting to die," Pein sighed from his perch on a nearby stump, "yet we are all ready to give up our lives nevertheless."

"Yeah." Itachi grinned, "I've still got that police chief job waiting for me, father. I'm even looking forward to it now." He was telling the truth. Staying home with his family, leaving the village only occasionally… that was certainly a dream worth fighting for. Even if the dream had a snowball's chance in hell of coming true.

Digging into his pocket Itachi pulled out a letter and looked around, "I need a cat to deliver a message."

"Here I am, kitten." The teen's old nemesis, a black and white cat with an attitude stepped out from behind the tree he had been dozing next to.

He couldn't bring himself to complain and bent down to strap the parchment to the small animal's back. "This is for Sheeta. Tell her to do exactly what it says."

"Expecting problems?" Fugaku asked.

Itachi stood up and stretched as he yawned, "Yeah. If I'm killed, Sheeta and the kids could be seen as a liability. I've found a way to keep them safe. I won't say any more than that except… if I do die you'll never see them again."

Fugaku was silent for a moment, not sure of what to think of his son's announcement. In then end though, he decided to trust him, "Then I will honor that and make no attempt to contact them."

It had been only an hour since he had left Kisame's ship. Having learned that Fugaku and Pein had arrived brought to painful focus the events that would fill the next few days. Staring up at the midmorning sky he saw the deep blue that promised another warm, sunny day. The kind of day one should spend laughing and having fun. Not planning a war. Or dying.

Pein broke into his thoughts, "That's one big fleet Kisame has there. I knew he was doing a bit of pirating on the side, but not to that extent."

"So I take it Kisame is staying behind to guard the beach?" Konan spoke up in her calm, measured voice.

"Humph. Yes, he said he would keep anyone from escaping or coming in by sea. I think he's expecting something to happen."

Konan nodded, "Probably expecting something to come from the beach more than from the ocean. I'd offer to help him, but my jutsu are useless in water."

Itachi smiled, "He'd just accuse you of stealing his fun. He's looking forward to this, you know."

Konan also smiled, "That's true. He and Samehada are definitely joined at the hip."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Ah-choo!" Kisame grimaced as he sniffed and rubbed his nose.

"Someone's talking about you." Suigetsu muttered from his sick bed. He had regained consciousness a few minutes earlier and while he was no longer in pain he was definitely still exhausted and sore.

Kisame grinned broadly, "Of course they are! I'm the greatest!"

The healer shook her head and rolled her eyes, "It couldn't possibly be you catching a cold after being on deck in the night air or getting sneezed on by your crew or catching a rare, untreatable and deadly disease."

That brought a smile to Suigetsu's lips, but it disappeared quickly as the memory of Naruto's capture returned to him. "He stabbed me…"

"Yeah. You were dumped on the beach for us to find." The big man grumbled angrily. "Itachi has left already. He's planning on fighting Madara tomorrow."

The ship rocked slightly as a group of high waves rolled under it. "We're on a ship? Where is Naruto?"

"This is my ship and Naruto is with Madara." Kisame sat down on a chair near the bed.

"Not good…" Suigetsu's voice was nothing more than a whisper as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

"Awe… he looks like such an angel when he sleeps." The healer gave her captain a sarcastic smile and laughed heartily at the look of shocked disgust he gave her.

"I think you've been taking too many of your own drugs, woman." Kisame mumbled as he slung Samehada over his shoulder and quickly exited the room. Once out in the hall he chuckled as he stared at the metal door of the sick room. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

'It's been a long time coming.' He thought to himself. 'That kid and Madara were bound to come to blows sooner or later. Too bad… I would have loved to have seen those demons rampaging.' He reached up over his shoulder and wrapped his hand around Samehada's hilt. 'And so would my friend here.'

"Captain! Captain!" A middle-aged man in black pants and no shirt came running down the hall, his bare feet silent in the long narrow hall that ran the length of the steel ship. He skidded to a halt just as the ship rocked again as more high waves rolled across the surface of the ocean and under the ship.

"What's going on Fuuto?" Kisame stared at the man's scar ridden chest and wondered, for the hundredth time, how anyone who had suffered that many wounds could still be alive. Of course, Fuuto was an ex-ninja if that was any clue.

"I was trying to sleep and something kept bugging me so I went out on the deck to look at the ocean and sure enough, there's a ship a league out just sitting there. Whoever it is, they're masking their chakra, but I can still sense about seventeen of them."

"Humph." Luckily Fuuto was a sensor type ninja and his abilities were certainly one of the reasons they were so successful in their raids. Kisame nodded once. "I wonder if it's one of Madara's people or some idiot we've pissed off out for revenge?"

"Don't take them lightly, I get the feeling they are quite powerful."

"You're awfully cautious for a pirate, Fuuto." Kisame laughed.

"And you're too careless for a ninja." Fuuto replied seriously as he turned around and walked back down the hall.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Kisame smirked, "But I can honestly say if I die today I've had a lot of fun."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Strong waves were making their way across the ocean and the ships were rocking with them, as if taking adversity in stride. Tall, billowy clouds on the horizon promised stormy weather, but as long as the wind kept to the north it would bypass the pirate fleet. However the waves, formed far out at sea, were another matter.

"Kisame, if the wind changes direction some of the smaller ships will have to retreat." A man called out from an open window in the control room as Kisame made his way on deck.

"That's fine. There's a lot of backup out there in the woods so don't worry about it." Kisame called back. Making his way to the back of the ship he squinted his eyes against the bright reflection cast upon the waves and looked off in the direction of the ninja ship. He could barely see it, one mile off-shore, rocking up and down with the waves. It was a small ship and would likely have to head toward shore if the sea got any worse. Samehada was so intent on the chakra coming from the nearby Jinchuuriki that it showed no interest in anyone or anything else.

"The current is pushing them out to sea." Fuuto, fully dressed and pushing a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes walked up behind Kisame. "Might be a red herring trying to lure you away from the fleet."

"I'm no match for Madara." Kisame shook his head, "Luring me away would be of no benefit. He more than likely knows that Itachi has left the ship. If he wants me or anyone else here dead there's nothing any of us could do to stop him. It's a hard pill to swallow but that's the way it is."

"So let them go?"

Kisame laughed and shook his head in resignation, "Yeah. Let them go. If it were any other situation I wouldn't say that but let's just see what they do next…" He grabbed for the rail as the ship was tossed up twenty feet by a particularly large wave.

"That came from their ship! Those are water ninja and that storm…" Fuuto was interrupted by an angry Kisame.

"Is a Genjutsu. There is no storm! They're trying to capsize us!" Cursing, Kisame jumped over the rail, landing deftly on choppy water. Running forward he couldn't believe the strength behind the jutsu. And it was being cast by seventeen ninjas who were masking their chakra. It was a jutsu Kisame's own crew used countless times, and he was very familiar with it, but it used a lot of chakra and therefore good for only short periods of time. As in - less than ten minutes. And it took five people casting the same jutsu for it to work.

The problem as Kisame saw it was that the waves had been growing for the last hour and the ninjas were using chakra to also hide their presence. Seventeen ninjas divided into groups of five would be roughly three groups. Given that they were masking their chakra they would only be able to form the waves for five minutes at a time, for a total of fifteen minutes. After that, it would then take several hours to restore their chakra levels.

"There's either more than seventeen guys out there or this is some jutsu I'm not familiar with." Kisame muttered out loud. He turned his head slightly and saw four others had followed him and Fuuto was standing next to the rail barking orders. Looking around he saw that two ships had decided to back off and were moving away from the high waves. The other ship he had been concerned about had moved closer to shore and was probably planning on beaching itself temporarily. They were nothing more than small fishing trawlers that capsized easily in high waves. In battle they were highly maneuverable and perfect for sneaking up on large ships – as long as the weather was good.

As they approached the enemy ship the Genjutsu faded and the horizon became peaceful and calm. On the deck of the medium-sized yacht were seventeen men and women dressed completely in black and wearing facemasks. They dropped their chakra masking jutsu and crouched down, preparing for battle. The sea beneath them settled down and Kisame made a rather important deduction.

"You were using an earth jutsu to do that." He called up to the nearest ninja, a woman if the curve of the uniform was any indication.

"That's right." She replied without emotion. "We lifted the floor of the ocean up repeatedly, displacing the water and thus raising the tide."

That was definitely not a jutsu Kisame had ever heard of, although he knew of instances where earthquakes had done the same thing with disastrous results. Absentmindedly he wondered if Deidara had ever heard of that jutsu and made a mental note to ask him later. It was definitely easier than manipulating the waves themselves although he suspected controlling it so it wouldn't lift up too much earth might make it more difficult. Then of course, there was the weight of the water on top of the sea bed…

Kisame scowled with frustration as he unsheathed Samehada and crashed it down on top of the water, "Who are you working for?"

"Oh… let's see…" a man scratched his mask covered chin as if thinking hard, "Who signed our paycheck this week?"

"Who cares?" Another man answered, "Let's just get these guys and collect our money. The blue one there is our target."

"And he walked right into our trap." The first woman laughed.

"You think so, huh?" Kisame grinned evily. Lifting up Samehada he rushed the ship and easily sliced a forty-foot hole in her side. Jumping into the air he swiveled so that he faced the ship and landed twenty feet away, just in time to avoid a strike from a man about five inches taller than him. Beside him he could hear his crew rush to attack the other ninjas. "You could have run away, but now you're not going anywhere."

"You got a huge price on your head Kisame. And we're going to collect it. My name is Heiji, by the way. Remember it, because it will be the last name you ever hear." He rushed forward, pulling a large five-foot long mace from a shoulder strap. Swinging it in an upward motion a "clang" sounded loudly over the roaring ocean when it connected with Samehada.

The teeth of the sharkskin sword were mashing about, eager to get a hold of the Jinchuuriki's and very frustrated at the measly meal his master was trying to feed it. Angry, he refused to suck the chakra and instead radiated a strong, menacing chakra that shocked Kisame enough that he almost dropped the sword.

"Having problems with your weapon?" Heiji goaded as he swung again and connected with the sword.

"Samehada?" Kisame had never seen this happen before. He had, of course, heard stories of swords rejecting their owners, which was one of the reasons every swordsman had an apprentice. It was not an uncommon occurrence. The demon swordsmen of the Mist were gifted with swords of magnificent chakra and fighting characteristics that at times seemed almost sentient.

The swords attraction to the Jinchuuriki's chakra had seemed straight-forward earlier. After all, the sword "lived" by consuming chakra and the Jinchuuriki held immensely powerful chakra inside of them. However, as Kisame guarded against blow after blow from the oversized mace he wondered if perhaps the swords had been created with leftover chakra from the demons before they were sealed away. It was possible, of course, to seal a demon inside an object. After all, Gaara's demon, the one-tail, had been sealed in an old tea-pot for decades before it was moved.

Perhaps the chakra in the sword was trying to rejoin the demon it came from.

Kisame growled angrily under his breath. There was no way he was going to let Samehada leave him that easily. Jumping forward he pushed against the mace with everything he had, sending Heiji flying back against the yacht. He passed through the hull and landed up against a wall near a bed, then quickly jumped out as water began to flood in through the newly made hole.

Looking around he saw that his crew had already dispatched seven of the remaining ninja. Obviously the strongest one had been left for him.

"Samehada, get a hold of yourself." Kisame yelled as he brought the giant sword down on top of the mace, just as Heiji was pushing up. Improbable as it was, Samehada bounced off the metal handle of the opposing weapon and gnashed its teeth.

"Ha! I was told this would happen. You can't fight with all those demons so close. He told us that." Heiji laughed and he continued to advance on his adversary. Blood was dripping from a wound in his lower back where he had hit the wooden hull and his pants were hanging off one dark leg where more blood was dripping copiously into the blue water.

Kisame grinned as he watched the red liquid staining the waves and float downward, forming diaphanous patterns that, with the enhanced sense of smell that came with the shark-like appearance he had assume via a forbidden jutsu, smelled delicious.

Samehada was quickly placed back in its holder as Kisame released his water-walking jutsu and dropped down into the water. Raising his hands he formed several signs and within seconds the area was littered with sharks. Big, bluish-grey monsters that lived for no other reason than to consume those weaker than themselves. It was not only the symbol of the Hoshigake clan, but Kisame's alter ego.

Kicking his feet, Kisame called upon his own shark jutsu and his upper body morphed, taking on the appearance of a humanized shark. The smell of blood grew stronger and the need to drink… to devour… became almost irresistible.

Through the roof of water he could see the shimmering silver sunlight reflecting off the waves as well as the shadow cast by Heiji as he danced about, trying to avoid the tell-tale fins that circled him.

'There's no escape now.' Kisame thought to himself. With one last kick he pushed himself forward, out of the water and over the top of Heiji, who was now very close to panic. The other ninja's from the yacht were floating dead in the water and the pirate crew had vanished. Once the sharks were called, they knew better than to stick around.

Heiji fell to his knees as Kisame connected with his shoulder, ripping a gash in it with his teeth. One of the sharks bumped up against him with its fin and the man jumped away quickly, only to land on top of another shark. He was dancing back and forth, trying to avoid injury as bright red blood dripped from his numerous wounds.

At this point, Kisame was just playing and he knew it. But he also knew that if he didn't give his summoned friends a meal they would probably eat him instead. Jumping back up onto the top of the water he transformed back into a man and smirked, "Goodbye Heiji. When you meet Madara on the other side, remind him that sharks have more than one set of teeth." He reached up and caressed Samehada's handle as Heiji screeched out his final breath. Drawn into the dark depths of the sea by the sharks, Kisame watched through the swirling waves as his prey was dismembered and eaten.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"If… if you leave now and go back to Mist I'll go with you and never try to leave." Sasuke felt like a weak child as he stood next to his birth father on a cliff overlooking the pirate fleet. The sun was getting ready to set and the beautiful yellows and reds that decorated the wispy clouds on the horizon were nearly picture perfect.

Madara ran a hand through the boys shoulder length hair and sighed, "I have found a way to give myself the ultimate power and bring peace to this world. Yet everyone fights it. Is peace really that unpleasant?"

"No… I… I thought it was a good idea… but…" Sasuke's voice faded, "But I'm going to die, aren't I? You need me to die."

"I'm sorry, son. You… I wish you could understand how much that pains me. Perhaps Aya's baby was a way to console myself over loosing you."

"But no one's been hurt yet! You could go back!"

"Go back to what? We've been working toward this goal for twenty years. How can we just back away from it?"

"By letting the Jinchuuriki go and leaving!" Sasuke cried desperately.

Madara laughed bitterly, "Is _everything_ that simple when viewed through the eyes of a child? If so, then maybe I am overreacting. Unfortunately, Sasuke, through my eyes… the eyes of an adult, that would cause more problems than you could obviously understand. They will come after me. Water country would be embroiled in war. Even if I gave myself up and committed ritual suicide, they would blame Water country and hold it accountable. Mist village would cease to exist, as would the Uchiha clan.

"Think about it, young Sasuke, how will the Uchiha in Mist and Konoha live when the world discovers their relationship to me? They will be hunted down… killed. And any ninja connected to Mist will also die."

Sasuke wiped a stray tear from his cheek and tried very hard to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. That things had gone this far was too much to contemplate. Closing his eyes he pressed on his temples in a monumentous effort to keep from crying.

"It's too late, Sasuke. I have to see this through." He turned away from the sunset and bent down to look his son in the eye as he caressed the boy's cheek with the back of his hand. "In this way, your family can continue to live. My baby… your little sister… will never know war. Itachi's children will grow and get stronger and they will see your sacrifice and my peace as something to be grateful for."

Placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder he guided him back toward the hideout. After the battle with Itachi tomorrow, the number of days they would have together would be numbered. While the guilt was almost overwhelming, so was the satisfaction that he would soon obtain the ultimate jutsu and become even more powerful than any ninja who had come before.

But there was still one problem and he stopped on the narrow trail that lead down to the beach to look closely at the forest beyond. There, next to one of the many cook fires burning over the landscape was Itachi Uchiha. And by noon tomorrow, he would be dead. Because… if he lived…

Sasuke watched Madara with a great deal of trepidation, fear and hate, but when he saw the look of sorrow that passed over his birth-father's face he also felt a pang of pity. And for the first time he wondered what exactly had happened to him that would send him on such a path. And he also realized that he had seen the same expression on Zabuza's face in the Land of Waves and even his own father's face after he had killed that boy in the Uchiha right of passage ceremony.

He remembered Madara's words, spoken only moments before, _"Is everything that simple when viewed through the eyes of a child?"_

'Maybe growing up isn't such a great thing after all.' Sasuke thought to himself. 'But still… I want to grow up. I… don't want to die.'

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

That night two brothers slept a mere mile from each other and both had similar dreams. Dreams of war, destruction and the death of friends and family. Both present and past. And in there dreams, there was no future.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week, Itachi and Madara face each other. It will also be the last week to vote on Madara's fate, so hurry up and get to my profile page! There are still a few more chapters to go and Konoha and the rookies will get a chance to fight as well in a future chapter. **

**Please review!**

**Updates on Fridays!**


	79. Chapter 79 The Naginata

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**The voting on whether Madara lives or dies is almost even. I'm not sure what to do about that. It started out with a large point spread so it seemed easy but having it turn out even is a surprise. Although I guess perhaps the latest chapters of the Manga have probably turned more people against Madara. **

**So I guess I'm just confused. Half the readers want him to live and several have sent me reviews and e-mails asking for him to live and the other half want him dead (although, unless I'm mistaken, none of them have pleaded their case.) So far "dead" is leading by a point, but I'll leave the voting open until Monday evening. You can also send me reviews or messages with your ideas.**

**I'm sort of thinking of writing two endings – one where he dies and one where he lives. But a message like "skip to chapter X if you want him to live and chapter Y if you want him to die" seems kind of silly. On the other hand, it's a fanfic not a book. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.**

**Chapter 79 – The Naginata**

Itachi trod lightly over the loose sand on the beach, the roar of the waves nothing more than background noise and the cool breeze coming in from the ocean nothing more than a minor annoyance to be ignored. The sun peaked out over the horizon and in the few short minutes it took to walk to the edge of the water it was casting long shadows that grew shorter as the higher it rose. Unlike the beach near the hideout, this one was very private, with a forest bordering the west, a tree-lined cliff to the north and massive boulders to the south. But it was also smaller. All in all, the area was only about a quarter mile long and a thousand feet wide.

"You picked an interesting spot to fight." Madara, dressed completely in black and his thick, wavy hair blowing lightly in the wind used a transportation jutsu to appear six feet in front of the teen. "The beach on the other side of those rocks is certainly better suited to your jutsus."

"No." Itachi replied simply, and with resignation, as he reached up to adjust the Konoha headband he had borrowed from his father – tying it tight so it wouldn't slip, "It's too close to the hideout. This is better."

"We're only a quarter mile away and your shark friend is moving his ship around the rocks to join you anyway."

"Humph." Itachi smirked and shoved his left hand inside his waist-length dark-blue yukata so he could rest it lazily on top of the thin black obi belt that looped around his waist.

"Of course…" Madara paused for a moment before continuing, "you don't want to risk harming the Jinchuurikis. The other beach was too close for comfort as far as you were concerned. Well, Itachi, you're right. We mustn't harm them." Madara shook his head, "You realize, if you back off now and go home you will be able to live in peace for the rest of your life. It will be a true peace with no ninjas and no war. That's what you want, isn't it Itachi? If you stay here and fight me you'll die."

"You have no idea what I want, Madara." Itachi replied cautiously. "And it goes without saying that if you attack me you will suffer greatly. And if I die Fugaku and Pein are nearby to finish you off. As weak as you will be at that point I doubt they'll even have to use their Kekkei Genkais."

"That's where I come in." Itachi turned his head to look at the newcomer. Sora, dressed identically to Madara in black pants and shirt, was leaning up against a tree looking very smug. "I will fight them."

A strong wind gusted in from the ocean and blew a few wispy strands of long hair across Itachi's eyes. He ignored it and turned his gaze back to Madara. He couldn't help but wonder if Sora really would fight his grandson. However, that wasn't the problem, "You really think you could go up against a Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan?"

Sora laughed, and both Itachi and Madara looked at him as if he were insane, "_If_ Madara dies and _if_ I step aside you'll just let me go? No, Itachi. Everyone here will die. Konoha, Lightning, Stone, Sand… _none_ of them are going to let _any_ of us go. My grandfather and my father, when they realized they were dying, refused to go to their bed. As ninja, they were determined to die as ninja. What I learned that day I have carried in my heart my entire life. I will also die on my feet."

The words were nobly spoken and certainly passionately felt, but to Itachi they sounded empty and hollow. He wanted to die at home, in his bed, with his family near. "Then I guess I'm not a ninja after all because I don't feel that way."

Looking back at Madara he tried to decipher the clouded gaze the man was giving his uncle. Itachi had to admit he hadn't considered the full consequences of what was going to happen today. To him the entire point of being here was to take down Madara. But standing behind that man were many other human lives that, tomorrow, would no longer walk the earth as living souls.

"When, exactly, did Itachi Uchiha become a coward?" The words were uttered so quietly that the teen barely heard them over the roar of the waves. Madara was now staring intently, his Sharingan eyes glowing red in the bright morning sun.

The memory of a corpse-strewn valley and the stench of decomposing flesh washed over him and he started coughing. It had been a while since he had visited the hospital for therapy and the buildup in his lungs, while tolerable, could certainly become worse as the day progressed.

Madara continued to talk, "The Itachi Uchiha I knew wanted to be a powerful ninja and would pout if his opponent disappointed him."

'Yes, that was me.' Itachi thought to himself. 'A long time ago I was like that.'

"He would have fought anyone to gain that power. He would have stared, longingly, hypnotically, at the river of red as it flowed from the many wounds inflicted by his blade and longed for the moment when he could see it once again." Madara's words were a mixture of bitterness and regret, nostalgia and, not surprisingly, arrogance. It was quite a range of emotion and definitely something only the elder Uchiha could pull off.

At least, that's what Itachi thought until he realized he was also feeling a lot of different emotions himself. "The Madara I knew…" Itachi closed his eyes and thought back thirteen years, "was kind, cared for the welfare of his students, and would put his own life on the line to protect those weaker than himself." He opened his eyes and looked directly at the man before him and spoke up in a strong voice, "You can tell me you were acting, that you were just stringing us along, and to an extent you were. I can't deny that. But the underlying feelings were real. No matter what you have become, Madara Uchiha, no matter how different you are from your younger self, that person still exists inside of you. Just as the bloodthirsty sociopathic ninja I was as a child still exists inside of me."

Those words had a dramatic effect on Madara and he gritted his teeth resentfully as he glared at the teenage boy in front of him. Angrily he yelled, "You have no idea the sacrifice I will make to bring peace to this world! The sacrifices I have had to make in the past and the ungrateful words I have had to endure from those who should have been my friends! Yet here I am, ready to give up everything I am for a new existence that will save their pathetic lives! And yet _still_ they curse me!"

"You have no intention of listening to reason, have you?" Itachi dropped both hands to his side and flexed his fingers.

"Humph." Madara calmed down somewhat, "Itachi, my boy, I will regret killing you."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The cave was just as Pein remembered and he sighed as he looked up at the ceiling that disappeared in the dark depths of the poorly lit chamber. Entry had been easy enough, of course. There was very little the six paths of Pein couldn't accomplish and entering a sealed cavern was child's play to him.

"We're not alone." Konan's calm voice broke through the eerie silence and she nodded in the direction of the massive, nine-eyed statue that almost completely filled up one corner of the cave.

"Zetsu." Pein stated simply, "You may leave. I have no argument with you."

"He's as pleasant as ever." A mechanical voice answered.

"He knows we can't do anything to hurt him." A human voice, this one amused, came from the same direction.

"It would be stupid to try." Zetsu stepped out of the wall and walked closer to the pair, "He has his five other bodies waiting outside the cave." The mechanical voice also sounded amused.

The half white, half black man with a Venus flytrap wrapped around his body eyed Pein curiously, "What are you going to do?"

"Take back the statue." Pein saw no reason to hide his plans from Zetsu. The only one who could interfere was Madara, and Itachi was keeping him conveniently busy.

"That's bad." White Zetsu complained.

"Should we tell Madara?" Black Zetsu asked, then answered himself a moment later, "Yes. Let's go get him."

Pein watched carefully as the plant man disappeared into the ground. Following his chakra he sensed his passage through the ground until he reached the beach. "He's out of the way."

"He was never in the way." Konan said matter-of-factly. "Let's get this over with. Nagato? You can come in now."

The air shimmered and a frail looking man strapped to an oval shaped tall mechanical device appeared several feet in front of her. His bare, emaciated chest revealed his skeleton in sharp contrast to the healthy, robust appearance of his six "paths" – the last five of which had followed him into the cave and were now standing in a circle around him.

Konan took a deep breath and let it out, her eyes falling as her gaze drifted to the floor. Worry overtook her as she approached her childhood friend, "There's no need to rush this, Nagato. Please, take your time. Itachi promised to give us at least an hour…"

Nagato interrupted her, his voice strong despite his outward appearance, "I was the original person synched to this statue. Madara was able to remove my chakra from it, somehow, but at great cost. Look, Konan, look closely. It is here because it can no longer be summoned. He has imprisoned it in this cave because he cannot synch it to his own body."

Placing one hand on the cold stone of the statues giant arm she used her senses to feel the chakra and the surrounding area. It did indeed feel different. In fact, it felt angry and weaker that it had the last time she had seen it two years earlier. She was amazed that Nagato was able to deduce all of that from five minutes worth of observations. To tell the truth, until he arrived at the cave he had no idea how Madara was able to control the statue without him.

"I will start now then. Konan, make sure I'm not disturbed."

The cave grew deathly quiet as Nagato closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them again his Rinnegan shone brightly, a mixture of grey, purple and blue the concentric rings radiated power as he brought his hands up to form several signs.

The ground shook slightly as the statue recognized the man standing before it. He knew who and what Nagato was and how long he had been chained to him.

"He can't seal any demons because no one is synchronized with the statue." Nagato said quietly, "He's planning on using Sasuke for that no doubt. Unfortunate. It would kill a Sharingan user. That's the real reason he had to give him the Mangekyou Sharingan. But to be able to truly synch with it…" Nagato paused for a moment as the ground shook again, "in order to truly synch the child would need to have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."

"That means…" Konan blinked once in surprise, "He _has_ to kill Itachi. Madara has no choice. He needs Itachi's eyes for Sasuke."

"This was all planned out in advance. How cruel. Perhaps I should have stayed in Akatsuki. The only reason Sasuke has been put through so much…"

Konan clenched her fists and stiffened her shoulders as she fought back the urge to wrap her arms around her old friend and comfort him. Nagato truly did have a kind heart, despite all the cruelties he himself had inflicted, he still had a conscious. She looked up at the man, standing with determination and resolve in front of the Gedo Mazo. The Demon Statue of the Outer Path.

"Nagato. You… you mustn't blame yourself for his actions. We have no idea what he was planning to do with Sasuke after the plan to seal the nine-tails in him failed. All we knew was that he was up to something. As for Itachi… I… have to admit I find it hard to believe that he could bring himself to kill him. The two of them together looked more like father and son than master and subordinate."

"Thank-you Konan. Your kind words mean more to me than anything." His heartfelt words brought a smile to her lips and she stepped back out of Nagato's way as the statue began to moan. He raised up his hands and called out to the otherworldly being as a long necked head burst forth at high speed from its mouth. White and ghostlike it quickly filled the cave with its growling as it twisted to and fro. The six paths of Pein stood stock still, unmoving and without emotion as they, too, raised their arms as if in supplication.

Suddenly, and without warning the beast shot down, piercing Nagato's body with a thick black rod. Nagato cried out in pain, as did his six other selves as he fought to control the surge of power that threatened to pull him apart. A minute later he slumped forward as if unconscious, yet the rise and fall of his chest and his bright, ringed eyes were evidence enough, even at a distance, that he was very aware of his surroundings.

"Gedo Mazo." Nagato stated firmly as he forced himself upright, "You are mine once again."

The statue opened it's mouth wide and moaned again as the rod connecting it to Pein broke off, even though three feet of the black steel remained imbedded in the man's back. His bright red hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to his head as he took several deep breaths in an attempt to bring the pain under control. Glancing over at the animated corpses he controlled, he picked out Yahiko and ordered him forward. Yahiko formed several hand seals and slammed his hand down onto the ground.

The cave shook as the statue began to sink into the earth. Returned to the summoning realm, Nagato now had full control over it once again.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"You're sure they aren't coming back any time soon? I mean, it doesn't make sense that they left the place unprotected." A very confused Sasuke walked quickly alongside the smirking Deidara as he followed him through the maze of tunnels and caverns that made up the Akatsuki base.

"Madara left Sasori and me to guard everyone. He's pretty confident that his chakra locks will keep the Jinchuurikis locked up."

"But what about Sasori?" The pair stopped outside a fortified wooden door and turned to face each other.

"We'll just try to stay out of his way for now. I'm not sure exactly what he thinks of Madara because every time I bring it up he changes the subject, yet he was the one that volunteered us to stay behind."

A loud banging could be heard down the hall, causing Sasuke to frown, "Bee is pissed off about something again."

"I wish I could say it was over his imprisonment, but he complains about the stupidest things. Really, who cares if his rice ball was a quarter inch too small, or his soy sauce tastes salty. It's supposed to taste salty! It's soy sauce!" Deidara yelled out the last few words loud enough for Bee to hear and gritted his teeth when he heard the big man laughing at him.

"He's just doing it to get under your skin." The boy muttered under his breath.

Deidara groaned, "Of course he is! And it's working!" He turned to Sasuke and grinned, "Let's get everyone out of here and leave _him_ behind."

In spite of himself, Sasuke chuckled. Deidara was probably one of the two most unique people he had ever met. The other one, of course, being Naruto. Over the past few days the mad bomber had spent as much time as he could spare working with the boy to hatch out some kind of plan to free the Jinchuurikis during the battle. However, neither one of them was any good at planning operations. Sasuke was too young and too inexperienced, and Deidara had always preferred the "blow them up and ask questions later" approach to missions.

In the end they decided to just start unlocking the doors and see what happens next.

Naruto's door opened easily enough, after all Deidara did have access to the keys. The boy was sitting at the small table coloring in the images in a manga with a blue pen. He looked very bored and very annoyed.

"What do you want?" Naruto growled grumpily as the two ninja stepped into the room.

""We're… getting out of here." Sasuke answered hesitantly. He wasn't sure what Naruto thought of him at this point and was worried that perhaps he might be considered one of Madara's minions. After Sai had been stabbed and dropped on the beach Naruto had been drugged by the elder Uchiha with what he thought would be a dosage strong enough to last several days. Instead it had lasted about eleven hours, and Naruto, when he awoke, was so mad his eyes had turned red from the Kyuubi's chakra. At that point, Sasuke had feared that his best friend would accuse him of revealing Sai's true identity to the enemy.

Naruto's eyes opened wide and he sat up straight, "For real?"

His reaction was, for some reason, quite amusing to Deidara and he laughed, "Sorry you don't have time to pack."

"No worries!" Naruto was up and out the door in two seconds flat, "Come one! I'm not leaving without the others!"

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, "Then let's get going. The longer this takes the more likely we are to get caught."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The roar of the waves faded into the background as Itachi stared down his enemy. Brows creased and lips set in a tight line his Sharingan eyes would certainly have been considered intimidating by anyone but the person in front of him.

Madara's expression was just as serious. The two had stood stock-still waiting for one of them to make the first move for about five minutes. It was clear that Itachi was taking his time and that concerned him. The teen was not the type to wait around for things to happen, unless he had something to gain from it. Since he wasn't waiting for Madara's surrender then something else must be going on.

Opening his mouth, he almost asked Itachi what he was waiting for when he realized that perhaps, for once, he should say nothing. This was no longer his student, he no longer needed to teach him and he no longer needed to protect him. He was here for one reason, and one reason alone.

To kill Itachi Uchiha.

There was a sudden surge of power from the teen and, without warning, Itachi activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. Almost simultaneously Madara felt Zetsu's chakra appear at the edge of the forest near Sora. He knew what was going on.

"So Pein has re-synched with the Gedo Mazo." That probably meant the Rinnegan user knew why Sasuke was so important to the plan. And why he had to fight Itachi. Without further thought Madara activated his own Mangekyou Sharingan.

Simultaneously both Uchiha's activated Tsukuyomi. The results, however, were not what either expected.

The ground was composed of an endless collection of tall cubes, spaced three to four feet from each other, but the sky was red with black clouds and the cubes, Itachi and Madara were black and white. The technique had somehow combined each of their Tsukuyomi techniques.

"This is unexpected." Madara gritted his teeth, annoyed. He had no idea what would happen if he used his techniques in this world.

"Assuredly it is." Itachi was also gritting his teeth. Pulling out his Katana he tapped it lightly against the black cube he was standing on. It was solid. Turning to the cube nearest him he mentally called forth a single four foot stake. It also seemed solid. But how much further could he go?

After only a few seconds they both dropped the Mangekyou Sharingan technique and returned to the real world.

'I didn't expect to be able to kill him with that,' Itachi thought to himself, 'but if all our techniques work this way neither of us may get a hit in. It's dangerous and unproductive to utilize an unpracticed technique during battle. There's just one thing left.'

Itachi continue to stare at Madara with his shuriken shaped Mangekyou Sharingan as he lifted his hands up in front of him. His opponent beat him to it, though, having decided, once again, upon the same course of action.

Madara stood tall as the bluish-white skeleton behind him grew in stature, settling on about thirty feet tall by twenty feet wide. Solid, yet otherworldly, its long arms rested on the ground, like an apes, while its big, fanged head hung low and its large empty eye sockets stared straight ahead. The chakra the creature emanated was dark and full of malice and those watching the fight shivered in spite of themselves.

"Susanoo." Itachi said as he called forth his own version of the creature. It looked almost exactly like Madara's, except it was red and the chakra didn't feel quite as dark. Lifting it's arms, it displayed a sword and a mirror.

"The Totsuka sword and Yata's mirror. One will seal away a soul in an eternal Genjutsu and the other will fend off any attack, reflecting it back to the person. Quite formidable, of course." Madara chuckled and folder his arms confidently over his chest. With his long, thick hair blowing in the air behind him he looked every part the ninja clan lord of legend. "But, young Itachi, there is a weapon more powerful than yours. And I have it."

Itachi watched guardedly as Madara's Susanoo lifted up its arms and presented its own offense and defense. It was unexpected and the teen took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he stared in disbelief.

"The naginata Ame-no-nuhoko, and a Buddhist rosary blessed by a thousand monks and responsible for the deaths of a thousand demons." Madara's wide smile and laughing eyes exuded confidence, "As you know, one you kill a thousand demons you become a demon yourself. Therefore the rosary repels any attack. The naginata Ame-no-nuhoko is the most powerful weapon in existence. None has ever defeated it."

The pain associated with the Susanoo was almost unbearable but neither Itachi nor Madara felt it. They were too intent on each other's techniques and strategy to worry about it. But at the same time, they also knew that despite their weapons, skill and determination, Susanoo would kill its user if kept active for too long. This fight would not last long.

"Ame-no-nuhoko." Itachi repeated matter-of-factly, "Quite an accomplishment." He remembered back to his childhood and the stories his mother would tell him about the creation of the world. He had never believed it, but seeing the mythical weapon in front of him made him think twice. Likely, it was just a weapon with similar properties named after the famous naginata and didn't actually have any more power than Itachi's own Totsuka sword which was also, more than likely, just named after that famous sword as well.

"Arrogance at its best." Itachi said. The Uchiha clan… no, ninja as a whole, had a bad habit of naming techniques after gods and demons believing it would both bless them and give them power. He knew he was just as guilty for doing it as all the rest. Before leaving Kisame's ship he had prayed at the small shrine the crew had built when they captured the ship. He had even left an offering of food and incense. Yet, as he watched the summoned creatures waving their weapons many tens of feet over their heads he felt his prayers were nothing more than blasphemy.

Madara raised his arms over his head mimicking Susanoo and in one swift, sure move brought them down, stabbing the naginata into the sand. It was possible, in this instant, to see the weapon clearly. The long wooden spear was decorated with a myriad of jewels and the spear tip at the end was so sharp it literally sparkled as the sun reflected off of it. It's descent through the sand pushed water up and it bubbled up and flowed quickly toward the ocean. As it was pulled out of the ground there was a low rumble beneath them that intensified as the earth began to shake with a violent quake that tried to throw them to the ground.

Digging his feet into the ground with chakra Itachi coughed a couple times as he ordered his Susanoo to attack the naginata. As Totsuka descended, Ame-no-nuhoko rose out of the earth and, just as the otherworldly metal left the sand the two weapons met in a violent strike.

The effects were immediate and intimidating as violent waves of dark chakra reverberated around the area in every direction for a mile. The ships in the harbor rocked over the suddenly rough waves and the ninja that had come from the four villages to help dropped to the ground alert and ready for battle. Birds and other animals that could sense the ill-will of the weapons took off at a run through the forest as if chased by a wildfire.

"Humph." Madara smirked, "That was…"

"Amazing…" Itachi muttered. "Amazing… the chakra didn't come from us it came from the weapons."

"How is that?" Madara wondered out loud. "It shouldn't be possible. Unless…"

Itachi spoke up again, completing the man's thoughts, "Ame-no nuboko pulled chakra from the earth and Totsuka scattered it." The teen smiled. His attack had been effective after all. The question now, though, was whether he had enough time left to form and execute a strategy before his body gave out. Susanoo was wreaking havoc with his body, "As long as I kill him before I die, then my last breath with be one of relief."

X x x x x x x x x x x x

"_Itachi? Would you like to hear a story?"_

"_Yes!" The young boy shook his head up and down eagerly, accepting any activity that would let him escape from nap-time._

"_That's my boy." Mikoto laughed good naturedly and ruffled his hair, "In the beginning the gods Izanagi and Izanami were given a naginata – a type of spear decorated with jewels - by the old ones. They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and stabbed it into the ocean and when they pulled it up the water than dripped off the spear head became the islands and eventually, our home. They lived on that first island for a long time and the naginata, the Ame-no-nuboko, was kept as a treasured possession._

"_Izanami bore several children but died while birthing her last. Izanagi tried and failed to retrieve her from the underworld and while being cleansed upon his return Amaterasu was formed from his left eye, Tsukuyomi from his right eye and Susanoo from his nose. Susanoo had a sword called Totsuka which he used to kill an eight headed serpent. Inside of its tail he found the Kusanagi sword and he gave that to his sister Amaterasu as a gift becaue she was mad at him."_

"_Mother, are you named after them?"_

"_After who, Itachi?"_

"_Their names are Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Susanoo-no-Mikoto and Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto and Ameratsu-no-Mikoto. Just like you!"_

_Mikoto laughed and blushed at her son's clever deduction. "What a thing for a six-year-old to say!"_

"_Is it true?" The boy became insist ant._

"_Itachi, I really don't know. My parents died when I was young and, well, I never asked them or even thought much about it."_

"_Well, I think you were."_

"_Thank-you, Itachi. I'll take that as a compliment." Her words placated the boy and he fell asleep, a smile on his face._

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, the battle continues. **

**Okay, I delved into Japanese mythology to look for a weapon that could counter Itachi's Totsuka sword. While I didn't find anything specifically saying Ame-no-nuhoko was more powerful than Totsuka I figured it would at least be something Madara would have and should help him. And it makes sense to me that a weapon used to create the world should be pretty powerful.**

**Please review! Let me know what you think of the fight so far (I know, not much has happened, but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.)**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	80. Chapter 80 Earthquakes and Gods

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs.**

**Fixed - It's Shino with the bugs, not Kiba, xD**

**Lol, I didn't realize so many people played the Sims. I play the Sims3 normally. I like the Sims2 but it takes almost 20 minutes to load (too much custom content, I know.) But I think I will load it this weekend and play - I miss the weather feature. And my sims2 akatsuki sims are better done (I downloaded them all, but I really don't remember from where... it was a long time ago.)**

**Thanks for being patient - I think I have the outline straightened out.**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Chapter 80 – Earthquakes and Gods**

"I'm here." Sakura whispered quietly into the transmitter wrapped around her neck.

A moment later Sai responded, equally quiet, "In position."

Turning around she locked eyes with Ino and Hinata, "There are no second chances here."

"There usually aren't." Ino brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and gave her friend a bitter-sweet smile.

Hinata activated her Byakugan before commenting, "Sometimes there are Ino, you just have to look for them. However, this time…"

"We're screwed if we mess up. Got it." Ino said sarcastically, earning her a smile from her pink-haired companion. Ino's tough-girl act was always reassuring to both Sakura and Hinata, both of whom relied on her outgoing personality just as much as she relied on their healing and tracking skills.

The radio crackled again and this time it was Shikamaru checking in, "We're here."

"That's everyone." Kakashi's voice almost startled the trio as he jumped down from a tall maple tree.

"That tree wasn't strong enough to hold you…" Sakura squinted at her sensei accusingly. "We aren't in Konoha, you know."

The silver-haired Jounin scratched the back of his head and smiled through his face mask, "That's okay, if I fall I'll just have you patch me up."

All three girls rolled their eyes. They knew the man's independent nature and simultaneously, without prompting, wondering what he really would have done if the branch had broken.

Kakashi tapped the transmitter on his neck, "Everyone ready?"

Sai and Shikamaru responded affirmatively and Kakashi nodded once, "Five minutes and counting… at my mark…" he paused as he looked at his watch, followed by Sakura, Ino and Hinata who brought their own wrists up to synchronize, "Now!"

To the west, Sai and Shino perched on a small hill and looked down through the trees at a partially hidden cave entrance. To the east, Shikamaru, Ji and Kiba sat on a moss covered log at the base of a rocky cliff, hidden only by some tall shrubs that Akamaru was finding very interesting. Sakura's team was south of the hideout.

"I can feel his chakra." Sakura suddenly announced. It had been months since she had seen Naruto, but there was no mistaking him. "He seems mad."

"You think?" Ino relied sarcastically. "Stuck in here for weeks on end would make anyone mad."

"But I couldn't feel it a moment ago… it must mean…"

"He's escaped!" Hinata clasped her hands together, hoping against hope that her deduction was correct.

The radio crackled again and Shikamaru spoke in a very annoyed tone, "We go to all this trouble to create a rescue party and he goes and rescues himself. How typical. Why did we even get out of bed this morning?"

Sakura giggled, "Thank God for that."

"Change in plan, then." Kakashi interrupted, speaking into the transmitter. "Maintain position. He couldn't have escaped on his own, so let's just wait here and provide backup if needed."

"What?" Hinata asked quietly.

"The other Jinchuuriki are down there. If Naruto escapes, he'll release them too, so they can escape as well. We would just be in the way." Kakashi grinned, "Madara left this place unguarded, so likely they had something up their sleeve."

"Meaning this place isn't as unguarded as it looks." Ino said grimly.

Sakura nodded her head, "Which is why, here, there will be no second chances."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Zabuza crashed his sword down onto the soft forest floor and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The four ninja who had attacked him and Haku only moments before had hardly even been worth the effort.

"Why didn't you kill them?" Haku asked curiously.

"Why bother? I'm here to fight real ninja, not these 'wanna-be's'."

The early morning sun was quite annoying and Zabuza brought a hand up to shade his eyes, glancing through a small opening in the forest that gave a clear view of the bay in front of the base, "Kisame has moved his fleet… if that's what you want to call it."

"It feels like Itachi and Madara are fighting further north than expected."

"Humph. I guess he knows what he's doing. I still don't see how Itachi can beat him. Madara is so far above anyone else…"

"That's why you tried to kill him and also why you failed." It was spoken like a statement of fact and Zabuza just nodded his head once to affirm Haku's words.

"Power is a necessity for a ninja, but sometimes… there is such a thing as _too much_ power. Well, anyway, let's go watch."

"Naughty, naughty, Zabuza. We're supposed to stay here and babysit Konoha's front line." Haku laughed at the mischievous glint in his friend's eyes.

Laughing, the swordsman slapped Haku on the shoulder and started walking north towards the battle, "I don't mind a court martial for disobeying orders. I got thicker skin than that. Besides, I'm not missing the battle of the century for anything! Are you coming?"

"Of course…" Haku dug his heals into the earth as the ground shook fiercely, sending dried leaves and a few loose nuts raining down from the forest canopy.

Zabuza dropped down, placing his hands flat on the mossy ground and sneered. The tremendous force of chakra that he could feel moving just under the surface was unbelievable. It shot out with such force and speed that the earth seemed almost willing to split apart if that's what it would take to expel it.

"What was that?" Haku, eyes widened with shock and he stared grimly at his friend.

"Madara or Itachi. Or both." He jumped to his feet, "Now we've got a real reason to go. We have to make sure that – whatever it is – disappears for good."

'Itachi…' Haku raced behind Zabuza through the forest, barely noticing the change from mossy loam to hard dirt as they got nearer to the hideout, 'do you really understand what you are up against?'

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The rumble that filled the filled the air immediately after the earthquake stopped was ominous. Filled with dread, Sakura lifted her head from where she was crouching and looked down the small hill towards the hideout and gasped.

"It's… it's…" The girl stuttered, unable to get the words out.

Kakashi stood up, "It's collapsed! The entire length of the cave has collapsed!" Pulling out his transmitter he spoke urgently, "All teams, get to the hideout, now!"

Where once there stood a rocky cave entrance and a small series of grassy and shrub covered hills there was now a thirty foot valley filled with a treacherous contour of boulders and dirt with several long cracks radiating out in several directions.

"It looks like something Deidara would do." Ino commented as they team ran headlong down the hill. "On the other hand, this is too messy for him."

"I can still feel their chakra." Hinata said as she skidded to a halt ten feet from the edge of the newly made valley. "I'll try to see if I can find them with my Byakugan."

Looking across to the other side of the crevasse they could see Shino standing firm with his arms upraised as thousands of bugs flew out of his sleeves toward the jumble of earth. Shikamaru, Ji and Kiba ran up to Sai and started to talk hurriedly, but the older boy just shook his head once and pointed to Kiba and Hinata. The message, even without hearing it, was clear. All they could do now was wait.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Ame-no-nuboko pulled chakra from the earth and Totsuka scattered it." Itachi had repeated the phrase three times already. He knew that was the key to his victory. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, then look at his hand in surprise. There was no blood. The Eternal Mangekyou seemed to have an additional benefit and he could also feel that while Susanoo was inflicting damage to his body, it was at a much slower rate.

"_I'm here for you, Itachi."_ The soft, child-like voice comforted him and he smiled. Shisui had found a way to protect him after all. Through the gift of his eyes, he knew that he had gained a few extra minutes.

Through the corner of his eye he could see his father standing firm with his hands clenched in front of him. He could see how difficult it was for him to hold back and in fact, Pein was standing only one foot behind him, as if prepared to hold him back if necessary. A pang of guilt washed over him, knowing that he was causing his father such distress. To have to sacrifice ones child this way, to know that it was your son and not yourself that would have to fight the bad guy… and perhaps die… would be unbearable.

Sora was also behaving oddly. He was looking straight at Fugaku and frowning, his own fists clenched in much the same way. 'I wonder what's going through his mind.' Itachi thought to himself. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Sora was upset over his grandson's distress.

Returning his attention to Madara he could see the man had also realized that Totsuka's ability to scatter the naginata's chakra could be used against him. However, the broad smile that he flashed at Itachi was anything but defeatist. In fact, the confidence he was exuding was certainly something to worry about.

'If I hit that naginata enough times it will scatter a lot of chakra… there must be a way to force that chakra to go a certain direction. Maybe if I hit it a certain way…' Itachi thoughts were racing as a hundred different strategies raced through his mind.

Madara stabbed the Ame-no-nuboko back into the ground and the earth shook just as violently as it had a few moments earlier. Once again Itachi countered by striking out at it with Totsuka. This time, though, when they met the chakra came out as a bright yellow light that engulfed the entire beach, stretching out and blinding everyone who looked at it. As the light dissipated their vision returned and the elder Uchiha stared at his weapon with annoyance.

There was no chakra in that light. It was simply a bright flash and nothing more. It could certainly be used to blind an army, but as a technique to use against shinobi it was useless. Both Madara and Itachi were now grinding their teeth in frustration. The first strike diffused chakra, the second strike blinded, what would a third strike bring?

Down came the Ame-no-nuboko, piercing the light tan sand with a fierce strike. There was malice in Madara's heart and the look in his eyes was like nothing Itachi had ever seen before. However, the teen didn't hesitate for even a second as he ordered his Susanoo to strike the naginata one more time as it rose up out of the sand.

As the weapons met Itachi suddenly and unbidden, turned his thoughts to his family. And not just his parents, wife and children, but his cousins that made up the clan both in Konoha and Mist. They were all precious to him, in a way that he had never felt before. He was fighting so they would be safe. He was fighting so they wouldn't have to. Their faces, both laughing and tearful, filled his thoughts and, with a large amount of guilt he remembered how he had once thought of them as nothing more than a collection of arrogant fools.

'I was the one who was being arrogant… separating myself from them I refused to see their side of the story. I refused to even listen. I turned my back on my father's attempts to appease both the clan and Sarutobi. I should have helped… I should have worked harder…"

'_You were a child, Itachi._' Shisui's voice echoed through his mind once again, '_You reacted like a child. No one blames you._'

"I was never a child." Itachi whispered in response.

"You were. We all were." The voice was firm and came from five feet in front of him. Opening his eyes wide with shock Itachi stared into the face of his long-dead friend. The Ame-no-nuboko and Totsuka had struck each other once again and this time the world disappeared leaving the two cousins alone. For the briefest of seconds all of existence was nothing more than a black void, but soon enough the ground turned to dirt and a river – the one Shisui had drowned himself in – slowly appeared mere feet from where the teen found himself standing.

"Where are we?" Itachi asked, surprised. He started coughing, and fumbled about his pocket for a pill, swallowing it with difficulty.

"Here. My home. My dimension." Shisui was perched serenely on a boulder, his knees drawn up to chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. A big smile played on his lips and his long, jet black hair blew pleasantly in a light breeze. Overhead the sky was a mixture of pale blue, black clouds and a huge red moon, at least three times larger than normal.

On the ground it seemed like it was evening, or perhaps the shadows were dark. Itachi couldn't really tell because on the opposite side of the sky from the massive moon, was the sun. This sun was about ten times larger than normal and the teen watched in awe as loops of molten fluid shot up from the fiery disk and looped back down.

"What?" It made no sense and Itachi blinked helplessly at his cousin. "Did I die?"

"No, you're very much alive. But… if you keep fighting Ame-no-nuboko you will die. You can't beat it. The sword used to create the world can also be used to destroy it. The question is, does Madara realize this?"

"Does…he…" Itachi's eyes opened wide and he stepped forward, "It can destroy the world? That's impossible! These aren't real, they're just weapons created from chakra!"

"They are very real." Shisui stated calmly. "Madara is using the real Ame-no-nuboko, and you are using the real Totsuka. And that is what is so tragic. The real Susanoo would never have raised a weapon against his father. In effect, by having the weapons fight, that is what you are doing. And they are not happy about that."

"They… they're real?" Itachi had always believed the gods existed, but his belief was based on culture and, he realized, not something he firmly embraced with his heart. He had always, deep down, considered them nothing more than myth and legend.

"Of course. They made a deal with our forefather, Rikudou Sennin that passed down through both his sons, who eventually founded the Uchiha and Senju. That is why the two clans were always the most powerful."

"Oh." There didn't seem to be anything else he could add. It made sense, of course, but the thought that he was using the real sword of legend was very disturbing. He didn't want to be connected that closely to a real god. And he wanted even less to anger them.

"Hmm. Just as talkative as ever."

"So what now?" Itachi collected his thoughts and got back to the point.

"You have to stop this. If Izanagi revokes his gift not only will the world be consumed by darkness, but the Uchiha and Senju will both cease to exist. Remember, he created our land, Susanoo rules the sea, Tsukuyomi the moon and Amaterasu the sun. Everything mortals need to live."

"But how do I get Madara to quit fighting? He wants to host the ten-tails in his body and cast a Genjutsu upon the world. He's insane. And the vast number of people he's harmed and killed to formulate his plan… he needs to be stopped. How am I going to do that without Totsuka?"

For the first time Shisui's voice dropped and sorrow overtook him, "Izanami has offered to help… but… she's … you know what happened…"

"After she died Izanagi went down to the afterlife to bring her back and was told not to look at her until they got to the surface, but he couldn't help himself. When he saw her decayed corpse he was horrified and she was filled with such hatred that she chased him and tried to kill him. He lived only because he made it back to the earth first."

"She's still mad at him." Shisui said quietly. "But… at the same time… her love for her family… I don't know why but in a way she reminds me of you. You tried to kill your family and they were only saved from you by hiding you underground until you came back to your senses. For that reason she sympathizes with you."

"Oh." It wasn't the most eloquent thing he could have said, but after such an admission, he truly couldn't think of anything else to say.

Shisui smiled, "I was just as shocked as you. Especially when a god chose to speak with a bundle of chakra. I mean, my soul has passed over to the afterlife and for all I know has been reincarnated already. Why speak to me?" He shrugged his shoulders, "But anyway… this is what you have to do…"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Argh!" Naruto let out a heavy sigh as he stood up gingerly and reached his hands out in the pitch black to find his companions.

"I take it that's Naruto." Sasuke's voice was nearby, "Deidara? Are you still here?"

"Yeah. Can't get rid of me that easy." There was a small popping sound and the trio were blinded by a flash of light. Sasuke was holding his palm outward while a four inch flame danced less than an inch from his skin.

"We're trapped." Naruto said, stating the obvious.

"Of course. Why not? This is all Itachi's fault." Deidara grumbled.

"Hey! You okay?" The bellowing voice could belong to only one person, and Deidara cringed.

"Yeah, how about you Bee?" Naruto yelled through the jumble of rock that had fallen on either end of the cave passage way just as they had exited Naruto's room.

"Fine, fine. It sounds like everyone else if fine too. The guy at the very end of the corridor says there's another cave-in where he is so we're definitely trapped."

With the help of Sasuke's light Deidara looked around the small area. It was about forty square feet and very confined. "Sasuke, put that flame out. Everyone, lie on the floor and relax."

"What? Why?" Both Sasuke and Naruto asked as they followed his orders.

"We're short on oxygen here. Fire uses oxygen to burn and if we relax we use less oxygen. Just… we have to think of a way out of here…these stones are very weak and the roof is in danger of collapsing. I think the level above has already collapsed. We might be able to dig our way out, but…"

"Not trying is the same as giving up!" Naruto stated emphatically. "And I don't give up!"

"I didn't say anything about giving up. It's just… Earth jutsus are my specialty which means I know a lot about geology. This has to be done just right or we will die."

"So there is a way out of here?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

Deidara frowned, glad that the darkness hid his face. He had saved that kids life once before, and the thought that he might be the one to witness his death several years later was heartbreaking. It was as if his own fate was intertwined somehow with Sasuke's.

"You… you're taking a long time to answer." Sasuke's voice shook a little as his nerves got in the way of his ninja stoicism.

"Yeah…un. I… I'm thinking… Just wait a minute…" Deidara cringed when he heard the two boys mutter their acknowledgements. He wasn't a good enough actor to hide the truth from them, and they knew it. The rock slides at either end of the cave were too precarious to move and the roof was minutes away from collapsing. 'I'm sorry…' he thought to himself. 'I can't save anyone… not myself… not… my friends…'

"Thanks guys." Naruto's voice was quiet, but at the same time calm. "I mean, for letting me out. I'd rather… I'd rather die here than in there. At least… at least I feel like I'm not a prisoner anymore. And they won't get the Kyuubi if I die."

"I wish I could say 'your welcome', but I guess…" Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say, but a smile crossed his face as Naruto's hand reach out and found his own, squeezing it momentarily.

"Not to ruin this beautiful moment or anything," Deidara's voice was shaking, "but what happens to the demon when it's host dies?"

"Ah shit!" Naruto and Sasuke groaned. It was common knowledge of course. At least to Naruto and the Uchiha clan. And of course Deidara, who already knew the answer.

There was a loud laugh from the other side of the rock slide, "Could you imagine the chaos if all of us died? All our demons running around the countryside?"

"I don't think that's anything to laugh about!" A woman's voice pierced through the bigger man's laughter and he shut-up. "Thousands will die!"

"Sorry about that, Yugito." Bee laughed, still amused, "Gaara? You still with us? It's awfully quiet over there."

"Yes." The boy yelled back to make sure he was heard.

The sound of someone talking from a distance could be heard and Bee spoke up a moment later, "Roushi says some odd bugs have found a way in through the rock fall near his cell."

"Odd?" Again, Sasuke and Naruto spoke simultaneously.

"It must mean Shino is nearby. Or someone from his clan, anyway." Sasuke elaborated.

"We're saved!" Naruto pumped his arm in the air with joy.

"I hate bugs." Deidara had meant to complain, but the smile on his face, even in the dark, could be heard in his words. The odds were still against them, but even a one percent chance of rescue was still something worth hoping for. He shook his head, surprised at his thoughts. He had never sought the company of "friends" or even dared to "hope" for anything. Yet here he was, caught dozens of feet underground by a landslide with people he was calling friends and a heart filled with hope. It was just too bad it probably wasn't going to last long.

'We only have less than an hours worth of air in here.' Deidara said to himself.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week: Itachi is with Shisui, but where did Madara go? **

**I hope adding the gods in doesn't make it seem to weird. They won't make a personal appearance, but I needed to up the power of the weapons. As for Madara he will pay for his crimes, no matter the reason he's committed far too many to get away, but I've got a twist in store for him.**

**Please review.**

**Updates on Fridays.**


	81. Chapter 81 Izanami

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs**

**I think I ended last weeks chapter too soon, lol. A couple people guessed Gaara's role in the cave-in and I did have a reason for why Deidara can't help (read on to find out more.) I should have explained it better. **

**Itachi is going to use his new technique on Madara in this chapter. If it's not to your liking, read the author's notes after the story where I've tried to explain my logic. Also, keep in mind the characters in this story are Buddhist and Shinto. The gods that have visited Itachi are Shinto and they have a different view of heaven and hell. So, yeah. Read the story, then if you are confused read the author's notes and let me know if I still missed the mark, or it's okay. xD**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

**Chapter 81 - Izanami**

Time seemed to pass slowly for Itachi and Madara as they faced off on the beach, but underground, covered by loose boulders and earth, time was passing far too quickly. Deidara brushed a few stray hairs from his sweat-covered face and channeled his chakra into the rock wall. He could sense all the cracks and holes the cave-in had created and worst of all, he could feel them weakening. Pulling his chakra out quickly he buried his face in his hands and groaned.

The sandstone geology of the region was strong enough to create caves, but it was also inherently weak. Even though Deidara was capable of using chakra to move his body through the earth, there were limitations. And he had just run into one. The earth above them was so weak, that if the teen did move his body through the jumbled mess of rock and earth, he would likely become trapped again if – when – the rest of the cave collapsed.

"If only this were granite." Deidara lamented out loud.

"Huh?" Naruto and Sasuke muttered, confused. To them rock was rock. What difference did it make what kind it was?

An explanation seemed pointless, given the current circumstances, "Nevermind."

"Hey! The bugs disappeared!" A distant voice called out.

"That must mean they're heading back to Shino." Naruto sounded almost happy, but it was forced.

The absolute darkness seemed to strain Deidara's eyes as they sought desperately for light. He had heard the tales, back in the Academy, of people who had been underground in the dark for so long that they had actually gone blind. He had never believed it, even when it was medically explained with diagrams on the chalkboard to the collection of bored six-year-olds. But now as he fought to find even the faintest glimmer of light he began to believe the stories.

"What's wrong, Deidara? Your chakra keeps fluctuating." Sasuke said quietly.

"Nothing…" He suddenly turned his head, bumping his nose on a protruding rock. Ignoring the pain he voiced the thought that suddenly came to mind, "Can you see with your Sharingan?"

"Yeah… I can see colors. Well, I mean… I can see yours and Naruto's chakra as colors. I can't see anything else."

"Oh." Well, that was to be expected. It wasn't all that helpful.

Naruto spoke up in a loud, excited voice, "You're an Earth jutsu type, can't you get us out of here?"

Sasuke answered, "The cave would collapse if he did."

"What he said." Deidara answered, not wanting to explain any further. "And you guys should stop talking. It eats up oxygen."

It was silent for a few seconds, until Sasuke whispered, "There's sand moving on the ground and it's filled with chakra… Naruto… didn't you…"

"Gaara!" Naruto called out.

"Of course!" Deidara echoed, just as excited.

"Just be patient. This is going to take time." Gaara called out, "I don't have my sand gourd with me so I have to infuse the sand here with chakra. It's going to take time, but if it works I can create a cocoon that will protect us when the rest of the cave collapses. Then we can get you guys out of your little hole."

The section of the cave where the Jinchuuriki were being held had not only been sealed at either end by rockfalls, but had also been cut in half by another rockfall. That small section was, of course, where Deidara, Sasuke and Naruto where holding out.

"This will work." Deidara smiled and the relief he felt flowing through him was exhilarating. "I can use my jutsu to move the rocks if the ceiling and walls are supported. Too bad there aren't any underground rivers nearby, it's easier to move through the earth if you can find a river."

"Are you sure you aren't a water element user?" Naruto laughed.

"Sasori asked me the same thing the last time we went to a hot spring. He sat on the side playing with his puppets and I kept diving in and out of the pools using the underground water channels. It's a lot of fun, really. Using the heated water you can really propel yourself through the air, like a geyser."

"The bugs are back!" The voice at the end of the tunnel called out. "And they're forming kanji… it says… Stay put we're coming for you."

"No time for that." Bee bellowed, "Gaara, how close are you…"

"Just hold on." The boy called out impatiently, "Just be lucky there's a lot of sand and dirt here. If we were in another cave made of hard rock it would take hours to collect enough sand to do this."

The ground was now swirling with loose sand grains that were moving quickly, charged with chakra and ready for action. Deidara, Sasuke and Naruto had to stand up when the sand reach a foot in depth.

"It's red, yellow and white." Sasuke relayed curiously, his Sharingan sensing the chakra in the sand.

Gaara called out, "Okay everyone, this is it! Cover your faces with your shirts and don't breathe for a few seconds!"

Without any further warning the sand shot up into the air, and the trapped people quickly grabbed the tail ends of their shirts and pulled them over their faces. If it hadn't been so dark, they would have seen the formation of a smooth, sand textured wall cover the inside of the cave. The wall was formed so quickly that it seemed like only seconds later Gaara was ordering Deidara to break down the rock fall separating him from the main cave.

Sasuke called forth another flame to light the small area as Deidara formed a series of hand signs and blasted the rocks away from him. It was a small blast, of course, given the confined area, but it did the tricks and a moment later the trio climbed over a few stray boulders and breathed deeply. There was more air in the larger space and it was refreshing.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Where… where am I?" Madara muttered angrily. One moment he had been facing Itachi on the beach and the next a bright light had engulfed the pair. "This looks like… the Uchiha compound when I was a child."

"It is." Izuna was leaning against a wooden porch post smiling. Dressed in plain blue pants and a white pullover shirt he looked exactly like the teenager Madara remembered. "You never listened to me. I kept telling you… I kept warning you… I never would have given you my eyes if I new it would come to this, big brother. I existed to help you, that was my belief. That was my reason for being. And you took that away from me. You are the one who betrayed my sacrifice, Madara. Not the clan who sought peace, or the Senju who offered their hands, palms up."

"What… what do you mean? I was accused of killing you!"

"Metaphorically. A few… very few… believed you had driven me to my decision. They were very vocal about how they felt and they did it for the sole purpose of hurting you. You should have seen through that and been able to overcome their taunts. To prove them wrong. But instead you let it eat away at you. Instead… you set yourself up… you set the clan up for destruction."

The teen moved away from the post to stand in the empty, muddy street. On either side of the fifteen-foot wide road were wooden, houses built in a traditional style that, now-a-days, could only be seen in the most remote villages. Rising one to two stories they were well taken care of and echoed the wealth the Uchiha clan had amassed during their long tenure as Ninja. Even the humblest of cottages was solid, clean and well cared for.

"What… what's going on?" Madara wasn't sure if he should be angry or upset, or perhaps even frightened.

"You are in my world. You are in the Uchiha village of the past." Izuna pointed to the Hideout, rising up into the sky like a cylindrical mountain.

"I don't get it. Why? What purpose does this serve? Where's Itachi?"

"Itachi… the boy you should have protected. He had it just as bad as you did growing up, yet you did nothing to help him. And Sasuke, your own son. His life was calm and peaceful, surrounded by people who loved him and you took that away from him. Not to mention all the children killed in that stupid ceremony you and uncle Sora have perpetuated in Mist."

His mind was a jumble of emotions as Madara tried, desperately, to get a grasp of the situation. "This is a Genjutsu… Itachi is doing this…"

"No, Itachi is caught in his own little paradise with Shisui." Izuna paused, "That's another kid who's life you ruined."

"I let him go!" Madara spat, "I…"

"Don't make me laugh, big brother, you only let him go because you knew what he would one day become."

Unable to deny that, Madara ground his teeth in frustration, "What exactly is your point?"

"My point… did I even have one? This was all rather last minute. Who knew the two weapons meeting would cause something this bizarre? Well, I guess the gods did. After all it is their weapons you have forced into battle. A weapon used to create the world should only be used for creation and a weapon given in conciliation should only be used to mend relationships. Using the two to start a war is sacrilege."

It was true, the Naginata Ame-no-nuhoko was used to create the world, and Totsuka was used to slay the eight headed serpent thus freeing the sword Kusanagi which Susanoo gave to his sister Amaterasu as a gift to ease her heart after he had broken it. However, Madara failed to see how that affected his goals.

"My plan is to host the ten-tails and cast a Genjutsu upon the world, bathing them in perpetual peace. That is exactly what the naginata should be used for!"

"The Uchiha would see through the Genjutsu, eventually. They would see what the word really is."

"Sora would keep them in check."

"But not for long. Which is why you need Itachi and Sasuke dead. They would ruin your plans. Of course, Sasuke needs Itachi's eyes to pair with the statue so he's a goner, you just have to make sure Sasuke dies next because he will see through your Genjutsu. With that knowledge he could spread the truth and break your hold over the world. Sora will work with your unborn child to raise her to take his place, to keep the myth of the Genjutsu alive so peace will reign across the world. But ultimately… your plan can only really work if the Uchiha don't exist."

"True." Madara bowed his head, admitting the truth. "And… as the host of the Ten-tails I could kill them in a second. And I suppose… eventually… that is what I will have to do."

"But as long as peace reigns supreme it's a valid sacrifice."

"Yes." Madara's single word held the weight of a thousand generations of people never to be born, never to exist. It was heavy with meaning, heavy with unrealized dreams, lost potential, and silence where there should have voices.

"You know," Izuna stuck his hands in his pockets and stared up at the overcast, gray sky, "The one thing human beings have always feared more than war was the loss of their freedom. And there have been valid reason to fight, historically, you know. Peasants fight for the right to eat the food they grow, nobles fight for the right to keep their people safe from danger, nations fight to free themselves from oppression. There have also been horrible reasons to go to war as well. Of course, no matter the reason, the results are always the same. Death and destruction. With any luck the world that rebuilds itself is better than the one that came before. That is what people call 'hope', Madara. And that is what you are taking away from the Earth. From the ninja world. Freedom and hope."

"That was a long speech. Rather self-righteous. It's not like you at all to say things like that."

"It is like me, big brother," His next words were rather ominous and stabbed deeper than any knife ever could, "you just never listened to me."

Madara fell to the ground as a hundred memories of forgotten conversations filled his head all at once in a jumble of recollection. He saw Izuna as a four-year-old boy standing between two fighting puppies. Izuna as a seven-year-old sitting on top of a bloody and prostrate Sora so the boy beating him up would stop, Izuna as a ten-year-old crying because he had broken his sparring partners arm in a practice duel.

"You were never like me after all." The elder Uchiha rubbed his head, trying to get a grasp of all the images.

"Madara, if we were so unlike, you would be taking the ten-tails to destroy the world. However, because we are alike, instead, you find a way to use it for peace. Deep down, you never wanted to fight either. There was just no other way for you to live. You were raised that way, big brother. Father and grandfather saw great things for you because they believed I was weak. They gave in to my 'fancies' as they called them, because you would be there to clean up after me."

"To clean up…" Madara remembered the muttering of the two men, nearly eighty years earlier, in which they stated the same thing. Telling the young boy that despite his birth rank, he would likely be in charge of the clan because Izuna was not suited to take the reigns. But his father, who was at the time the current chief, could not make Madara his heir. Instead, he made him promise to stay by his younger brothers side and make sure the clan never strayed. To keep Izuna afloat.

"They no doubt sighed out in relief from their graves when I abdicated the position to you."

"Maybe…" Madara also remembered his great-grandfathers admission, written in the official Uchiha journal that only the chief's read. The regret that he had felt upon holding the minutes-old infant that he could not find the courage to throw him in the river. And the inexcusable feeling of dread that had passed over him as the newborn looked eagerly and without fear into the sky as lightening and thunder crashed overhead. "One man knew… he knew everything there is to know about me. But he was too kind to do anything about it."

"Great-grandfather? I have no memories of him. Mother told me that was his one dying regret, that I was too young, that he wished I could have remembered him. However, she also told me that you and I promised to take care of each other. Although young, and not fully aware of what was going on around me, I did make that vow, and she reminded me of it on several occasions because she knew that you and I were intertwined for all eternity."

"All eternity?" Madara suddenly felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and he gave his brother a panicked look.

"That means forever, big brother."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Itachi shuddered as a chill passed through him. The world Shisui had created was an odd place, where the moon and sun hung far too close to the ground and stars twinkled overhead. If that weren't enough the distant terrain of trees and mountains suddenly transformed into a stormy ocean where cyclones vied with each other over tempestuous waters.

"They're here… aren't they…" Itachi stated plainly.

"They wanted to see you."

There was nothing he could say and without thinking he dropped down onto the ground and averted his eyes from the display.

"Such a polite boy. You always knew the right thing to do in social situations." Shisui laughed, "But there's no need for that here. You are very much like your father, in that regard, you know?"

Itachi wasn't sure he should believe his old friends assurances, after all, the gods of legend had turned out to be real and were nearby. Shouldn't they be more respectful? He remained where he was and chose not to respond to Shisui's comment.

"Suit yourself." The boy smiled, "Izanami is pleased that you have such good manners, at least. I have told you how to execute her attack. It will work if your heart and soul support it. If you waver, even the least bit, both you and Madara will be lost forever. And he has committed far too many crimes… they have no intention of letting him off that easy."

Without warning the teen found himself back on the beach, standing with his feet rooted in the sand and Susanoo wavering overhead. The bright morning sun was at the proper distance and the moon was no where to be seen. The loud roar of the ocean and the gentle creaking of Kisame's fleet of pirate ships assured him that he was no longer trapped in that alternate existence.

Looking across the sand he saw Madara gazing at him with a curious expression. It was somehow different, and Itachi struggled to grasp its meaning but the pain that came from using Susanoo stabbed at his senses and he had to fight hard not grimace.

"That was certainly eye-opening." Madara finally said.

"So you got sucked into that world too?" It was more of a statement than a question and Madara just nodded his head once in response.

"I'm not backing down, though. I know what I want… what the world needs. And I know how to give it to them. I will make the largest sacrifice and bring peace to this hellish existence. The old empire and its technology, the destruction of the world, the creation of the ninja world, it was all paved in blood and tears. Its skeleton standing stark and barren across the landscape, old cities too dangerous to enter rot to the ground, while new ones fall to enemies. Humans have no place to live. No place to farm. No place to work. I can give all of that back to them."

"It's a noble cause, Madara. I can't deny it. And perhaps, if you had gone about it in a less bloody fashion, perhaps I would have followed you. But as it stands now, I have to stop you." Itachi took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he re-opened them a moment later his Eternal Sharingan had changed, causing everyone, including Madara, to take a step back in shock.

Itachi's eyes were glowing a fierce, fiery red and the chakra that radiated out of them felt far different from his normal chakra. This new chakra was simultaneously damning and uplifting, spiteful and loving. It was the chakra of a god who had been born to be a loving mother, and then died to become spiteful and murderous. Susanoo faded and in his place was a giant, corpse-like ghostly woman dressed in a flowing decayed white robe. Her long black hair flowed out behind her as if blown by a strong wind and her once delicate hands were held ominously in front of her, flexing as if seeking a throat to constrict.

"That's…" Madara was dumbstruck. He had always known that the Sharingan held more secrets than he had discovered, and he had always suspected this technique in particular existed. But the form it took was completely unexpected.

"Izanami." Itachi uttered in a strong voice. The technique was just as destructive on his body as Susanoo and the damage it was doing to his cells was something he tried not to think about, instead pushing it to the back of his mind.

Madara gritted his teeth. "So be it then." His Susanoo raised the naginata and stabbed it into the earth. The force of the earthquake was twice what the previous ones had been and out of the corner of his eye Itachi saw two of the smaller ships roll over in the sudden waves and capsize.

Raising his own hands Itachi pointed at Madara and Izanami reached out with one bony hand and grabbed the naginata out of the earth. There was a brief struggle as Susanoo fought to pull the spear away from her, but a bright white chakra engulfed the long wooden handle and when it touched the storm god's hands he uttered an otherworldly cry that froze the hearts of all who heard it. Releasing the weapon Susanoo raised the Buddhist rosary and held it in front of him. Madara braced himself as waves of pain shot through his body, as if he had been pierced a hundred times by a sword.

The rosary had no effect, however, as Izanami reached out one long decayed arm and grabbed it as well.

"Izanami is death itself. None will stand up to her. Before death, all back down. It is the only thing we are assured of attaining once we are born. The one thing, despite our station in life, that we will all experience. The ultimate equalizer." Itachi's strong words echoed over the beach. "The ultimate technique of the Sharingan is not granted by killing, as the other techniques are, but by living."

"That… that makes no sense." Madara was close to panicking. He knew his plans had failed, that he had failed, but Izanami was… should be impossible. How could a technique that was death itself be granted only to those who lived? Taking a deep breath he shook his head to clear it as the wind off the ocean blew a few strands of hair in his face.

"You have killed thousands of people Madara, not only directly, but indirectly. You must pay for that. I'm told the count is seventy-five thousand three hundred and forty-two. The suffering caused by those deaths is easily twenty times more than that as family members, friends, and acquaintances struggle to deal with their loss."

"Then I am also at fault." Sora limped up to his nephew as Susanoo disappeared and placed one hand on his shoulder. "I will stand by Madara until the end."

"Sora." Madara gazed at the shorter man petulantly, "I walk my own path."

"No, Madara. None of us are alone, in either our beliefs or our actions. Especially you."

"Very noble, Sora." Itachi wasn't amused by the man's words and found them a trifle too dramatic. "But in the end we all make our own decisions, and it's those decisions that condemn us."

Both men continued to stare straight at Itachi, neither speaking nor blinking, their Eternal Mangekyou Sharingans blazing in the sunlight.

Itachi nodded once, "So be it."

The disappointment that washed over Madara was all encompassing and while the desire to sink into the sand and disappear was strong, he nevertheless stood his ground. However, there was another feeling rising up that completely surprised him. Relief. Sasuke would live. The first of his children to do so. It was his dearest wish, the one that drove him forward, that his children not die. That those who had fallen to sickness so many years ago would rise up.

He remembered the rush of exhilaration he felt back then, when the Uchiha still lived in the hideout, upon returning from a mission and finding his sons and daughter waiting at the gate for him. They would each have a piece of fried tofu, his favorite treat, for him to snack on and their big smiles and laughing eyes would lift his spirits no matter how tired he was.

But it had ended all too soon.

"Not everyone will agree with your punishment, Madara, Sora, but it is the one Izanami has chosen herself." Itachi's words interrupted his thoughts and he turned his attention back to the teenager standing before him. The pain that was etched in the young mans face spoke clearly of the suffering he was forced to endure to use the technique and without realizing it Madara lifted a hand to reach out to him before dropping it back to his side.

The movement was not lost on Itachi and he steeled himself, knowing that whatever the man was feeling, it mustn't force him off this path. He remembered the warning. He had to keep his heart and soul firm or Izanami would not work.

The other-worldly Izanami reached down one last time and wrapped her bony fingers around Madara and Sora who cried out in agony as waves of intense pain wracked their bodies. Itachi swallowed hard as he forced himself to ignore the terrible shouts that, while lasting only seconds, seemed to go on forever.

Falling to the ground, the uncle and nephew rolled onto their backs and stared at the pale blue sky. The pain had stopped and something… something was different. Something was…

"I… why am I still alive?" Madara gasped as he held up his hand against the sky and flexed his fingers. He called upon his Sharingan, but, "My eyes…"

Itachi dispelled Izanami and dropped down to his knees as Fugaku, sensing the end of the battle ran forward and wrapped his arms around his son to keep him from collapsing completely.

"Itachi… are you okay? What's going on?" The man was shaking with tension and Itachi gave his father a tired smile.

"Izanami wants them to pay for their crimes. They must each save a million lives before they die. Or to put it more accurately… before they _can_ die." Itachi's voice, though weakened, carried over to Madara and Sora who had managed to sit up and were now staring in disbelief at their vanquisher.

Itachi continued speaking, "Seeing that much suffering, one would surely wish for his own death, but it will not come. Any suffering caused by them will increase the number they must save by a factor of ten."

"But they'll just live forever!" Fugaku argued, feeling suddenly helpless. "If they don't help anyone they'll just… they can keep doing whatever they want!"

"No." Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, or at least tried to. His lungs were burning and he was feeling very nauseous. "It's hard to explain… but Izanami looked into Madara's soul and saw the pain and suffering he had already endured and what had led him down his current path. She is certain that he will abide by her wishes. Also… they… Madara and Sora… have both been stripped of the Sharingan and given normal human eyes. They no longer even have the capability to use chakra as ninjas, nor can they relearn the techniques. And the pain Izanami is capable of delivering will return with each bad deed they commit."

Pein stepped forward and reached out a hand to Madara, who, without thinking grasped it and allowed himself to be pulled up. The red-haired corpse stared at the Uchiha with long dead eyes for several seconds before speaking, "Perhaps you can bring peace to this world after all. At least, one corner of it. But I am just as guilty as you and have no doubt killed as many if not more…"

Madara knew the voice that spoke was uttering the words of Nagato, who was still in the giant statue's cave. He couldn't think of any way to respond, though. The emotions that he was feeling were unexpected and conflicting. To work so hard to achieve the ultimate Sharingan, to bring peace to the world, only to loose it all. Yet he realized that Nagato had to be feeling the exact same emotions as himself. The man had perhaps only a few years left to live, his body had been deformed by the use of his Kekkei Genkai and his health, as a result, was poor. Then Yahiko, the corpse who stood before him on the beach, would truly be dead. And his dream of world peace dead as well.

"I…" Madara cleared his throat as the pain suffered from Susanoo and Izanami continue to wrack his body, "have no choice then. But… how…"

"How does a hated criminal save lives?" Fugaku finished the question, "Why don't you practice here and find out."

The realization of where they were returned to Madara and he looked inland toward the forest where the Uchiha he had brought from Mist were no doubt engaged in battle. He could no longer feel their chakra or even sense their presence. That ability was gone forever.

"Call them back," Madara sighed. "Tell them to go home. Tell them… tell them…" His voice faded as he collapsed, unconscious, onto the ground. The pain and shock finally overwhelming his body.

Sora took a deep breath and tried to stand but Pein pushed him back down, "No need to stand. You're in the same shape as Madara right now."

The man nodded once, "Zetsu, please pass on Madara's last order. Then you may leave. Fugaku, the Jinchuuriki…"

"Are being rescued as we speak." Fugaku finished the sentence as Zetsu disappeared silently into the ground.

"Ah. Deidara's work, no doubt."

"You knew?" Itachi asked in surprise.

"Of course." Sora sighed, "I… kept wavering… I could see what Madara had become, but I had stood beside him for so long that I couldn't bring myself to go against him. Also, I believed in his dream." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with both hands, "Deidara was kind of like… if he succeeded in rescuing them I would allow them to escape. If he failed I would follow Madara."

"That's sick." Zabuza's voice rang out as he approached the group. Haku was walking a few paces in front of him with a grim look on his face. The teen rushed up to Itachi when he saw him and began pushing chakra into his body in a cursory exam.

"Yeah." Sora admitted. "I completely fail as a clan chief. An action like that… I will abdicate. I have no heir…"

"You may have Sasuke." Fugaku spoke up.

"You…" Itachi started to object, but Fugaku interrupted.

"Teach him well, and let him spread his wings and I am sure you won't regret it."

"Father." Itachi smiled, relieved to hear the praise, but at the same time worried over what his little brother would do when he learned he wasn't coming home.

Zabuza stepped over to Madara and dropped his sword down onto the sand inches from the unconscious man's throat. "Do you have any idea how much I want to take this bastard's head?"

"Yeah, I think I do." Fugaku answered bitterly. "I don't like this agreement one bit." He went on to explain the circumstances to the newcomers, and then reconsidered the swordsman's sanity when the man dropped down onto the ground laughing.

Haku interrupted everyone's musing, "Itachi needs to get to a hospital. His lungs are in bad shape and it looks like an infection is setting in. He should be okay if we get him to the hospital tent at the Konoha lines. Then we can transport him home."

"I don't feel that bad…" Itachi tried to defend himself, but was quickly interrupted by Fugaku.

"You never do, do you?" Fugaku was smirking and the teen found himself smiling.

"Old habits die hard." Itachi answered. Looking out over the water he watched as several pirates ran over the waves looking for their capsized companions. It would be overly-optimistic to assume everyone had escaped unharmed, but as he watched one young man being lifted up out of the water and thrown over an older man's shoulder, he knew that wasn't the case. It was obvious that he was dead.

"I don't really feel like I won this fight." Itachi admitted half-heartedly.

"Perhaps that's the point." Haku said as he stood up. "I'd like to get you to the tent now, Itachi. You can ride on my back."

"I'll carry him." Fugaku spoke up and before Itachi could think twice Haku had practically thrown him on his father's back.

"Don't jar him too much or he might start coughing or gagging. We need to get that gunk out of his lungs first." Haku patted Itachi on the back lightly and watched as they sped off into the forest.

Zabuza leaned back on his arms next to Madara and grinned, "I can't wait for him to wake up and see me."

Haku frowned, "Well, don't get too comfortable. You should probably go out there and make sure Madara's people really do back down. Some of them probably don't really care about following orders, just killing."

"True. True." Zabuza jumped to his feet and addressed Sora, "If I were you two, I'd disappear. Perhaps you can get Kisame out there to give you a ride somewhere."

"That was almost helpful." Sora replied sarcastically.

"Almost… but not quite." Zabuza ambled back toward the forest, laughing, as a stray wind blew in from the ocean.

Sora fell back onto the sand and held up a hand to shield his face from the bright sin. "The battle isn't over." He spoke to the unconscious man next to him, "We really messed this one up, nephew. A million people each. It's like, that guy in the old stories who has to push a rock up a hill for all eternity, but whenever he gets it halfway up it rolls back down."

"We got off easy." Madara answered, his voice weak and barely audible, "How humiliating. This isn't how a ninja should live."

"We aren't ninja anymore, Madara."

Madara closed his eyes, "Nevertheless, we need to get back to Mist."

"Can I take a nap first?" Sora didn't wait for an answer as he drifted off to sleep.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, the Jinchuuriki escape and Madara makes a decision.**

**Okay, I have a lot of explanations here. Hopefully it makes sense. If it leaves some blaring holes let me know.**

**I was rather intrigued with the idea of making a man like Madara work with regular people and saving their lives instead of killing them as a ninja and thought it would fit in with Izanami. As soon as he saves the millionth life he will die and if he causes harm he will suffer. My assumption here is that he isn't a masochist. If he were he would learn to accept the pain and continue to cause harm. Also, he can't take his time and take a couple thousand years to do this because it would be literally impossible to go the years without meeting someone who needs saved. Isolation won't help either because pretending the world doesn't exist is the same as causing harm. **

**I saw the gods as wanting Madara to suffer, to be humiliated, but also wanting him to pay for his crimes. If he were to die right now he would go to the Shinto version of Hell where he would basically live a bleak existence, not unhappy nor happy. Basically, pointless. This way he can make restitution and pay for the suffering he's caused. As a normal human with no ninja abilities he has an even bigger hurdle to cross.**

**Be assured, Madara isn't going to turn around and be happy with the resolution. He's going to be very mad and upset, but because of the circumstances he's also going to do as he was ordered. The idea is that over time he will get used to it and accept it, but that is years away. Sora is more adaptive and is already accepting it. **

**This idea ties in with the situation in Water country. Remember how I describe it as destitute and riddled by civil war and food shortages. **

**I'm sending Sasuke to Mist because Fugaku needs someone to keep an eye on them and he's already familiar with the clan there. It made more sense and they would probably be less hostile to him than someone else from Konoha. The other alternative I was kicking around was to have the Mist Uchiha move to Konoha. But in reality people don't like being uprooted and even if they are only fictional I didn't want them to have to move. Karin and Juugo will stay with him in Mist.**

**Please review**

**Updates on Fridays (There are probably only 2 or 3 or 4 more chapters)**


	82. Chapter 82 Time To Think

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs! **

**There are a lot of holes in my "save people before you can die" plan, but I did have an underlying reason, which Madara realizes in this chapter. I was surprised there weren't more complaints. I know it's not "killing" him, but it's also not keeping him alive as a ninja. **

**This chapter is short, I'm sorry about that. It's just kind of cleaning up from the last chapter and setting up for the end.**

**Kisime! He needs a hug. Everyone hug him xD I wonder if he's really dead, though? His backstory fits in nicely with how I was writing him, I think, so that's good. I'm worried about Konan, though. I don't want her to die. Maybe Konoha will show up and save her. Hey, I know, she and Nagato have a kid and the kid has the Rinnegan and shows up and saves her. Okay, anyway, please read the story and let me know what you think. Have a good weekend!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Chapter 82 - Time to Think**

Even if it was a simple matter of unlocking doors and releasing the remaining the remaining Jinchuuriki, getting five demon possessed people, one Akatsuki, and one pre-teen – all of whom were also Shinobi - in an enclosed space and expecting them to patiently wait for rescue was asking too much. And certainly, they were not patient.

Bee was the most vocal, insisting they could break through the sand cocoon and bust through the rock using his demon.

Gaara snorted derisively, "If we break through the seal of my sand cocoon it'll hold up of course, but the rock on the other side is still unstable. It's better if we stay here and wait to be dug out."

"What about you, Deidara? You can get through!" Bee was obstinately insisting they bust their way out of their prison.

"I might, but it's too dangerous, un. I can move about the earth to a degree since I'm an Earth type, but in a landslide I could also be buried alive doing that, un. The geology here is weak." He paused for a second and scratched his head, smiling, "When you think about it, un, this cave shouldn't even exist. I suspect it was probably going to naturally disappear in a few decades on its own. Whatever caused that earthquake just sped things up, un."

"Roushi, you can do it then!" Bee turned to the red-haired middle-aged ex-Stone ninja who was the Jinchuuriki for the four-tailed Yonbi.

"I'm certainly willing to give it a try." Roushi answered in a gruff voice, "No point waiting around here. They'll just recapture me and send me back to Stone if one of those idiot villagers rescues us."

"No, you're not." Deidara insisted, "Your Lava element will melt through the sandstone and bring the whole mess down on top of us."

"And you're going to wait here for them to capture you as well?" Roushi insisted.

"I'm with them." Deidara pointed defensively at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Yah! Don't worry so much!" Naruto grinned, "If you don't want to go back you can come to Konoha."

Deidara shook his head, "I don't think that's the point he's trying to make, Naruto." Roushi had left Stone a couple decades before the teen, but he had heard stories of the man's powerful earth-fire fusion jutsus, shrewd intellect, and most importantly, the harassment he had endured while living in the Earth country's ninja village. He understood why the man was so unwilling to return home.

"Great. Just great." Bee plopped himself on the ground and pulled and pulled a long cloth out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat off his face. "It's too hot in here."

"Yeah… well, that's because of all the hot air coming out of your…arghhh!" Deidara found himself shoved against the wall by an angry six foot tall, muscular man who held him firmly by the throat.

"What were you saying, blondie?"

"You're blond too!" Deidara managed to gasp petulantly as he fixed his gaze with Bee's.

Bee released him, "Oh yeah. Actually, my hair is more white than blond…" He returned to his spot on the ground so he could go back to pouting as Deidara rubbed his sore neck and scowled.

"Are you guys finished?" Sasuke was also getting impatient and the bickering was just about to get on his last nerve.

Gaara came to the rescue, "If they aren't I'll just practice my sand coffin technique on the pair." That earned him some dirty looks, but on the whole everyone quieted down. Or perhaps they were just too tired and pissed off to keep arguing.

Sasuke turned his attention to Naruto whom seemed to be concentrating rather heavily on something. The boy's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his hand were in clenched into fists.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked his friend quietly.

"I'm trying to see through the rock with my chakra. Since my sage technique uses a different type of chakra than what we're born with I'm thinking it should work. But it's harder than I thought it would be. It's almost as if something is blocking me."

"That's the sand." Gaara had joined them and was now leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The flickering light created by the flame jutsu in the center of the cave cast dark shadows on the shorter boy's face, which only served to accentuate the kanji "love" symbol on his face and the dark circles under his eyes.

"The sand?" Naruto repeated, confused. "It's infused with chakra, I can feel it swirling around, but I got past that…"

Gaara interrupted, "No you didn't. You just think you did. Instead of looking for holes in the chakra, try to use the chakra in the barrier and extend it out. Then you can see beyond it."

"Okay…" Naruto was still confused but he closed his eyes and relaxed. After a couple minutes he spoke up, "You're right! That works! I can see the entire dome you built. Or I guess 'feel' is a better way to describe it, ha ha, I can't see anything with my eyes closed."

Gaara and Sasuke rolled their eyes at the boy's astute observation, but they had to grin as well. After all, what else would Naruto say?

"Okay, there's a lot of rock…"

"No kidding." Yugito added drily as she also joined them.

"No, really, there is." Naruto was so intent on his jutsu the woman's sarcasm failed to register. She just blinked a couple times, then shook her head in resignation.

"Can you sense anyone?" Gaara flashed Yugito a reproachful gaze.

"No… yeah! There's someone… one person… he's really close… just on the other side of…"

There was a booming crash near the spot where Sasuke, Deidara and Naruto had initially been trapped and a large, eight foot-long and five-foot tall beetle crawled out of the darkness of the opening and into the dimly lit sand cocoon.

Both Yugito and Bee buried their heads in their hands and groaned loudly. Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Naruto! You had everyone thinking he was a ways away! Not inches away!"

"Sorry about that." Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head nervously.

Deidara raced forward as the light from the fire revealed the beetle to be a large oval shaped puppet, "Sasori!"

"I beat you here." A mechanical voice was heard from the center of the room and everyone looked, seeing a man, half black and half white, rising up from the ground.

Sasori responded in his raspy voice, "I wasn't aware we were racing, Zetsu."

Zetsu's human voice laughed, "That's why it was so easy to win."

"Zetsu…" Sasori couldn't think of a response and decided to ignore the schizophrenic man, "Deidara, I swear, only you could get yourself trapped like this. I don't know why I even bother." He flexed out his puppet arms as if making sure they were still there, then retracted them.

Three was a shuffling sound, as well as grunts and mumbling coming from the hole. Moments later Kakashi and Sakura climbed down, both covered in dirt and coughing.

"I thought you said this would be easy." Sakura shook her head to get some of the small rocks out of it.

"Easy for me." Sasori laughed.

Gaara ran over to the opening and looked through it, "Does this go to the surface?"

"For a little while." Kakashi answered. It's very treacherous, though."

"I'll take care of that." Gaara started to gather more sand so he could coat the small tunnel and fortify it.

"No one appears to be injured." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she repeated the information into a radio transmitter attached to her neck.

Zetsu spoke up, addressing Deidara, "I have new orders for you. As I already told Sasori, Madara has lost to Itachi and is ordering everyone to stand-down and go home. Or in the case of Akatsuki… you are now officially unemployed."

"Great. I bet I don't even get a check with that." Deidara replied grumpily, before grinning broadly, "That means you and me can travel around and practice art without anyone telling us what to do!"

Sasori sighed, then spoke in a sarcastic voice, "Yeah, great. I'm really looking forward to that."

"The Jinchuuriki are free to go, of course."

"Then I'm out of here." Roushi ran forward and within seconds was not only out of sight, but his chakra was gone.

"Us too." Bee responded as he stood up, then yelled as loud as he could, "This party is over!"

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Madara opened his eyes slowly, and as consciousness returned so did the events of his fight with Itachi. An intense feeling of loss and humiliation washed over him as he pushed himself up to a seated position and tried to get a handle of his current situation.

His eyes were immediately drawn to a large statue that stood motionless towards the back of large, dimly lit cave. It's many eyes and the massive forty foot tall hands that were positioned in front of it brought out a new emotion: regret.

"So you're awake." The woman's voice was calm and even as she knelt down and handed him a cup of water, "Drink this. You've been asleep for several hours. It's almost five-o'clock."

He grasped the cup with both hands and drank greedily, holding it out for a refill a moment later. She dutifully poured more of the refreshing cool liquid and sat down in front of him, placing the pitcher nearby.

"Konan, why am I here? Where's Sora?" he looked around and found his uncle snoring peacefully nearby.

"Nagato ordered us to bring you two here. Kisame's crew had decided to rip you into a hundred pieces when they realized the fight was over and you were still alive. He was trying to get them back under control when we left."

"Humph." Madara had a sudden urge to be alone, to hide from the world and die. But if what Itachi had said was true, if Izanami had placed a curse on him then death was definitely a long time coming.

Konan continued, "The Uchiha clan are parked outside the cave and are waiting for your guidance."

"Humph." They were the last people he wanted to see. He heard Konan sigh and looked up at her. She was staring fixedly at the ground, her dark eyes seemed clouded behind heavy thoughts and the bags under her eyes spoke of a lifetime of sleepless nights. In spite of that, her smooth skin was like porcelain and her blue hair perfectly arranged in a bun. She was nothing short of elegant. An angel.

"They… they are disappointed the plan has failed. But at the same time… I think they are also relieved."

"Perhaps."

"Madara…"

"Look, I'm not really in the mood to talk right now…"

"Too bad." Nagato transported his life-support unit a few feet from the elder Uchiha. "There are some things you need to decide and while you think you may have the luxury of time, you don't. In many ways, you have less time than I do."

Madara looked up curiously at the Rinnegan user and frowned, not understanding the man's meaning. He had been tasked with saving the lives of way too many people and could not die until that task was completed. Nagato, on the other hand, had used his jutsu to call forth the god of death far too many times, dramatically shortening his lifespan.

Nagato continued, "Aya is still waiting for you, as well."

"She will leave me. There is nothing to hold her to me." Madara declared morosely.

"I think you don't give her enough credit." Konan spoke up, "She's grown up a lot since you first met her. I believe, in a way, both of you were fated to be together. She is quite worried about your welfare, but as an Uchiha, is unable to show it. You should have realized that by now."

"That makes her one of the people I would be punished for hurting." Madara said quietly. "I really don't understand how this is going to work. I can't be the Mizukage anymore. So how…"

"It seems to me that Water country is full of unfortunate circumstances." A strong voice broke into the conversation followed, moments later, by its owner. A tall blue man with a large sword strapped to his back.

Madara nodded his head, surprised at Kisame's sudden arrival, "That it is."

"Pein… well, I guess I should call him Yahiko now, told me everything and from what I can gather helping people one at a time is not going to work."

"So what do you propose? You sound like you've been thinking hard about this." Madara replied sarcastically.

"For years, actually." Kisame admitted, "I realized a long time ago that there were two ways to save Water country. The first was to kill the Daimyou, which I did, and the second was to follow you and bring about the 'eye of the moon' plan." He sighed and turned to stare at the statue, "Killing the Daimyou didn't change much. The country is still knee deep in poverty and civil war. And of course, your plan fell through. So, near as I can figure, the only option now is for you to become the Daimyou."

That was too much and Madara wondered just when his old friend had gone insane. His blank stare was certainly a signal to Nagato, however, and the red-head nodded, "Perhaps that is the best option, at least for now. However, I am opposed to the Daimyou system of hereditary governance."

"As am I." Madara admitted. "However, I will think about what you have said and discuss it with Sora. Perhaps… there is merit to your thinking."

"I would be willing to work with you." Kisame admitted reluctantly.

Madara sighed, he knew what it would mean for the man to return to the Daimyou's castle. How hard it would be for him to walk through the halls of the government that had been responsible for the death of his family. "Thank-you for the offer Kisame, but you don't have to…"

"I do." Kisame interrupted. "I joined Akatsuki to make a difference. To end this perpetual lie we call life. Your failure is also my failure."

"So, you are also one of them…" Madara realized there were a lot of people he could easily hurt without realizing it and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness washed over him. As the number of people piled up, the lives that he could touch directly and indirectly multiplied exponentially. "This is impossible. It can't be done."

"Maybe Itachi hasn't told us everything." Sora had awoken and was pushing himself up. Konan got to her feet so she could offer him some water. His haggard face and slumped shoulders mirrored Madara's feelings so perfectly that he actually felt a little better. At least he wasn't alone.

Sora smiled at the look his nephew was giving him, "Finally realized it, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so." Madara nodded once and returned his uncle's smile. He was still feeling overwhelmed, humiliated and pissed off, but perhaps there really was a way to get through this. And perhaps, there was also a way to bring some semblance of peace to the world as well. If only for a little while.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"We've stabilized his condition but he should rest here overnight. We'll ship him back to Konoha in the morning." The medic addressed a worried Fugaku with a smile on her lips and a cheerful lilt in her voice. "In the meantime, you should go get something to eat. They should be starting to serve dinner soon. Itachi, I'm sorry, but you'd be better off sipping some soup right now."

"That's fine. I'm not hungry." The teen was feeling ten times worse than he had when his father had dropped him off at the medic tent several hours earlier and food was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Understandable." The orange-haired woman nodded, "You won't die if you miss a couple meals. I'll setup an IV to keep you from getting dehydrated though." She wondered off to find the equipment and Fugaku knelt down on the floor next to the futon Itachi was reclining on.

"You look like shit." The man relayed with a straight face.

"Yeah. Thanks for stating the obvious." Itachi responded quietly. "What's going on outside? Are they still fighting?"

"The Mist Uchiha backed down immediately. Two Akatsuki, Kakuzu and Hidan were still fighting but disappeared a few hours ago. They said something about having enough bodies… not sure what exactly was going on there… probably related to Hidan's crazy region. Sasori helped Kakashi's team rescue the Jinchuuriki. The earthquakes from Madara's naginata collapsed the cave they were in. There really wasn't much else going on. Everyone was so focused on Madara that when Zetsu told them all he lost they just kind of backed off and disappeared."

"That's to be expected, I guess. Their paycheck dries up and they go off to look for a new one." Itachi was relieved that the danger was over, but he was also knowledgeable enough to understand that it wasn't as simple as it sounded. But for now, he was content with leaving the clean-up to others as another concern crossed his mind, "What about Sasuke?"

"Kakashi just got to them a few minutes ago so I haven't seen him yet. He's going to be disappointed that I'm sending him to live in Mist. But, he hates me already…"

"Don't say that." Itachi replied in a tired voice, then laughed. "You two are so much alike."

"Perhaps." Fugaku wasn't sure he agreed with that, but arguing the point would be, well, pointless.

"So have you heard anything form Madara?"

"Konan and Pein took him to the cave Nagato was waiting in. I spoke with Kisame for a few minutes as well and he said he was going to make an offer to Madara. Don't know what they're up to, but I guess whatever it is, it won't be taking over the world."

"True. But the statue… the demons already in it..."

"There are four, yes. I hate to say it, but they will have to be removed. It can't hold them for long. But we don't have to think about that for a while so don't worry about it."

Itachi closed his eyes. He was feeling very sleepy and as the healer inserted the IV in his arm he found himself drifting off. Sheeta and the twins crossed his thoughts and his eyes opened wide, he was alive and in the morning he was going home to his family. The pain in his lungs, muscles and the headache that throbbed in his skull were forgotten at the realization that his life had just shifted again. And this time, it was a good shift. Perhaps the nightmare he had been living was finally over.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Next week, Fugaku and Sasuke talk, Itachi returns to Konoha and Madara is still sulking, but realizes he has a new goal to achieve.**

**Again, I'm sorry this was so short.**

**Please review!**


	83. Chapter 83 That Place He Calls Home

**Thanks for all the reviews and favs!**

**Manga: So Konan can use her paper jutsu in the rain. She kept that a secret, didn't she? Good for her! And she wounded Madara! But I remembered that Kabuto is now working for Akatsuki so he'll get a new arm… somehow… probably… xD Proving beyond a doubt that Kishimoto is capable of writing powerful, beautiful women. Either that or he hired a ghost writer to do it for him…**

**Next week will be the epilogue, so, please review and let me know what you think.**

**I always have trouble thinking up title, but I like the title to this chapter because "He" can refer to any number of people in the story. **

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Chapter 83 That Place He Calls Home**

Food was the last thing on Fugaku's mind as he ignored the suggestion from the medic to have some dinner and instead left the Konoha base camp to head towards the collapsed hideout. The early evening sun was still warm and the chirping birds and rustling bushes signaled that the animals Madara had scared away with his jutsus had returned. Although they were no doubt still spooked by the sudden shaking of the earth and intense waves of chakra, instinct told them where to find food and where their nests and dens were. They couldn't help but return.

"A lot like people, I guess." Fugaku muttered to himself. "A bird will almost always rebuild a destroyed nest in the same place, and we just keep going back to our villages and rebuilding the same corrupt, violent society."

"Ah! There you are." Kakashi was sitting on a boulder talking to Sasori, Bee and Yugito while the rest of the group, including Naruto and Sasuke sat on the ground finishing up their dinner.

"Yeah… this place took a lot of damage. You were lucky to get out." Fugaku observed as he surveyed the jumbled earth, boulders and uprooted trees that were bad enough to make anyone loose hope that there would be survivors. It just didn't seem possible.

"Dumb luck, if you ask me." Sasori responded drily.

Fugaku took a quick count and frowned, "There's one missing."

"He took off." Naruto answered, referring to the Jinchuuriki from the Stone village. "He was afraid they would make him go back to his village."

"Hmm." The clan lord knew the Stone Kage would be very upset to hear that, but as long as he had gotten out safe and was well enough to run away then it wasn't completely bad news.

"Sasuke," The boy cringed when Fugaku called his name and he closed his eyes momentarily knowing how hard this was going to be, "we need to talk."

All eyes were on Sasuke as he stood up and followed his father back along the path. They stopped a couple hundred feet from the group and each leaned back against the rough bark of a pine tree.

"This isn't going to be what you want to hear, son." Fugaku's voice was calm as he fixed his eyes firmly on the young boy in front of him, "But you're going to have to return to Mist."

"What? Why?" Sasuke hadn't intended for the exclamations to come out as a whine, but they did anyway. "I don't want to go back!"

"I know, but we need someone to keep an eye on the Uchiha there. Sora has to step down as clan leader in order to fulfill the terms of the goddesses' curse. You are perfect for that role."

"M…me?" Sasuke stuttered. It sounded almost like a compliment, like his father had finally recognized his abilities and was bestowing an honor on him. Saying that he was capable of managing the affairs of the Mist branch of the clan came with a large amount of responsibility and faith. But at the same time, the twelve-year-old boy inside of him balked, "I can't do that! I don't know anything about how to…"

"Sora will stay and teach you. And you will have the elder council to help. And, of course, I will be standing behind you. I believe there were a few things about that clan that you wanted to change?"

Sasuke stood straight and his eyes opened wide. There were a lot of things he wanted to change. The classism between the main and side branches, the elitism of the elder council, the ostracism of clan members who did not wish to be shinobi, and of course, the ceremony that robbed young ninja and kunoichi of their lives.

"I guess… I'll do my best." Sasuke had meant for the words to come out firm and full of commitment, but they were meek and barely spoken above a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again and this time he succeeded, "I'll do my best. I'll learn a lot from Sora and study hard and help them."

"That's my boy." Fugaku smiled reassuringly. The boy's hesitation and nervousness were reassuring for some reason and it took him a minute to realize why. There was no arrogance in the promise. He new that years ago when he was twelve and studying under his mentor he was full of arrogance and that emotion was more than encouraged by those around him. It had almost destroyed his life, his families lives, and his clan.

It was certainly no indication that Sasuke wouldn't grow up to become like that, but all Fugaku could do, or even knew how to do, was to step aside and let his son grow up on his own. And trust in his judgement.

"Do I get to go home first? Before I leave?" Sasuke asked shyly. After all, he had left under less than ideal circumstances and returning, while sitting in his heart as his deepest wish, was also going to be highly embarrassing.

"Mikoto would have my head if I said no." Fugaku laughed. "Of course you can come. It will likely take a couple months for Mist village to settle down anyway. They have to find a new Kage and the Uchiha have to prepare for your arrival. It's better if they deal with each event individually instead of all at once."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

As expected, Sasuke's friends were a little less than excited about him leaving permanently. But at the same time, they were happy he was going to be in a position to make a difference with the notoriously militant Mist village.

Naruto was the most disappointed, having looked forward to his foster brother's return for months. And of course Sakura and Sai were sitting next to him, later that night in the Konoha camp, feeling just as dejected.

"We're never going to be together again." Naruto pouted.

"You can visit." Sasuke tried to reassure him. "And… we can write letters to each other."

"It won't be the same." Sakura sighed. "It was fun going on missions we always had a good time. It was easy for me to forget my parent were gone when I was with you guys."

"He's not dead, you know." Kakashi joined them and dropped down to the ground, "And even though Sasuke is leaving, the team is still staying together. They won't let me get rid of you guys that easy."

Naruto laughed, "As if you'd want to!"

The white haired jounin grinned nervously and scratched his head, remembering all the times he had wished he could stuff the noisy loudmouth in a barrel and send him down the river. Then of course there was the boy-crazy Sakura and the know-it-all and completely tactless Sai whom he wished, at times, had barrels of their own. But when all was said and done, "No, I wouldn't trade you guys for the world. I wouldn't want my life to get boring, after all."

That amused Sasuke and he laughed for the first time in who knew how long, "If I get lonely I'll just hire Team 7 for a party at my place."

"That's the idea!" Naruto responded energetically, "We'll teach them Mist people how to party!"

"Good luck with that." Sai responded drily. "Like you know anything about throwing a party."

The five friends talked until early morning, finally falling asleep where they sat just as the sun was rising.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

A familiar sense of urgency greeted Itachi as he opened his eyes. He could feel a hand on his legs and he pulled back as he tried to stand up, only to be restrained by several more hands.

"Calm down, we're getting ready to transport you to Konoha." He blinked his eyes as the reality of where he was and what the situation was returned to him. The medic smiled warmly as he calmed down and relaxed. She was strapping him to a special stretcher that would be placed in a horse-drawn cart. Because several other shinobi were also being transported it would guarantee that they weren't jostled too much by the ride or tossed around and injured worse than they already were.

"Sorry about that… I just…"

The medic laughed, "Don't worry about it. It's normal for a ninja to react like that when they wake up in the field and feel people near them. I'm used to it. All part of the job, you know."

"That's why we're here." Two large, muscular ninjas stood nearby smiling. Obviously they had been prepping several other injured Shinobi if the bruises and cuts on their faces and arms were any indication.

"I should get a picture of this, un." Deidara, his hair drawn up completely in a topknot and his blue eyes free of his eye scope stared down at him. Gone were the Akatsuki cloak, uniform, and in its place a pair of khaki shorts and a pale blue and white striped tank top. "Itachi tied up, un."

"Sheeta would probably want a copy too." Kisame strode up behind the blond and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You two can fight over it."

Deidara frowned and muttered, annoyed "That's not what I meant."

Itachi decided to ignore the comment and address his pirate friend, "Where have you been?"

"With Madara." He dropped down into a folding chair and stretched his legs out in front of him and yawned loudly. "He's in pretty bad shape, mentally and physically. Can't say I feel sorry for him though. We reap what we sow." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Then again, we sow what those before us have reaped. It's such a frustratingly confusing conundrum that I try not to dwell on it."

"So…" Deidara tried to understand what Kisame had just said, "He did what he did because someone else drove him to it… then… then… he went too far."

"You got it!" Kisame laughed, "More or less."

"What are his plans? Has he considered any yet?" Itachi asked as he folded his arms over his chest. He was thankful the medic didn't feel the need to bind them as well. Some, of course, were a little more "rope" happy than others.

Kisame was silent for several minutes before continuing in a low, thoughtful voice that didn't really sound like him, "I brought up a course of action. I suggested that Madara place himself in the position of Water country Daimyou. I offered to become his aide. He believes the woman he has working as the 'acting' Daimyou should take his place as Mizukage. And of course Sasuke will study under Sora to replace him as clan chief."

"That's a big responsibility." Itachi observed, "I know how much you hate the capital. Are you sure this is something you can do?"

His advice made Kisame smile, "When exactly did you grow up to become so wise? What happened to that little kid I pulled out of the river so many years ago? Hmm… so much has changed. So much… but perhaps this is exactly what I need to do."

Itachi tried to laugh, but it hurt his bruised chest and he settled for smiling, "If I remember right you were the one who dumped me in the river in the first place." He turned to Deidara, "What are you going to do?"

The teen smiled, flashing his white teeth, "I'm going to Konoha to visit for a while then I'm going to travel around with Sasori. We're talking about some sort of artist village or something where artists can go and… well… practice art! And other people will come and buy our stuff."

"Sasori wants this?" Kisame said skeptically. "He doesn't seem like the type to settle in one place."

"He is." Deidara assured him, "He has several houses but because he's a wanted criminal he has to keep moving."

Itachi responded dryly, "Yeah, I can see how stealing corpses and turning them into puppets would get you driven out of your neighborhood frequently."

"Exactly!" Deidara laughed.

The medic interrupted, "It's time to go now, Itachi. I'm going to sedate you so you can sleep during the journey."

"How come you're sending him by cart and not jutsu?" Kisame asked curiously.

"The transportation jutsu used for that is reserved for only the worst cases because the amount of chakra it requires limits the number of times it can be done. We also could use animal summons, but they tend to travel in odd ways and, well, not many people want to travel in a frog belly or tied to the back of a dog or wolf."

"True. True." Kisame stood and yawned again. "Well, I've got to get back to the ship and get some sleep. We'll be in touch, Itachi." With that he folded his hands in front of him and disappeared.

Deidara moved toward the exit of the large tent, "I'll see you in Konoha, Itachi, un." But Itachi was already asleep before he finished his sentence.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

_A scared and blood Sasuke looked up into his eyes as Itachi held him up by the neck against the wall. The young boy's fear and hatred evident in his eyes and his trembling body. The pain he was feeling went unnoticed._

_Yet it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to guarantee his survival. It wasn't enough to save his friends. It wasn't enough to ensure the future of the Uchiha clan. And it wasn't enough to kill the man who had murdered the entire clan._

_Sasuke wasn't nearly as powerful as he should have been. Something was holding him back. Something was keeping him from seeking vengeance. _

_Itachi snuck a quick glance behind him. Jiraiya and Naruto stood several feet down the hall near Kisame, who was holding them back with his sword. He realized what was holding his little brother back._

'_I'll just have to remind him why I let him live.' His eyes bled into their Mangekyou form and as he entered the boy's mind he showed him the events of that night. The murdered bodies, husbands trying to protect wives, wives mourning over the bodies of husbands as they, too, succumbed. Every horrible detail was shown in gory detail._

_When it ended he leaned down and whispered into his brother's ear… "It's because you lack hatred."_

_The scene changed to a black and red world and Itachi found himself standing in front of himself. There was no wind, no scent, just the "nothingness" that was the world Itachi had created for his Tsukuyomi jutsu._

"_You again." The other Itachi's eye's face was bitter and his haunted eyes stern, almost hypnotic. His voice, while even and tempered, was nevertheless angry and full of spite, "What do you want?"_

"_N…nothing. I don't know why or how I got here." He paused, "Who are you?"_

"_Itachi Uchiha. Member of Akatsuki."_

"_No, that can't be. Akatsuki no longer exists."_

_There was silence for several minutes, then the other Itachi spoke up in a softer voice, "Really? So… then…" He locked eyes with his doppelganger and smiled, "Thank-you."_

Itachi cried out as he sat up in bed and threw the blankets off of his body.

"What are you doing young man? Get back into bed!" A stern woman's voice commanded and, guessing that he was probably in the hospital in Konoha by now, fully expecting to see Tsunade standing over him. To his surprise it was his mother.

"S…sorry." Itachi dropped back down onto the mattress and sighed, "Bad dream."

"Obviously." The woman sat down on a nearby chair, then smiled, "Everyone has been having bad dreams. Sasuke had one last night that you beat him up."

"He… didn't!" Itachi was shocked at the revelation, "Because I had a dream that I beat him up!"

"You two. Sometimes I don't know what to do with you." Luckily she just dropped the matter, and Itachi was glad he didn't have to explain any further. Whatever had happened it was in al alternate reality, apparently. He remembered a few other dreams he had like that and blamed his eyes. The Sharingan was obviously full of mystery.

But the smile that other Itachi had given him wouldn't leave his thoughts. What did it mean?

'I'll probably never know.' He thought to himself, 'And somehow, that makes me happy.' That world where Sheeta died, where his parents died, where his children were never born, it was too much to contemplate. To much…

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Stay here and don't leave the cabin. I'll bring everything you need to you. If the crew finds out I'm granting you passage back to Water they'll have my head." Kisame instructed his two "guests." "The bathroom is through that door, including a sink for water."

"Thank-you, Kisame." Madara answered without emotion. While he was grateful to Kisame for allowing him on board, he would have rather stayed behind at the base – even if it was almost completely destroyed – for a while to think. But Sora had other plans. He wanted to get back and get things put into motion. He needed to prepare for Sasuke's arrival, and of course Madara needed to petition the elder council to find a new Mizukage.

And of course there was Aya. He needed to talk to her. He needed to convince her to stay with him. Madara had realized in the last twenty-four hours just how much he looked forward to seeing her again. And their unborn child. He wanted to see her grow up. Just as much as he was looking forward to seeing Sasuke grow up.

Kisame smiled, "You're taking this better than I thought."

"What was I supposed to be doing?" He walked over to the two-foot wide window and stared out at the shrinking coastline. The sun was coming up and he wondered how many more sunrises he would see before he could finally fulfill the terms of his curse. Hundred? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Or, god forbid, millions?

"You do have quite a temper, you know."

"I'm too tired to throw a tantrum. Maybe later." His voice was tired, and of course it wasn't an act. The fight three days ago had drained him considerably and his bruised body and ego were taking a while to heal.

Sora laid down on one of the two narrow twin beds, "Me too."

"Well, that's good. No trouble from you guys then. I just have a drunken crew to deal with then. They just can't stop celebrating, you know." He laughed, "At this point I'm not sure they even know what they're celebrating anymore!"

"Maybe someday I can join them." Madara smiled, "Let me know, Kisame, what I can do…"

Kisame laughed again, "It's on the list, Madara, and no doubt it will make them very happy. They want their home back. The lost villages the previous Daimyou's destroyed."

"Whirlpool? That was the biggest."

"Yeah. And a half-dozen others. But we can discuss it later." There was a sudden bang from the port side of the ship and Kisame jumped to the door, "Right now I need to get that cannon out of the reach of a bunch of drunken pirates before they end up sinking the ship. I don't really feel like walking to Water country."

As the door closed Madara dropped down onto his bed and stretched, "I've slept almost two days straight and I still feel like I could sleep another week."

"Me too."

"Me three." Madara and Sora sat straight up and stared wide eyed at the intruder.

"Zetsu?" The elder Uchiha gasped in shock.

"Hi." He waved good naturedly as his alter-ego spoke in a robotic monotone, "I told you we should have asked if we could come instead of popping up like this."

Madara shook his head, "Welcome aboard, old friend. There are only two beds but if you ask nicely I think Kisame can find an empty room for you. No need to hang out with us, I know how solitary you are."

"Thank-you." The white side responded politely, "I will ask then." The black also commented, "We'll wait here until he comes back." He stood up and closed the Venus flytrap appendage over his head. A few seconds later he was sound asleep.

"I guess he doesn't need a bed." Madara observed. "Funny how I never noticed that before."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Shisui snuggled deeper in his grandfather's arms as Itachi looked on with amazement. Fugaku actually seemed attached to the infant despite his handicaps and in the month since he had returned to Konoha he seemed to spend a lot of time with the young boy. Of course, the fact that Shisui seemed to respond better to his therapy the more physical contact he had endeared him to all the baby-crazy adults and teenagers he came into contact with.

"Look at this, he can lift his arms." Fugaku wriggled his fingers a few inches from his grandson and smiled as the boy lifted his arms about three inches and tried to grab them.

"It's certainly a big improvement." Itachi agreed. The prognosis for his son wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either. A specialist had visited the family and said it looked like Shisui would probably gain partial use of his arms, but his legs would never be strong enough to walk. Of course, he also said that was no reason to stop trying.

Rumiko hadn't escaped the specialist's interest either. But while her prognosis was better, his diagnosis was that she also had problems with motor function and one ear was completely deaf.

"It's all that Danzou's fault." Was what the clan kept whispering. But Itachi didn't care anymore. He had seen what the life of a shinobi did to children and he was more than ready and eager to see his kids live the life a kid should lead. Besides, they would learn jutsus, and he would make sure they could protect themselves. Because if there was one thing he understood, it was that there were no guarantees in life.

A happy day today was no guarantee tomorrow wouldn't be full of tears.

He was broken out of his thoughts as Rumiko let loose with an ear-splitting screech. Smiling he looked over and saw Sasuke and Naruto covering their ears and laughing.

"I bet that's some kind of secret jutsu." The blond laughed.

"'Drive-your-family-insane' no jutsu." Sheeta laughed as she picked up the crying baby and draped her over her shoulder. Rumiko immediately quieted down and proceeded to blow spit bubbles.

"I'm going to miss them when I leave." Sasuke observed. "But I have a little sister coming soon."

"I still can't believe Aya decided to stay with Madara." Sheeta sighed. "But at least we can travel over there without all that tension now. Somehow, that makes her seem closer to us than before."

"Your mother will be accompanying Sasuke to Mist so she can be with Aya during the last part of her pregnancy." Mikoto spoke up, "She'll take lots of pictures and write lots of pictures, no doubt."

The warm summer day continued pleasantly for the family as they tried, for that day at least, to put the past behind them and look forward to the future. Because now they had a future.

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**The End.**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x **

**Next week will be the last chapter. We'll skip forward ten years and see how everyone is doing. **

**Yeah, Itachi's kids have problems, I know a lot of you said you wanted them to be Shinobi, but sometimes life doesn't work out that way. I could go into a long explanation, but I think just telling you to wait for next week to see how they turn out is better.**

**I kind of feel like the ending was pretty weak. It definitely lacked the emotion of the first story, but then the circumstances are completely different. It was very hard to write and I kept revising it (which may have been a mistake.) **

**Please review! Updates on Fridays**


	84. Epilogue

**Here it is, the very last chapter of the story. It's long, but I couldn't stop writing. There were far too many characters in the story and I tried to mention most of them. **

**Thank-you to all you who reviewed or fav'd the story, or just lurked around and read every week. It really made me want to continue.**

**I have been considering another story, based on Madara's childhood, but I'm still not sure I want to write another weekly story. I don't have as much time to write now as I did (as you can tell by the last few chapters). If I do write it I may do bi-weekly updates instead.**

**Edited to add Sasori... can't believe I forgot him...**

**Anyway, here it is!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

**Epilogue**

Itachi yawned wide as he stood up and stretched. He had been up all night on a stake-out outside of a store in the shopping district trying to find out who was breaking in and stealing merchandise. The fact that it was weapons shop made the operation that much more important. Of course, the thief never showed up meaning there would be another round of stake-outs that night.

He didn't mind though. As he bent down and pulled the ten-year-old Shisui to his feet and held him up until Rumiko could hand him his crutches he considered his job as Chief of Police to be the most rewarding and pleasant career he could have ever wished for. After all, being able to attend events with his family instead of making excuses for missing them was certainly a dream come true.

"Why can't we sit on chairs at the temple?" The boy complained.

"Because." Rumiko's annoyed answer at her brothers never-ending complaint about the lack of chairs in the world was old and, to her, pointless. After all, there were lots of people to help him and she would certainly never leave him behind.

"This is a sacred occasion, Shisui. So we had to sit on the floor. That's what momma said!" The seven-year-old boy who stared up at his sister with wide eyes and was the fourth of Itachi's five children, and definitely the most troublesome. Seemingly fearless, Yuki had been born during a terrible snow storm in January and, of course, his name therefore meant "snow". He truly seemed at times to still be riding the gale force winds that had blown through the village that afternoon as he ran headlong into whatever trouble caught his eye.

Itachi looked around for kid number three and saw him standing with Naruto, Hinata and their young daughter. 'Where else would Haruka be?' He thought to himself. Though not as big of a trouble maker as Yuki, he had latched on to his uncle Naruto at an early age, entranced by the man's stories of adventure and sacrifice.

"It's a wedding. So what." Rumiko was definitely not the romantic type and was less than impressed with the frivolous clothes she had been forced to wear or having to be around adults who expected her to behave in a manner befitting the next head of the Uchiha clan.

Sheeta and Mikoto laughed as Ino rapped the little girl lightly on the head, "Show some respect, do you know how many years Sakura has been trying to drag that belligerent good-for-nothing to the alter? Six. That's how long. If it were me I would have found someone else."

"Sometimes I wish you had." Shikamaru mumbled under his breath, then smiled warmly at Rumiko who was now looking at him with a confused expression on her face. He went on to explain, "Ino got me by asking my mother if she could marry me instead of asking me! How's that for dirty play."

Ino laughed, "Well, I know what I want and I know how to get it. Besides, I know you're happy/"

"Yeah, kind of hard not to be. Right Chouji?" He hoisted his two-year-old son in the air and smiled as the boy laughed.

Sheeta adjusted her own two-year-old daughter so she could see the action. The girl was rubbing her eyes and yawning, "I can't believe Aina slept through the whole thing. Thank god for that. She was fussy all night and wouldn't take a nap at all this morning."

"Shall we go to the reception?" Mikoto interrupted, "I have to admit, I'm starving."

"Me too." Fugaku stepped forward and placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder. "Let's get going, kid."

Shisui nodded and using his crutches for support pulled himself forward. His legs had never gained the strength to walk, but he could stand and with the help of his crutches was not confined to a wheelchair. Although he did have one, nonetheless. Sometimes, it was just easier, and he considered that perhaps he should have brought it instead of the crutches to the wedding. However, he quickly changed his mind when he saw the large spread of food on about fifteen tables in the garden behind the Konoha temple. Being a small child, it was difficult to see over a table in his wheelchair. He might miss some of the food.

"So where's the groom?" Itachi smirked, looking around at the large gathering of people. The wedding had been huge, considering how popular the couple was, and about three times the number of people who had attending the actual exchange of vows were expected to show up at the reception.

"Right here." The voice was no more than two feet behind him, "She won't let me leave until it's over, un. I hate crowds."

"I never thought you'd actually get married. I half expected you to run away." Itachi admitted truthfully. "Mr. and Mrs. Um… what name are you guys using? I don't think I ever heard your last name come to think of it."

"Sakura's. I'm now Mr. Deidara Haruno." He gave them a sad smile, "My own name reminds me too much of how my idiot dad kicked me out of the house when I was a kid because his new wife didn't want me around. That's why I only went by 'Deidara' for so many years. There was no way I was going to burden Sakura with it. Or our children. If we have any, un."

Itachi wondered what Deidara as a father would look like and shook his head at the vision of a toddler being taught how to mold clay explosives went through his brain. Perhaps some people weren't meant to have kids he decided. He looked over at the pink-haired bride who was currently besieged by guests complimenting her on her beautiful emerald green kimono. Sakura would be just as bad. She would probably have the toddler learning to control his chakra by climbing the walls.

An image of a two-year old crawling around on the ceiling and dropping small bombs on people was too much and Itachi snickered. He reached up and placed a hand on Deidara's shoulder, "Old friend, I hope you have many children. I see great things for your future." As he walked away he heard the blond cursing, then mutter something about Sake and octopus.

Turning around he watched Deidara disappear into the crowd and wondered if he was still disappointed Sasori refused to come to the wedding. It wasn't unexpected, though. The puppetmaster preferred the solitary life and coming anywhere near a ninja village was not pleasant for him. The last time Itachi had seen him was almost nine years ago at which time Sasori had informed him that he was still waiting for an Uchiha corpse to join his puppet collection. The young Uchiha had told him not to keep his hopes up, but Sasori had just laughed and changed the subject. After that, Deidara would come and go from Konoha, first to visit with Sasuke and later to spend time with Sakura. Sasori was still very important to the blond, though, and another disturbing thought popped into his head.

Sasori babysitting Deidara and Sakura's kids and teaching them how to make human puppets. Then there would be a kid hiding behind a cabinet controlling a puppet crawling around on the ceiling dropping clay blombs on people. He lost it and began laughing. Lucking he interrupted from imagining more disturning images.

"Father…" Shisui was now walking beside him, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did." He gave his son a wide grin.

"That one's getting old, you know." The boy grimaced, pretending to be in pain at the bad joke.

"Okay. What is it?" He stopped walking and bent over so he could look his son in the eyes.

The boy seemed suddenly hesitant and shifted uncomfortably on his crutches, "Rumiko asked me… why… why does Grandfather pay more attention to Sasuke than to you?"

It took all of Itachi's self control not to laugh. The question had been serious, and the ever- watchful Rumiko was certainly bound to suspect something, sooner or later.

Shisui continued, "She said we shouldn't ask because grandfather might get mad. But I don't agree. He doesn't get mad. Not really."

"You never cease to amaze me Shisui. You have incredible insight when it comes to people. But as for your grandfather and uncle… well, he…" Itachi was silent for a minute. How exactly could he explain such a complicated subject to a boy who neither understood nor cared about the Shinobi lifestyle and, worse still, was only ten-years-old? "Your grandfather really misses Sasuke since he's always in Mist village, so when he comes here to visit he wants to be with him as much as possible."

"But grandfather goes to Mist a lot as well. We think there's something else going on."

Itachi knew that one day he would have to explain a lot of unpleasant things to his children, but as he looked around at the wedding reception and all the happy people eating, dancing, and talking, the details seemed far away and more like a half-forgotten story he read in a book than his real life.

"It's a long story, kid. A very, very long story." Suddenly tired he pulled up a chair and sat down so he could see his son without bending over, " I guess, the short version is that Sasuke ran away from home when he was eleven and Fugaku never forgave himself for that. And… I'm not sure Sasuke has ever forgiven him either."

"But Sasuke likes grandfather. He spends a lot of time with him and they talk and laugh and stuff."

"Yeah. It's one of those grown-up emotions. You can love someone and still have something between you that can't be overcome. Don't worry about it if you don't understand."

"Okay." The boy sounded downcast, but brightened up quickly enough, "Mom is waving at me. She probably wants to fix me a plate of food. Kind of hard to hold it myself with the crutches!" He gave his father a toothy grin and hurried away to get his dinner.

"That boy doesn't miss too many meals, does he?" The deep voice made Itachi turn. Kisame was smirking.

"Nope. Not him. The other four would forget to eat if we didn't tie them down and shove the food down their throats, but Shisui is always the first one at the table. Frankly, I don't know where he puts it all. He eats twice what his sister does and is still thin."

"Ha ha ha! Making up for your picky eating, that's what he's doing!" Kisame laughed, remembering all the times he had goaded the too-skinny and very picky teenage Itachi to eat.

"Maybe, maybe." He patted his friend on the arm and made his way to his families table.

X x x x x x x x x x x

"Too many weddings." Itachi complained under his breath as he stared down at the plate of food Mikoto plopped down in front of him. "I'm going to get fat if all our friends keep getting married. Why do you always fill the plate so full?"

"Because you don't eat enough, Itachi. When we let you go to the buffet table on your own you always come back with a small bowl of vegetables and a bowl of plain rice. Therefore you have been banned from getting your own food." Mikoto laughed at the withered look her son gave her. He had never been a gourmand and would probably be just as happy to live off of soldier pills and dango if left to his own devices. Luckily he had a lot of people around him to keep that from happening.

"I'll eat it for you, father!" Shisui piped up and before his mother could even put his plate on the table he had grabbed a slice of chicken with his chopsticks and shoved it in his mouth.

Sheeta smiled, "Considering how little Shisui ate as a baby it makes me happy to see he has a healthy appetite now."

"We're missing someone…" Itachi looked around the table and counted, "One, two, four, five… Where's three?"

Small hands wrapped themselves around Itachi's eyes, "Guess who?"

"Haruka?" Itachi was always amused by his third child's fascination with guessing games.

"I'm hungry." The boy sat down between Shisui and Fugaku, "I was with Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata. She's getting fat!"

"Ha ha, the baby's coming this week, so its understandable." Mikoto added. "That makes two kids for them. They got a ways to catch up with you, Itachi." The couple already had a fourteen month old daughter.

"I… yeah…" Itachi grinned. While he and Sheeta hadn't really set out to have five kids, expecting, ten years ago, that after everything they had gone through with Shisui and Rumiko, two would be more than enough, things just hadn't worked out that way. A year and a half later Haruka was born, because, well, why not? The logic wasn't important, it was the heart that mattered. And two more children followed in the years afterward.

While raising so many kids was difficult, especially with Shisui's disability and Rumiko who had developed heart problems as well as a learning disability that made it difficult for her to read or concentrate, they had a lot of help.

Itachi worked all day as the Police chief, of course, and was often called upon at night to act as clan chief while Sheeta pursued a career developing and breaking secret codes. Mikoto looked after the children during the day and Sheeta's Aunt would often come by to help as well.

Fugaku also helped, amazing enough. Itachi couldn't believe the man that was currently trying to get Aina to eat a piece of fish was really the same man who had broken his arm twenty-three years ago. The elder Uchiha laughed when the little girl made a sour face and spit out the morsel. He would never of done that back then… back when things were falling apart…

"It must be too salty for her." Sheeta was also laughing.

"I didn't think she'd like it." Fugaku wiped her chin. "I guess we'll stick to chicken for today." He placed a few chicken pieces on her plate and she immediately grabbed one in her tiny hands and began to nibble on it, a big grin on her face.

His father had become much more patient and was less prone to anger, although, of course, as ANBU advisor under Tsunade, he was certainly an expert at dropping that persona and becoming a ruthless ninja at a seconds notice.

A bellowing laugh caught his attention and looked over at the next table where Kisame was, most likely, teasing someone at their expense. The man's twisted sense of humor had never changed. Although his circumstances had. As the Water countries' Daimyou's right hand he executed great responsibility over that countries population. It seemed to suit him in some ways, and constrict him in others, but on the whole, he seemed happy. And the country itself had finally started to show signs of stability.

Of course, what had helped was Itachi's insistence that Kisame bring his daughters and niece to Water country to live with him as their father instead of "that guys who visits the temple occasionally and donates lots of money". He had balked at first, not wanting to tarnish their lives with his misdeeds, but after a year of arguing Kisame had finally given in and taken the three girls home.

"_They'll never forgive me for lying to them all these years. For saying I was just the guy who found them and took them to a safe place. For not telling them who I really was." The man had said with regret. _

But of course, they had suspected something was amiss and hadn't blamed him at all. In fact, they were quite happy to find out that their suspicions had been right. Kisame had just shaken his head in resignation and muttered something about never being able to understand women, even if they were kids.

However, they weren't kids anymore. They were teenagers, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen years old and, for the last few years, trying desperately to play matchmaker for their widowed father much to his chagrin. And perhaps it was working, if the dark haired woman who was sitting next to him squeezing his arm was any indication.

At the same table, surprisingly enough, was Madara, Aya, their nine-year-old daughter Ran and Sora. The little girl was watching the teens closely, and the look in her eyes was definitely one of admiration. For the most part they were the only other kids she had any interaction with. As the only child of the Daimyou it was too dangerous to send her to school so she had a tutor. There had already been several kidnapping attempts against all four girls and while it was regrettable, they had to be kept safe.

It was highly unusual for Madara to do any travelling at all. After being cursed he spent most of his time working long hours at the capital trying to right some of his many wrongs. It was difficult work, and often helping one group would mean harming another causing his "goodwill" to backfire. Slowly, but surely, though, Water country was moving forward. The endless civil wars had finally drawn to a close, meaning that trade routes could now re-open without fear of being robbed or murdered. He had also helped repatriate the destroyed villages that had, a long time ago, located themselves on small islands near Water country.

Whirlpool was the biggest and it turned out that about half of the pirates who had once followed Kisame were descendants of that island. The rest were spread out among three other minor villages in the same area. Naruto had been key to helping his mother's old home rebuild, spending a year living there as a liaison for Konoha during construction. They had wanted him to stay and become their kage, but he had his sights set on the place where he grew up.

Those islands were now provinces of Water country, borrowing its power to protect their shores instead of fending them off in war. The world had changed for them and hopefully it was for the better.

He saw his old teammate from his childhood, Yuri, sitting several table down with her husband and two kids, as well as several other members of her clan. Including Zetsu, who, it turned out, was also a member of that clan and had been welcomed back with open arms. Although he much preferred to live in a small house several miles from Konoha. It was very rare to see him enter Konoha and Itachi wondered how Yuri had managed it.

Looking closely, however, he became suspicious and without thinking let his Sharingan appear for a moment before letting it disappear again. Smiling he looked at his wife and pointed in Yuri's direction.

"Yeah, I know. She called me last night while you were at work." Sheeta returned his smile. "Apparently that vacation they took came with fringe benefits. She wanted to thank us for suggesting the resort and wanted to know which one our 'fringe benefits' was conceived there. I told her I didn't remember." The woman clapped her hands together and laughed.

Itachi looked over his kids who now seemed more interested in talking with each other than eating. Even Aina was trying to join in the conversation.

"I start school tomorrow!" Yuki bragged, flashing a toothy smile. "I'm going to be a ninja just like dad!"

"I'm going to be a ninja just like uncle Naruto!" Haruka added. He was already a student at the Academy and so far wasn't exactly following in his uncles footsteps. For one thing, he was first in his class and far too serious to truly be considered a clone of his mentor. But he didn't mind. He just wanted some adventure.

Itachi noticed that Rumiko's smile was forced and his heart went out to her. She had failed the physical examination for the Academy three years in a row and when she had asked to try again he had overridden her desires and told her "no". On the third try the medic had detected a heart murmur that, despite two surgeries, was still a problem. Her wishes of becoming a Kunoichi were gone.

Shisui, on the other hand, never expressed any desire to be a ninja. The coordination required to throw a kunai was so much harder than simple things like writing or using chopsticks that he openly wondered why anyone would want to do that. And of course, he knew about Danzou, who had poisoned his clan and caused his birth defects. Shisui had somehow, at the age of five, put two and two together and decided that if he became a ninja he would somehow become like Danzou.

Itachi had trouble arguing that, knowing that the one time founder of the "Root" organization, had probably lived out the purest form of the Shinobi lifestyle, and that he had been trained and raised in Konoha. Even as simple as Shisui's suppositions were, they had merit and no one had the heart to argue with him.

Rumiko and Shisui attended the civilian school, but the subjects were still based on the support of a Shinobi village. They were still taught self defense, as well as some basic Shinobi skills like hiding and walking silently, but they were also asked to choose a career path from about two dozen apprenticeships. Rumiko had chosen her mother's line of work and was in a program heavy with math. With her learning disability she found it easier to crunch numbers than to read, something that was baffling her therapist who decided that her brain was probably just wired weird and hoped it was sign that she could overcome her problem as she aged. In two years she would become an apprentice and work part time in her mother's office in the afternoon and attend classes at the school in the morning to prepare for the cryptography exam.

Shisui, on the other hand had surprised everyone with his choice. The ten-year-old had declared that he wanted to be a Shinto priest when he grew up. Of course, the school didn't have an apprenticeship specifically for that, so he was placed in the schools college prep program. If he still wished to be a priest, in a couple years he would transfer over to the Konoha Shrine and become a full-time apprentice. If he changed his mind he could attend the Konoha middle school and stay on the college prep track, eventually leading into high school and then university.

Time was passing quickly and before long the sun was hanging low on the horizon. It was early September and the warm summer was lingering, seemingly averse to giving over control of the seasons to autumn. Aina was asleep in her high chair and Yuki was draped over Sheeta's shoulder, also sound asleep.

"Another day is gone." Itachi sighed lightly. He stood up and carefully lifted the toddler without waking her.

"It's only seven o'clock." Shisui piped up in middle of yawning.

"I don't care. I'm tired." It wasn't surprising to hear Rumiko say that, after all she tired easily.

"Let's go then." Itachi looked around and saw Kisa and Toshiro dancing a waltz while the band played a rock ballad and shook his head. They were having a good time, though, if the big smiles on their face were any indication. Hanabi and Haku were dancing nearby while Zabuza and Kakashi leaned up against the outside wall of the temple with their noses buried in the latest novel from Jiraiya's newest "Paradise in the Forest" romance series. It had been released that morning and as Itachi turned to look he saw several other men (and women) sitting quietly and reading.

Jiraiya, who was now in his sixties was amusing several twenty-something kunoichi's with tales of his power. The in turn went along with it and laughed at all the right places. One of them turned to look Tsunade and gave her a decidedly bitter frown. Itachi wondered if the Kage had paid the girls to humor her old friend. If so, it must have been a lot of money.

"Are you through people watching?" Sheeta asked quietly as she looped her arm around his. "That's all you've done today."

"Just… remembering stuff. There's a lot of history here."

"This is a wedding, Itachi. You're not supposed to look at the past at the wedding. Just the future."

"That does make sense." Even so, as the family left the festivities and began to walk back to the Uchiha compound, Itachi couldn't help but think of the people who weren't at the party. From Sakura's parents, whose portraits had been posted prominently in the temple so their visages could see their daughter's wedding, to his old friends Shisui, Yota, his first team leader Yurina, his daugher's namesake Rumiko, Sheeta's older brother Fumitake. Names and faces raced through his mind as he listed the names of everyone close to him who had died. But he was interrupted by two teenage boys who ran up to intercept them.

"Leaving without us, huh?" Arata complained as he grabbed Shisui and lifted him off his feet and threw him on Yori's back.

"We're your taxi, cousin, come to take you home in style!" Yori adjust the boy as his brother took hold of the crutches. Within seconds they had run off at full speed.

"My poor brother, kidnapped again." Rumiko pretended to be sad, then smiled wide, "Better him than me. I don't know how he stands it. They go way too fast." She yawned again and Itachi handed the toddler to his wife and knelt down.

"Get on, Rumiko. You're falling asleep on your feet."

"Okay. Too tired to argue." She was asleep a couple minutes later, much to Itachi's chagrin.

"It's a good party if the kids fall asleep, I guess." Mikoto added.

"And the adults." Fugaku was also yawning. "Good thing we don't have events like that every week. I getting too old for this."

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

That night they caught their robber during the stake-out and Itachi found himself home earlier than he expected. As midnight approached he opened the door to the kitchen to grab some tea only to find Madara and Sasuke sitting there waiting for him.

"Don't you two ever sleep?" Itachi asked good naturedly. The bright fluorescent light seemed harsh after walking through the dark village. On the way home he happened to pass the temple and heard the party still going on.

"We could ask you the same question, couldn't we?" Sasuke smirked. "Did you catch your thief?"

"Finally. He figured since everyone was at the party he would have free reign. Didn't actually work out that way. He was, nevertheless, quite skilled. It turned out to be a sixteen-year-old delinquent from the Hyuuga clan so we had to get Hinata involved as well, unfortunately. She wasn't very happy about it. That kid keeps getting in trouble."

"Reminds me of someone." Madara spoke up.

"Yeah. Yota. But he never made it to sixteen. And this kids got a better family than Yota did. He's just a troublemaker. Nevertheless, he's facing jail this time. Stealing weapons is a hundred times worse than stealing snacks or porn. He really made a bad choice this time." He paused as he heard something from the living room.

Sasuke spoke up as he poured his older brother a cup of tea, "Natsuko, Sheeta, Aya and mom are watching a movie. Dad went to bed."

"Hmm." He figured it was probably a Samurai movie of some sort. Girls seemed to like the valiant type.

"Rumiko sure has a lot of medical stuff in her room." Madara replied. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, thank-you for your concern. Most of it is just left over from when the twins were babies. But she does have to be connected to a monitor while she sleeps. She's scheduled for another exam at the end of October. A specialist in Wind country wants to look at her." He changed the subject, "So how is your baby doing, Sasuke?"

"Ha, ha." The man laughed and scratched the back of his head. The two-month-old infant was too young to travel so she was left in the care of her grandparents for a couple weeks. "We're leaving tomorrow morning. Natsuko is getting antsy about being away from Ryuunosuke. He's our first after all, but at the same time, I didn't want to miss Sakura and Deidara's wedding, and neither did my wife. It was a hard decision to come, but her parents assured her that if she survived their upbringing, then they could probably watch after their grandson without any problems too."

Madara laughed, "Don't forget the daily updates from Tama."

The cat walked leisurely out from under table and yawned. "Is it breakfast time yet?"

Itachi tensed up slightly. Animal familiars were far to unpredictable for him, saying whatever they wanted – usually at his expense.

"Maybe for you." Sasuke laughed. "Tama's been checking on the baby and giving daily reports to Natsuko. Her parents even placed him next to a newspaper to show the date of the photo to prove he's still okay. They have such a bizarre sense of humour, but it made her laugh."

"Ran is looking forward to meeting her nephew. She was disappointed he couldn't come." Madara added. "And of course…" he smiled and shook his head, "I simply can't believe that I'm a grandfather. It just doesn't seem possible…" His voice disappeared.

Itachi reflected how different Madara was now from his old self. He was much more subdued and thoughtful, and while he had never truly gotten over his defeat ten years earlier, he no longer dwelled on it either.

Sasuke continued, "Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo are back in Mist as well. Ha! I still can't believe Karin and Suigetsu… though I guess I should have suspected something. They always spent so much time together. You know, that resort you keep sending people to, Itachi, seems to have a rather… odd… effect on people. When they came back from vacation last month they were married and expecting a kid. Is there something about that place I should know about?"

"No." Itachi shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Hmm." Sasuke and Madara were suspicious.

"By the way, thanks for sending Nui to help at the hospital." Sasuke said. "Her daughter Nagi is sure a handful, though. She's got half the boys her age chasing her and the other half wishing they could by the first half to chase her as well."

Itachi laughed, "She was more than happy to spend a year there and help set up the Shinobi hospital alliance. Ninja have a lot of special concerns that normal people don't. Kabuto is going to be stopping by there on his way back from his current mission so he can help out as well."

"The Mizukage is so happy about all your help she keeps breaking down in tears of joy. What a strange woman."

"Don't say that to her face." Madara warned, "She'll rearrange your bones without anesthetic."

"Ouch." Sasuke grinned.

Silence fell between the trio and the seconds ticked by. He looked at the door and jumped when he thought he saw someone staring back at him, then sighed.

"What?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"Nothing." He shook his head as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. It happened sometimes. Perhaps because of his Eternal Sharingan, or his connection to the gods. Or maybe it was some special ability he was born with. But sometimes, he would swear, he could ghosts. They never seemed to stay, or be more than a passing feeling or perhaps a vision from the corner of his eye, but nevertheless… Nevertheless…

"Who did you see this time?" Madara interrupted him.

"Huh?"

The man was serious, "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, well… Obito. I thought… I saw him… dressed in the same clothes he wore to my fourth birthday party. But it's…"

"You asked me about him once, Itachi. A long time ago. You asked…"

"I asked if you were him. If you had taken his body. Because… because I kept seeing him when I looked at you."

Madara sighed and stood up, turning his back on the two brothers, "I can't explain what you are seeing, or why, or how… but as for Obito… I did visit him shortly after his death to… steal his eyes. One was already taken by Kakashi and the other, believe it or not was still in good condition. It had been pushed back inside his skull by the rock and against his brain. The fact that Obito had remained conscious and able to speak during his last moments was a good sign that the brain hadn't been damaged, just his spine and limbs. So I knew I wasn't going to completely waste my time if I went looking for him."

"So… when I saw you… you had his eye…"

"Yeah. I admit it. Finally. Odd, I feel a little better now. But it still seems weird… almost like Obito was haunting me… perhaps his ghost was following me around and that's what you were seeing? I really can't explain it, Itachi."

"It does make sense. What happened to his eye?"

"After you asked me if I was using Obito's body I suspected you might know something so I switched out his eye with another. You never brought it up again so… Anyway… all those eyes are in the hideout in my secret apartment." He sat back down and drained his tea cup. "Could I trouble you, Itachi, to deal with the eyes? I believe they should have a proper burial. I emptied the chamber of my personal effects, and took everything back to Water country, but I left the eyes. I… felt perhaps just destroying them would be… bad somehow."

Itachi nodded seriously, "I'll take care of it. Thank-you for telling me." He gave a short laugh, "I thought maybe I was going crazy back then. I kept trying to catch you because I thought you were a ghost."

"Not yet." Madara added, then after a few moments of silence added, "It sounds like the movie ended. Sauske, if we're going to catch the morning train at the outpost town we should leave soon. It'll take three hours to get there."

"Sure thing, Madara."

As Itachi watched them disappear down the road he felt Sheeta wrap her arm around his shoulders and lean her head against his chest, "I wish Konan had felt like coming out."

"Nagato's death last spring was pretty hard on her. She said she didn't really feel like travelling or attending a party. Plus, she stepped in as the ruler of Rain so she does have a lot to do." Itachi rested his cheek on the top of her head, "She sent them a great gift though, a two week vacation at 'that' resort."

"Do you think we should tell everyone that we're actually the ones who own it?" Sheeta asked conspiratorially.

"Nah. It's much more fun this way."

Darkness fell over the house as the rest of the lights were turned off and everyone fell asleep. The stars flashed brilliantly in the sky as they circled the heavens and the full moon lit the landscape in its warm white light. Shadows, or perhaps ghosts, flitted about the town as the branches of the many trees blew lightly in the breeze and as the party faded and the guests went home the occasional napkin would blow off a table, a plastic fork would flip over. And drifting over the wind was the sound of laughter and half-forgotten conversation. Or maybe it was just the wind chimes and a bird with insomnia.

X x x x x x x x x x x x

The End.

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**I hope that wrapped up the story well enough. Let me know what you think. I have to admit, I kept rewriting it, trying to figure out a way to give some kind of update on most of the characters and decided that a people-watching Itachi at a wedding would be the best approach. **

**Once again, thank-you for sticking with the story and reading all the way to the end. It means a lot to me.**


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